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Summer 2013 Issue of Louisiana Cultural Vistas Debuts June 15th |
* The cover story is an excerpt from Dixie Bohemia, A French Quarter Circle in the 1920s, by John Shelton Reed. The author recreates the history of the French Quarter's renaissance of the early 20th century that turned the deteriorating neighborhood into an artists' and writers' enclave and thus ushered in the era of mass tourism.
* Disgraced televangelist Jimmy Swaggart is one of Louisiana's most infamous native sons. Glen Jeansonne's biographical sketch fleshes out details from Swaggart's childhood, his rise to power, fall from grace and life today.
* David Armentor's Sugar Mill Sessions is an ongoing photography project focusing on sugar production in Southwest Louisiana. Armentor seeks a localized, contemporary view of the industry by documenting harvest seasons, and by shadowing the Judices, a family of sugar cane farmers whose roots are buried seven generations deep in the industry.
* An excerpt from the book A Case for Solomon: Bobby Dunbar and the Kidnapping That Haunted a Nation, by Tal McThenia and Margaret Dunbar Cutright, offers a riveting peek into the chronicle of the custody case of Bobby Dunbar, a child who had gone missing from a family picnic outside Opelousas, in 1912. When a child who resembled him reappeared eight months after Bobby's disappearance, the boy became the center of a sensationalized courtroom battle between two families who claimed him as their own.
* A photo essay by Ralph Burns depicts diverse neighborhoods and characters from New Orleans in the 1970s. With subject matter ranging from the backstreets of New Orleans to Mardi Gras parades and riverfront wharf workers, Burns "captured what he knew while responding to the mysterious and the ambiguous," writes art historian J. Richard Gruber.
* Artists Juan José and Challis Walker Calandria met in Paris, were married in New York and settled in New Orleans, where José Calandria would serve as consul of Uruguay. Writer John Kemp shares how the Calandrias became prominent painters, sculptors, art teachers and diplomats from the 1920s through the 1970s.
And save the date! On Wednesday, July 10th, 6pm-8pm at the Louisiana Humanities Center in New Orleans, we'll celebrate the new issue with an evening of presentations from contributing writers. Stay tuned for details!
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Entergy Renews Support for PRIME TIME Family Reading Time Across Greater New Orleans |
 The LEH is pleased to announce that the Entergy Charitable Foundation has renewed its annual support for the LEH's PRIME TIME Family Reading Time program. The $25,000 gift will help underwrite PRIME TIME programming across Orleans Parish in the fall of 2013 and spring of 2014.
"I want to personally thank Entergy New Orleans President and CEO Charles Rice for his support," stated Dr. Michael Sartisky, LEH President and Executive Director. "This is the third consecutive year that Entergy has supported PRIME TIME. By preserving this generous level of support - through a period coinciding with the LEH's complete loss of more than $2 million in state funding - Entergy has proven to be a visionary corporate partner in Greater New Orleans that truly understands the pivotal connection between early reading, parental engagement in a child's education, and academic success."
Thanks also to Patty Riddlebarger, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, and Jennifer Quezergue, Senior Analyst, Corporate Social Responsibility for their longstanding support of PRIME TIME. |
KnowLA commemorates Civil War in Louisiana |
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| Courtesy of the Historic New Orleans Collection |
Although often overlooked by Civil War historians, Louisiana's story is thick with events and personalities that warrant revisiting, such as the many anecdotal references to the hated and infamous General Benjamin Butler, commander of the Union occupation of New Orleans, and who acquired the nicknames "The Bluebeard of New Orleans," "The Beast" and "Spoons Butler." Read more about the Civil War and Reconstruction on KnowLA.org.
The Civil War ended on June 2, 1865, when Union officials ratified the terms of surrender agreed upon by General Edmund Kirby Smith, commander of the Trans-Mississippi Department of the Confederacy, the country's last regional holdout. Concurrently, Louisiana's Confederate Governor Henry W. Allen delivered a final address before fleeing to Mexico, never to return to the U. S.
During Reconstruction, Unionist Benjamin Flanders became Louisiana's first Republican governor in June of 1867. Tumultuous political infighting led to Flanders' resignation a mere six months later.
The next year Oscar J. Dunn, a freedman, was elected lieutenant governor of Louisiana. He was the first African American elected lieutenant governor in the U.S. and one of the first in the nation to hold executive office.
Although the lithograph by Currier & Ives-which immortalized the famous steamboat race from New Orleans to St. Louis in 1870-depicts the Robert E. Lee ahead of the Natchez, in fact the Natchez triumphed in that contest.
It was in June of 1807 that Louisiana Governor William C. C. Claiborne challenged long-time political rival Daniel Clark to a duel over a perceived slander. Clark, the more experienced duelist, shot Claiborne in his right thigh. Claiborne suffered a long recovery, but his wound eventually healed.
Also from KnowLA this month:
Festival season never ends in Louisiana! On June 8th and 9th, New Orleans celebrates its seventh annual Cajun & Zydeco Festival. Discover the backstories of Cajun and zydeco music through KnowLA's entries on Cajun music, and zydeco.
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PRIME TIME Partner States Host National Expansion Training Workshops |
As part of the National Endowment for the Humanities' (NEH) most recent national expansion award to PRIME TIME, partner agencies (including Louisiana) will host their own training workshops in the coming months. As part of the NEH grant, partner agencies receive resources, training, and ongoing support from the PRIME TIME staff to plan for, administer, and sustain statewide PRIME TIME programming as it is done in Louisiana. This includes planning and implementing a training workshop. PRIME TIME staff members and experienced consultants will travel to each state to provide on site support to partners and new team members. Training dates and locations are below.
Partner Agency: Kentucky Humanities Council
Dates: Friday and Saturday, March 1 - 2, 2013
Project Director: Kathleen Pool
Location: Harrodsburg, KY
Partner Agency: Illinois Humanities Council
Dates: Friday and Saturday, May 10 - 11, 2013
Project Director(s): Geoffrey Banks and Anna Burch
Location: Chicago, IL
Partner Agency: Arizona Humanities Council
Dates: Thursday and Friday, May 17 - 18, 2013
Project Director: Jamie Martin
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Partner Agency: Humanities Washington
Dates: Saturday and Sunday, June 1 - 2, 2013
Project Director: Ellen Terry
Location: Spokane, WA
Partner Agency: Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities
Dates: Friday and Saturday, July 13 - 14, 2013
Project Director: Shantrell Adams
Location: New Orleans, LA
To date, three of five training workshops associated with this project have been successfully completed. Once the Louisiana training ends in July 80 team members will have been trained to implement the national expansion project. The PRIME TIME staff is excited about the efforts and effectiveness of the project directors, all of whom have taken advantage of the provided resources and technical support and adapted the training model to suit the needs of their councils and team members.
On her experience assisting with the planning and hosting of the PRIME TIME training workshop in Illinois, Anna Burch, a program associate with The Illinois Humanities Council stated:
"I was very happy with our first PRIME TIME training workshop. In the planning stages, it was easy to overlook the very human impact the workshop was to have; I recognized the value of the workshop in terms of edification, but I could not have anticipated the emotional impact it had on everyone involved. The LEH staff and consultants set the tone for the weekend, with their dedication and enthusiasm towards the program. It was very clear to me that all of the team members left the workshop feeling a sense of ownership of the PRIME TIME mission that will surely carry over into their upcoming series."
The PRIME TIME staff is excited about the potential impact of this project for both partner agencies and the families they will serve. Further updates on the progress of "It's a Small World" will be provided regularly.
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LHC Hosts "Tuesdays with Earl" - June 18 to July 16 |
 A famous writer travels south to explore the sticky political landscape in Louisiana. Assumptions falter, lurid truths emerge, and a master of journalistic prose crafts a classic portrait of one of Louisiana's most memorable characters.
This summer the Louisiana Humanities Center will host "Tuesdays with Earl," a five-week lunchtime reading series. Participants are invited to bring their lunches for a scholar-led conversation about The Earl of Louisiana, the 1961 book by legendary author A.J. Liebling. The one-hour sessions will take place every Tuesday at noon, from June 18 through July 16 at the Louisiana Humanities Center at 938 Lafayette Street. Enrollment is free but limited to 40 people. To sign up, email boyles@leh.org.
Program Schedule:
Tuesday, June 18
Tuesday, June 25
Tuesday, July 2
Tuesday, July 9
Tuesday, July 16
The program fuses the LEH's Readings in Literature and Culture (RELIC)--the longest-running adult reading program in the South--with the acclaimed public programming of the Louisiana Humanities Center (LHC). Part of the ongoing revitalization of the CBD, the LEH is proud to partner with the Downtown Development District and the Young Leadership Council in welcoming participants interested in the rich history of our city and state.
Praised by The Washington Post as "one of the best books ever written about American politics," The Earl of Louisiana was the culmination of several journeys to the state by Liebling, who wrote for The New Yorker for more than thirty years. Liebling follows Governor Earl Long from his release from a mental hospital to his final run at statewide office. Along the way, the author travels across Louisiana and New Orleans, from the state capitol to legendary barrooms, his biting wit and incisive observations offering an uproarious portrait of our complex political culture.
Participants will engage in conversations led by Dr. Carolyn Kolb, who teaches history at Tulane University. Sessions will include excerpts from documentary films, audio recordings of the governor, and digital media available on KnowLA.org, the Digital Encyclopedia of Louisiana. Books will be provided for the five-week program.
Registration ends June 11th. Email boyles@leh.org for more information.
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RELIC Offers Reading and Discussion Series on the American Muslim Experience |
The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities received a $4,500 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the American Library Association (ALA) to host a five-part reading and discussion series titled "Let's Talk About It: Muslim Journeys." Administered by the LEH's Readings in Literature and Culture (RELIC), the programs will take place this fall. The LEH is one of 125 libraries and state humanities councils across the country selected to participate in the project, which seeks to familiarize public audiences in the United States with the people, places, history, faith and cultures of Muslims in the United States and around the world. The Muslim Journeys theme that RELIC has chosen to explore is "American Stories," a series of texts about Americans of Muslim faith in history and contemporary times.
"We are delighted to to host this unique series that will allow readers a chance to discuss some important themes in Muslim history and literature," said Jim Segreto, Director of RELIC Programs.
There will be two programs of "American Stories," one in Ruston and the other in New Orleans. The texts to be read and discussed are: Acts of Faith, by Eboo Patel; The Columbia Sourcebook of Muslims in the United States, edited by Edward Curtis IV; A Quiet Revolution: The Veil's Resurgence, from the Middle East to America, by Lelia Ahmed; Prince among Slaves, by Terry Alford; and The Butterfly Mosque: A Young American Woman's Journey to Love and Islam, by Willow Wilson.
Schedule
Ruston: Louisiana Tech University, University Hall
Tuesdays, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, Oct. 1 through 29.
318-257-2872
New Orleans: Norman Mayer Branch Library, 3001 Gentilly Blvd
Thursdays, 6:00 - 8:00 pm, Sep. 19 through Oct. 17
504-596-3100
All of the books to be discussed in this series are part of the Bridging Cultures Bookshelf for Muslim Journeys. The books and films comprising the bookshelf were selected with the advice librarians and cultural programming experts, as well as distinguished scholars in the fields of anthropology, world history, religious studies, interfaith dialogue, the history of art and architecture, world literature, Middle East studies, Southeast Asian studies, African studies, and Islamic studies.
The Bridging Cultures Bookshelf is a project of the NEH, conducted in cooperation with the ALA Public Programs Office, with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Additional support for the arts and media components was provided by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts.
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PRIME TIME Announces Fall 2013 Louisiana Sites |
Congratulations to all fall 2013 PRIME TIME grant recipients! Over 40 requests for PRIME TIME funding were received for the fall 2013 term in Louisiana. Due to a limited amount of funding, only 27 of those requests could be approved. Grants and support from corporate and private sources will fund 100% of programs awarded throughout the state. In addition, some school districts will will fund programs independently. Additional information on these programs will be available soon at www.primetimefamily.org.
Fall 2013 PRIME TIME Sites:
CENTRAL LOUISIANA/BATON ROUGE |
Parish |
Host Site |
Pointe Coupee |
Valverda Elementary |
Evangeline |
Mamou Elementary School |
Iberville |
Iberville Elem.School |
Rapides |
King Branch Library |
East Baton Rouge |
Children's Charter School |
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NORTH LOUISIANA |
Parish |
Host Site |
Sabine |
Many Elementary School |
Jackson |
Title I Parent Center |
Sabine |
Florien High School |
Caddo |
Queensborough Elementary School |
Sabine |
Many Junior High School |
Sabine |
Many Junior High School |
Sabine |
Pleasant Hill High School |
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SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA |
Parish |
Host Site |
Orleans |
Algiers Regional Branch Library |
Lafourche |
Raceland Branch Library |
Orleans |
Encore Academy |
Jefferson |
East Bank Regional Library |
Orleans |
STAIR @ Harney Elementary School |
Orleans |
Louisiana Children's Museum |
St. James |
Gramercy Elementary School |
Orleans |
Harmony Oaks |
St. Bernard |
Arabi Elementary |
St. Bernard |
Smith Elementary |
St. Bernard |
Smith Elementary |
Orleans |
Langston Hughes Academy |
Orleans |
Dibert Community School |
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SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA |
Parish |
Host Site |
Calcasieu |
Gillis Elementary |
Jefferson Davis |
Elton Elementary |
Lafayette |
Prairie Elementary Library |
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LCV/KnowLA Editor Wins National Awards |
Published in June 2012 by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, with a foreword by James Carville, Hell or High Water tells the largely overlooked story of major hurricanes that pummeled the small Cajun communities across the entire coastal region of South Louisiana in 2005 and 2008, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina's devastating impact on New Orleans.
The LEH awarded Thibodeaux a Louisiana Publishing Initiative grant for the book project in 2009. He joined the LEH in 2012 as an associate editor for Louisiana Cultural Vistas and KnowLA.org, the digital encyclopedia of Louisiana history and culture.
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July 2013 PRIME TIME Training Workshop Dates Announced |
 The PRIME TIME Training Workshop is scheduled for July 13 - 14, 2013. The workshop will be held at the Louisiana Humanities Center at Turners' Hall in New Orleans.
The PRIME TIME Training Workshop includes an intense review of the program methodology, as well as practice of strategies for planning and implementing the program.
Affiliate project directors should begin considering whether any team members will need training and prepare to alert the PRIME TIME staff via online Affiliate Data Forms by Monday, June 3, 2013.
This training workshop will also include team members who are training for roles in the NEH-funded project "It's A Small World After All: Global Citizenship Education for the 21st Century." All trainees will receive preliminary details on the training in May. All others should contact the PRIME TIME staff with questions regarding upcoming training opportunities.
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Purchase a copy of A Unique Slant of Light at Your Local Bookstore |
Looking for the perfect gift for a Louisiana art lover? Stop by your local bookstore to pick up
A Unique Slant of Light: The Bicentennial History of Art in Louisiana. Copies are available in these stores:
A Unique Slant of Light may also be purchased directly from the LEH by clicking here.
The book features 276 entries on Louisiana artists and more than 400 images. Pick one up today!
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