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Welcome to our e-newsletter
Minds in Motion
Looking for ways to stay warm this fall? Curl up with a blanket and our November newsletter! Read about two enlivening visitors and mark your calendar for a family theater workshop. Plus, student Nelly Cavazos shares how a little piece of advice made a big difference this semester.
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Students explore History's Erasures
Richard Flores, anthropologist and associate dean at UT Austin, began his recent visit to the Free Minds class with a big question: "What is history?" He waited as students responded and then offered a definition of his own. "History is a plot," he said "which should be open to change." And he added, "When someone asks if you're trying to re-write history, the answer should be, of course."
Flores's visit marked the culmination of this fall's anthropology unit taught by Professor Polly Strong. For the past several weeks, students have delved into autobiographies by Mary Rowlandson, Benjamin Franklin, and Frederick Douglass, exploring each author's cultural perspective. Flores's essay Memory-Place, Meaning, and the Alamo was the only contemporary piece students read, and it hit close to home.
Flores, a San Antonio native, has been thinking about the meaning of the Alamo for a long time. His essay recounts a third grade field trip to the famous site, in which a classmate accused Flores and "the other mes'cans" of killing the heroes of the Alamo. Later as a graduate student, Flores studied the intersections of history, tourism, and culture, focusing his dissertation on popular Alamo narratives. He argues that these narratives often paint a simplified picture, emphasizing ethnic difference and erasing a more complicated political history.
As the group reflected on what they would take away from the discussion, student Corina Esparza remarked, "Just because it comes from an authority figure, that doesn't mean it's true," a point which Professor Strong echoed. "Pay close attention to where stories come from," she told the class. "And keep digging."
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Free Minds grads and community members, join us for our upcoming Second Saturday event!
Family Theater Workshop
Saturday, December 13, 10 am - noon
M Station, 2906 East MLK Jr. Blvd
(above the leasing office)
This is a chance to get the whole family up on their feet. Bring yourself, your kids, grandkids, nieces, and nephews! Theater games and exercises for kids from one to 92 will be led by Sidney Monroe, Creative Action teaching artist, who holds his M.F.A. in theatre for youth and communities. Light breakfast will be provided. To RSVP, email freeminds@foundcom.org.
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Local Filmmaker Shares Inspiration
 Last September Free Minds kicked off Second Saturdays as a way to gather alums and students at the same time and place each month for discussion, coffee, and community. Our most recent of these events featured guest facilitator Andrew Garrison, local filmmaker and professor of digital media production at UT Austin. Among his many accomplishments, Garrison conceived and directed the 2012 documentary film Trash Dance, which depicts the evolution of a dance performance piece by Austin sanitation workers and choreographer Allison Orr.
The ensuing discussion touched on Garrison's career path, the ethics of film editing, and Aristotle's three act structure of storytelling. Despite accolades that include a Guggenheim fellowship, Garrison admitted that he was initially too intimidated to sign up for filmmaking classes, causing his training to progress more slowly than it could have. "I was stupid to be afraid that I was ignorant," said Garrison, "because everyone's ignorant at some point."
Garrison is currently at work on a feature length fiction film called The Lucky One, the story of two Mexican sisters raised on either side of the border. Shooting is scheduled to begin in 2015.
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Special Thanks With Thanksgiving approaching, we offer big thanks to those who visited the Free Minds class to share their wisdom this semester!
Juanita Andrade, Free Minds Class of 2013 Michelle Dahlenburg, Conspire Theatre Jodi Denyszyn, ACC Student Development Tiffany Eagan, Free Minds Class of 2012 Richard Flores, UT Austin Department of Anthropology Hopeton Hay, KAZI radio
Mary Helen Specht, author, Migratory Animals Karl Meyers, ACC Student Services Kellye Mireles, Free Minds Class of 2014
Elisabeth Moreno, UT Austin Sanger Learning Center (retired)
Matthew Needham, Free Minds Class of 2014 Monica Teresa Ortiz, author, On a Greyhound Straight From the 915
Julie Cuellar Reck, ACC Student Development
Judith Rhedin, UT Austin, Texas Performing Arts
Tañia Rivera, Free Minds Class of 2014 Ire'ne Lara Silva, author, Flesh to Bone Clayton Stromberger, UT Austin, Shakespeare at Winedale Natalia Sylvester, author, Chasing the Sun Larry Thomas, Free Minds Class of 2008 Janelle Townsel, ACC Admissions and Records
If you are interested in volunteering with or supporting Free Minds, you can find more information on our website.
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The Final Word
Nelly Cavazos, '15, shares the big impact of a little advice
 I thought I had forgotten her, the inner girl who was so sure of her significance in the world. We are born with that instinct to strive forward without hesitation, but sometimes we lose sight of who we are or doubt that we can achieve something greater. For many years I suffered from that uncertainty, but always had gentle affirmations that I was doing "ok."
It wasn't until I had graduated from high school and started at Stephen F. Austin University that my self-doubt became more prominent. I was constantly second guessing myself, thinking I wasn't smart enough. By the end of my first year my grades had plummeted, and I was too ashamed to seek further assistance. In retrospect, my demise had everything to do with a lack of self-confidence and maturity. Had I had some beacon of hope or kind affirmation, perhaps things would have turned out differently. Almost 6 years passed before I came across Free Minds, and I immediately felt excited to start. I remember skimming through my first assignment. Plato's Republic seemed daunting. I started to feel that familiar nagging that made my stomach churn as if someone turned on a dryer full of bricks. My stupor was interrupted by Matthew, our philosophy professor. "Just take it one line at a time, and read it to the end." That's all. That's it. Such a simple answer, yet it made perfect sense. Any person can read one sentence at a time. Sometimes we imagine our long-term goals as a big picture, set on the end result. When our aspiration seems too far we easily get overwhelmed and give up, never thinking that we could have simplified the task. These last few months have reminded me that we all have the potential to achieve what we deem improbable. With encouragement and guidance from peers and professors, I feel as if I have undergone a necessary transformation. My self-esteem, analytical thinking, creativity, and speech have improved, and my coworkers, family, and friends have noted the difference. My time in Free Minds has reawakened my hope as well as my inner child's zeal for life. For the first time in years, she has stepped out onto an unfamiliar path, and it has never been more exhilarating! |
A program of Foundation Communities, in partnership with The University of Texas at Austin and Austin Community College, 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
Foundation Communities
3036 South 1st Street
Austin TX, 78704
Project Director: Vivé Griffith Program Coordinator: Amelia Pace-Borah Ph: 512-610-7961 F: 512-447-0288
www.FreeMindsAustin.org |
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