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| February 2009
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LEH e-Newsletter
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LEH annual awards ceremony
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Mark this date - March 21, 2009! The annual LEH will hold its 2009 Annual Awards Banquet at 12:30 p.m. March 21 at the Houmas House Plantation and Gardens in Darrow, Louisiana.
Admission to the event, which includes lunch, is $50. Checks can be sent to 938 Lafayette St., Ste. 300, New Orleans, LA 70113, or contact Brian Boyles at 504-620-2632 or boyles@leh.org.
 The 2009 LEH award winners are:
- Humanist of the Year - Dr. Barry Jean Ancelet, of Scott, La., and long-time professor of French and Acadian culture and language at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
- Lifetime Contribution to the Humanities Award - Priscilla Lawrence, executive director of The Historic New Orleans Collection.
- Chair's Award for Institutional Support - Friends of the Humanities of Lafayette, for its excellent work in humanities studies and activities in Louisiana.
- Humanities Documentary Film of the Year Award - Louisiana Story: The Reverse Angle by Tika Laudun and Charles E. Richard, a production of Louisiana Public Broadcasting.
- Michael P. Smith Memorial Award for Documentary Photography - Lafayette photographer Philip Gould.
- Legislative Awards - State Senator Cheryl Gray of New Orleans and State Rep. Joe Harrison of Labadieville.
- Individual Achievement in the Humanities Awards - Dr. John W. Hall, professor emeritus in geography at LSU Shreveport, and Dr. Thomas Fick, a resident of Covington and English professor at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond.
- Public Humanities Programming Award - Karen McPheeters, director of the Farmington Public Library in New Mexico, and Gail Garcia, community relations manager for the Iberia Parish Library.
- Humanities Book of the Year Award - Ned Sublette for his new book The World That Made New Orleans: From Spanish Silver to Congo Square.
- Humanities Teacher of the Year Award - Cathy Mills, a middle school art and Louisiana history teacher at Episcopal School of Acadiana in Lafayette, and Jennifer Williams, an elementary school teacher at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans.
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Governor Jindal appoints three new board members
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Governor Bobby Jindal recently named three gubernatorial appointments to the LEH Board of Directors. They are:
- Lois Hoover, of Monroe, serves as a member of the Ouachita Expressway Authority.
- Sandie Jordan, of Lake Charles, is involved with many humanitarian organizations, including the Imperial Calcasieu Museum.
- Virginia Shehee, of Shreveport, is an executive at Kilpatrick Life Insurance Company and serves as chair of the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra and Strand Theatre.
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State budget cuts force LEH to cancel grants deadline
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 State budget cuts force LEH to cancel grants deadline
The Louisiana
Endowment for the Humanities, or LEH, facing a mid-year budget cut in
its appropriation from the deficit-strapped state of Louisiana, has
cancelled its March 15 outreach grants deadline. The LEH also has had
to absorb and cut more than $175,000 in grants and other programs.
LEH
officials expect to resume its normal grants deadline schedule for
projects funded in fiscal year 2009-2010, contingent upon next year's
state budget, which begins July 1. Grant deadlines for projects
beginning after July 1 include:
- Documentary Film and Radio Grants: April 27
- Public Humanities Grants: May 1
- Outreach Grants: May 15
- The Feb. 15, 2009, deadline for Louisiana Publishing Initiative grants remains the same.
To learn more about LEH grants program, visit www.leh.org or contact
Grants Director Walker Lasiter at 800-909-7990 x132 or lasiter@leh.org.
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LEH schedules 2009 summer teacher institutes
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 The LEH has scheduled the following teacher institutes to take place this summer in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport:
Baton Rouge - The Ottoman Empire: Record and Legacy, Louisiana State University and A & M College, June 8 - 30, Dr. Karl Roider & Dr. Reem Meshal, 225-578-4498 & 225-248-6993, emails: kroider@lsu.edu & rmeshal@lsu.edu
New Orleans - Putting PRIME TIME in New Orleans Public Schools, University of New Orleans, June 8 - July 2, Dr. Nancy Dixon, 504-280-6147, email: ndixon@uno.edu
Shreveport - Lincoln, Gandhi and King: Humanitarian Agents of Change, Louisiana State University at Shreveport, June 1 - 25, Dr. William Pederson, 318-797-5138, email: pederson@lsus.edu. |
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LEH announces American history seminars for Calcasieu teachers
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 The LEH, in partnership with Calcasieu Parish Public Schools and McNeese State University, will conduct four summer institutes in American history for Calcasieu Parish area public school teachers. The institutes, now in their second year, are underwritten by a $1 million Teaching American History grant from the U.S. Department of Education. This summer's institutes will run from June 1 to June 25. They include:
- From Colonials to Americans: Those Who Made a Nation, Dr. Derek W. Blakeley (for elementary teachers)
- Westward Expansion and Immigration, 1800-1900, Dr. Michael T. Smith (for middle school teachers)
- Constitutional History of the United States, Dr. John Keeling (for middle and high school teachers)
- 20th Century Social Movements and the Emergence of Modern America, Dr. Janet Allured (for high school teachers)
Teachers completing the institutes successfully will receive a $1,250 stipend, 3 college credits in history, 45 continued learning units, and classroom materials. In the event of vacancies, public school teachers from surrounding parishes will be admitted.
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LEH awards new Public Humanities grants
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 Baton Rouge - Arctic Spirit, $21,055, Louisiana Art and Science Museum, Elizabeth Weinstein, Feb.15 - June 30, 2009.
Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum is an exhibition consisting of 143 objects, maps, photographs and interpretative text spanning 22 centuries of creativity, with a host of educational programs, focusing on the culture of the Inuit. For more information, contact Elizabeth Weinstein at 225-344-5272 ext. 114 or eweinstein@lasm.org.
New Orleans - Michael P. Smith, $22,300, Contemporary Arts Center, New Orleans, Jay Weigel, April 17 - July 18, 2009.
The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) will bring together 125 photographs taken over 25 years at the New Orleans Jazz Fest by well-known New Orleans photographer Michael P. Smith. For more information, contact Jay Weigel at 504-528-3805 or jweigel@cacno.org.
New Orleans - From Tramps to Kings: Celebrating One Hundred Years of Zulu, 1909-2009, $10,000, Louisiana Museum Foundation, Dr. Charles Chamberlain, Feb. 8 - June 30.
The Louisiana State Museum and the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club are partnering to commemorate Zulu's Centennial with a major exhibition of artifacts, photographs and costumes. For more information, contact Dr. Charles Chamberlain at 504-680-9044 or cchamberlain@crt.state.la.us.
New Orleans - Showdown in Desire: Public Education Forums, $7,483, Community Mediation Services, Inc., Orissa Arend, May 20 - June 3, 2009.
Three public forums will be held to coincide with the publication of the book Showdown in Desire: Black Panthers Take a Stand in New Orleans. For more information, contact Orissa Arend at 504-865-1619 or arendsaxer@bellsouth.net.
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PRIME TIME Family Reading Time®
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 Training Workshop in New Orleans PRIME TIME hosted the first Training Workshop of 2009 in New Orleans during the weekend of January 17 - 18 at the Louisiana Humanities Center at Turners' Hall in the LEH's Education Center. PRIME TIME Training Workshops offer intense instruction and practice in program philosophy, methodology, and implementation for new scholars, storytellers, program coordinators, community organizers, and preschool coordinators. The PRIME TIME staff met with more than 80 team members from Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Nebraska, and New Mexico who were trained to work with Spring 2009 sites. For more information regarding upcoming PRIME TIME Training Workshops, contact Shantrell Adams at adams@leh.org.  PRIME TIME "Targets" literacy in New Orleans schoolPRIME TIME returns to John Dibert School in New Orleans for a third year of programming this spring; however, this year's program is part of the extensive literacy programming funded by Target Corporation through the New Orleans Kids Partnership (NOKP). The New Orleans Kids Partnership is a collaborative of 30-plus community organizations, foundations, and businesses that work with the New Orleans community organizations and families to help children and youth reach their optimal potential. At John Dibert School, NOKP has brought together 5 organizations that will coordinate a wide variety of literacy activities for the school, its families, and the surrounding community. The organizations that will coordinate programming and services are the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and PRIME TIME, Start the Adventure in Reading (STAIR), City Year of New Orleans, Urban League of Greater New Orleans, and the Louisiana Children's Museum. STAIR program staff will coordinate PRIME TIME in conjunction with the school and LEH staff. The program will recruit target families from the school, city-wide STAIR sites, as well as from the nearby community. Dr. Nancy Dixon, professor of English at the University of New Orleans, and Donald Lewis, actor and popular New Orleans storyteller, will serve as the discussion leaders. Both leaders bring years of PRIME TIME experience to the project.
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RELIC: Readings in Literature and Culture
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 RELIC's winter and spring programming is getting underway for Louisiana's adult readers. Where Is North Louisiana? is a new reading program offered in Monroe and Natchitoches and an updated version of Encounter in Louisiana is scheduled for the Goodwood Branch library in Baton Rouge and the East Bank Regional Library in Jefferson Parish.
RELIC programs have been held in Louisiana's communities for more than 25 years, but looming state budget tightening threatens their existence much as it threatens all LEH initiatives. Please consider the crucial difference these programs make in the lives of our communities and urge your state senators and representatives to protect RELIC and all LEH programs in the coming state budget.
RELIC winter and spring schedule:
- Abbeville, Vermilion Parish Library. Becoming American: The Literature of Immigration and Acculturation. Thursdays, Jan. 8-Feb. 12, 6-8 p.m., 337-893-2674.
- Baton Rouge, Goodwood Branch, East Baton Rouge Parish Library. Encounter in Louisiana (pilot program). Thursdays, Feb. 5-March 12, 7-9 p.m., 225-231-3746.
- Colfax, Grant Parish Library. The Creole Identity and Experience in Louisiana Literature and History. Thursdays, Jan. 29-March 5, 6-8 p.m., 318-627-9920.
- Denham Springs, Livingston Parish Library. Becoming American: The Literature of Immigration and Acculturation. Mondays, March 2-April 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m., 225-665-8118.
- LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish Library. Battleground Louisiana: Civil War Events and Experiences. Thursdays, March 5-April 9, 1:30-3:30 p.m., 985-652-6857.
- Lafayette, South Regional Branch, Lafayette Parish Public Library. Elizabeth I of England and Her Times. Tuesdays, March 24-April 28, 6-8 p.m., 337-261-5752.
- LaPlace, St. John the Baptist Parish Library. Battleground Louisiana: Civil War Events and Experiences. Thursdays, March 5-April 9, 1:30-3:30 p.m., 985-652-6857.
- Larose, Lafourche Parish Library. Louisiana History: Perspectives on the Pelican State. Wednesdays, March 4-April 8, 6-8 p.m., 985-693-3336.
- Marksville, Avoyelles Parish Library. The Louisiana Purchase: Impact and Legacy. Thursdays, Jan. 29-March 5, 6:30-8:30 p.m., 318-253-7559.
- Metairie, East Bank Regional Library, Jefferson Parish Library. Encounter in Louisiana (pilot program). Wednesdays, Feb. 11-March 18, 2-4 p.m., 504-849-8826.
- Monroe, Stubbs Avenue Branch, Ouachita Parish Public Library. Where Is North Louisiana? Mondays, March 2-April 6, 6:30-8:30 p.m., 318-327-1490.
- Morgan City Public Library. Folktales and Stories of the South and Louisiana. Wednesdays, April 15-May 20, 6:00-8:00 p.m., 985-380-4646.
- Natchitoches, Natchitoches Parish Library. Where Is North Louisiana? Tuesdays, March 3-April 7, 6:30-8:30 p.m., 318-357-3280.
- New Orleans, Alvar Branch, New Orleans Public Library. Louisiana Characters: Biographies of the Bayou State. Thursdays, April 16-May 21, 5:30-7:30 p.m., 504-596-2667.
- New Orleans, Mid-City Branch, New Orleans Public Library. Elizabeth I of England and Her Times. Mondays, March 2-April6, 6:30-8:30 p.m., 504-483-7750.
- Winnsboro, Franklin Parish Library. Louisiana Characters: Biographies of the Bayou State. Tuesdays, April 7-May 12, 5:30-7:30 p.m., 318-435-4336.
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KnowLA update
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 KnowLA will again be partnering with Tulane University's Center for Public Service this spring for a service-learning class led by Dr. Vicki Meyer, chair of the communications department. The class, "Media Histories," carries a required 40-hour workload of community service for students. Over the course of the semester, students will examine the importance of media (i.e., newspapers and books, radio and music, television, magazines, cinema, theater and video) to the political and cultural communication and to economic forces in New Orleans, both past and present.
After researching important sites related to the media for a specific decade, students will create their own histories of New Orleans media. The final result will be a timeline of media in the city and an interactive map generated with Community Walk software, which will eventually be integrated into the online encyclopedia.
KnowLA also is working to have information about the project available at our public domain, www.knowlouisiana.org, by the end of February. This will be a "place holder" website that will offer the demo video, writers' guidelines, staff contact information, a few sample entries, and a message board, until the official launch of the full site. For more information, please contact Cathy Corder at 504-620-2637 or at corder@leh.org.
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LEH sponsored programs
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 Natchitoches: The Old Natchitoches Courthouse Museum presents Cane River Back Roads, an exhibition of historical illustrations by Professor Michael Graham of Louisiana State University at Shreveport that were inspired by the people and communities of the Cane River region. Dr. Gary Joiner, also of Louisiana State University at Shreveport, will join the artist in presenting a public program interpreting his works. Free and open to the public, the event is scheduled for 5-7 p.m. Feb. 6. For more information, contact the museum at 318-357-2270.
Plaquemine: The Iberville Museum presents The African Americans of Iberville, an exhibition exploring the contributions and legacy of the African-American community of Iberville Parish and the surrounding area. This is the third installment in an exhibition and public program series showcasing the impact of the many ethnic groups that settled the region and shaped its culture. The exhibition debuts at 2 p.m. Feb. 7 with a gala including interpretive presentations. Dr. Charles Vincent, professor of history at Southern University, will give a public lecture on the exhibition's themes at 2 p.m. Feb. 28. For more information, contact the museum at 225-687-7197.
New Orleans: The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra presents An die Musik: The German Heritage of New Orleans, highlighting the role New Orleans played in introducing German classical music to the U.S. The program consists of a concert featuring excerpts from the overture to Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, a Haydn symphony, a Beethoven romance for violin, Weber, Von Suppe, and Berlioz's Faust. Interpretive LEH-sponsored brochures that explore the impact of German music on New Orleans will be available at the concert, which is scheduled for 8 p.m. Feb. 11 at St. Louis Cathedral. The concert is preceded by a lecture by Mary Sue Morrow, professor of musicology at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati, on 19th-century New Orleans German singing societies; this program is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Williams Research Center. Admission to the lecture is $10 and reservations must be made in advance. The concert is free and open to the public. Seating for both the concert and lecture is limited; call 504-523-4662 for lecture reservations; no reservations are being taken for the concert only. Scholarships to the lecture are available for students and teachers; call 504-523-4662 for more information.
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Louisiana Crossroads Season 9 |
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 This year, the 17-event season unites accomplished performers with deep understandings of their diverse histories and aesthetics. Louisiana Crossroads is a meeting ground defined not by geography but by experience; where songs, stories, traditions and history are shared and explored. Performing this year is The Bad Roads with David Egan and Pat Breaux. Their performance schedule:
- Feb. 11, 7 p.m., Central School Theatre, 809 Kirby St., Lake Charles, La.
- Feb. 12, 8 p.m., Sliman Theatre, 129 E. Main St., New Iberia, La.
- Feb. 13, 7 p.m., Vermilionville Performance Center, 300 Fisher Rd., Lafayette, La.
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LEH launches "Professors Piano Night"
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 On Jan. 21, the Louisiana Humanities Center launched the Professors Piano Night series. Dedicated to celebrating and exploring the great tradition of New Orleans piano players, the series began with David Torkanowsky, a beloved figure on the local music scene. Between sets that featured music by Fats Waller, Professor Longhair, James Booker and John Coltrane, David Kunian interviewed Torkanowsky about the history of New Orleans piano and musical families. The next installment of the series is scheduled for March 11 with Ronald Markham of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. For more information, contact Brian Boyles at boyles@leh.org.
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LEH staff change |
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 Brian Boyles, the former executive manager, has been named Director of the LEH's Louisiana Humanities Center. He will plan all events with clients renting meeting facilities in Turners' Hall and promote the Center as a nexus point for non-profit and cultural organizations. Brian also will direct and develop new LEH programming in the Center, including the LHC Documentary Series, the Professors Piano Nights, and the "As Told by Themselves" oral history project.
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Grants deadlines |
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Feb. 15 - Louisiana Publishing Initiative grants. Contact John Kemp at kemp@leh.org or 504-620-2481.
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