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Welcome to our e-newsletter
Minds in Motion
The spring semester is underway, and we're excited! Read on for ways to connect with Free Minds in the new year and hear student Tari Jordan describe her revelatory move to Austin. |
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Spring Semester Asks What It Means to be American
If there's a better way to start a new year than with a fresh stack of books, we at Free Minds don't know what it is. So when our students came back to the classroom on January 9, we shared in their delight to discover books of poetry and nonfiction, novels and style guides piled high and waiting.
Our spring semester will focus on the question, "What does it mean to be American?" building on fall's exploration of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Students will consider our national identity through the varied lens of politics and poetry, history and humanities. They'll tackle texts from local historian H.W. Brands, American icon Martin Luther King, Jr., and Pulitzer winner Natasha Trethewey. The semester, which began with Gertrude Bonnin's essay, "Impressions of an Indian Childhood," will culminate with Sherman Alexie's time-traveling Native American narrator, Zits, in the 2007 novel Flight.
Energy is high in the Free Minds classroom, where the rewards of last semester can be seen in students' increased confidence and deepening conversation. Our full semester syllabus is available on our website. Contact us if you want to come visit and share in a lively and wide-ranging dialogue about national identity.
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College Fair is February 25
Our annual college fair offers students and the community a one-stop shop for getting prepared to take the first steps toward a degree. Attendees of this year's event will have the chance to meet with representatives from local colleges, learn about how to succeed in the classroom, and fill out financial aid paperwork.
The event is free and open to all.
Monday, February 25
6:30-8:30pm
M Station Apartments
2906 East MLK Blvd. |
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Get Ready to Amplify Austin
(and Free Minds)!
If you love Free Minds, here's your chance to contribute to its future. Amplify Austin, a community-wide day of online philanthropy, will take place March 4 to 5, and Free Minds is one of over 300 organizations participating. Together, we have the opportunity to raise $1 million for local nonprofits, including Free Minds.
More details to come, but for now, please help us spread the word about Free Minds. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter. Visit our website. And get ready to make some noise!
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Blanton Museum Tour Explores American Story in Art
Standing before Luis Jimenez' massive fiberglass sculpture "Border Crossing" at the Blanton Museum on January 17, Free Minds students contemplated the artwork depicting a man carrying a woman and child across the river into the U.S. "I was struck by the color and history in the piece," said student Cynthia Mays, "and the man's strength." The tour invited students to consider a broad range of American experience, culture, and history. Annette Carlozzi, senior curator for the Blanton, led the class through paintings documenting the American West at the turn of the century, an airplane constructed of discarded lumber, and a blue, bejeweled sculpture titled "Lady Lazarus". Each stop along the way provoked conversation about the artist's context and message.
The evening ended with Peter Dean's riotous painting "Dallas Chaos II," a reimagining of the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald. Glancing between a photograph of the actual event and the painting depicting it, students saw how an artist can comment on a historic moment, transforming it into a work of personal expression.
Students left with a new appreciation and appetite for art. "It was a breathtaking experience," said Angelique Martin. "I found myself wanting to look at everything."  |
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Special Thanks
At the start of a new semester, we pause to recognize the faculty members from UT and ACC who bring their passion and expertise to our Class of 2013. Special thanks go to:
Dr. David Edwards Government
UT-Austin
Vivé Griffith
Creative Writing
ACC
Patty Hatcher
Humanities
ACC
Dr. Domino Perez
Literature
UT-Austin
Laine Perez
Writing
UT-Austin
If you are interested in volunteering with or supporting Free Minds, you can find more information on our website.
Do you have a special skill you'd like to share with Free Minds? Contact our office to talk about being a class workshop guest.
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YOUTUBE: Stacey Kennedy, Free Minds '12, and her son Richmond talk about their journey from homelessness to college.
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Minds in Motion
Archive
December 2012
We share student stories and hear from a Free Minds evangelist this holiday season.
Election fever comes to Free Minds.
October 2012
What do we learn from studying Shakespeare? A double dose of the Bard this month.
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The Final Word
Student Tari Jordan Couldn't Wait for Class to Start
 My eight-year-old daughter and I were so excited to start the spring semester that we showed up early, arriving to the classroom on Monday instead of Wednesday, our bus ride across town a sad yet hilarious exercise in futility. Walking to the class, my daughter couldn't help but tell me that she had butterflies in her tummy. She so loves her teacher, Mr. R.J., and the projects they all do together, that she was thrilled to be coming back after the break. She didn't even say that about Christmas, yet Free Minds (what she calls her "second school") gave her those feelings.
I came to Austin two years ago, and it turned out to be the best move of my life. Austin opened herself to me and my children with an embrace that I've never experienced from any other town, city, or berg I've lived in.
I now live in a very supportive and positive community, through which I heard about Free Minds. When my friend began telling me of it, every sentence brought a bigger smile to my face, an increase to my heart beat. Being part of the Class of 2013 has meant the world to me. The reading, the writing, the expression, the passion, and the knowledge that all the instructors bring to the class has been phenomenal, more than I ever imagined. The friendships, the sense of community, and the closeness we all feel as a class are tangible gifts I hope to always carry with me.
All this to say, this program has made a huge difference to me and my daughter, who gets to see her mother actively learning and loving it, while participating herself. I eagerly look forward to every class. And I am actively looking into furthering my education once the program ends.
I wish all colleges worked like Free Minds. I love being a part of it! |
A program of the UT Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, in partnership with the UT Humanities Institute, Austin Community College, and Foundation Communities, Free Minds offers a two-semester college course in the humanities for Central Texas adults who want to fulfill their intellectual potential and begin a new chapter in their lives.
Free Minds Project
Community Engagement Center
1009 East 11th Street, #218
Austin TX 78702
Project Director: Vivé Griffith Program Coordinator: Amelia Pace-Borah Ph: 512-232-6093 F: 512-236-1729
www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/freeminds |
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