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Pennington Foundation Supports PRIME TIME in Greater Baton Rouge
|  The Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation recently awarded $25,000 to the LEH to support PRIME TIME Family Reading Time programming across Greater Baton Rouge in 2012. The Foundation's generous support will make possible a number of PRIME TIME programs in a region of state where the program has experienced increasing demand. "The LEH would like to thank Pennington Foundation President & CEO Lori Bertman, as well as the Foundation's staff and board for this pivotal support," stated Miranda Restovic, LEH Deputy Director and PRIME TIME Program Director. Established in 1982 in Baton Rouge, the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation is one of the region's most generous and prolific supporters of community-focused non-profit organizations. |
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Louisiana Cultural Vistas magazine
|  With the holiday season fast approaching, make shopping for friends, family and coworkers easier by giving them a gift subscription to Louisiana Cultural Vistas. A mere $20 brings the best of our state's literature, photography, historical scholarship and humanities events to Louisianians and expats the world over. Subscribe by logging on to www.leh.org.
The Winter 2011-12 edition of the LEH's award-winning magazine will debut in mid-December with a cover story offering a sneak preview of a new book of Louisiana art debuting in 2012 to commemorate the state's bicentennial. Other topics will include:
Upon the completion of each issue, editors Michael Sartisky and David Johnson discuss the magazine's content on the radio program "All Things New Orleans," hosted by Paul Maassen, general manager of WWNO FM 89.9, an NPR affiliate. Podcasts of past interviews can be heard by logging on to www.wwno.org.
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The Smithsonian Comes to Central Louisiana!
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The traveling Smithsonian exhibit Journey Stories continues its tour of rural museums throughout Louisiana with a stop at the Southern Forest Heritage Museum, 77 Long Leaf Road in Long Leaf. Long Leaf is south of Alexandria in Rapides Parish. Exhibit dates are December 10, 2011 - January 28, 2012. For more information contact Claudia Troll at longleaf@centurytel.net or 318-748-8404.
Event Calendar:
- December 10-Opening ceremony "Hot Air Balloon Glow and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony"
- December 11- Beginning of Sundays with the Smithsonian Lecture series. Everett Lueck "Most of us Came by Train"/ Art exhibit by middle school students
- December 17: - Chuck Lind and Tracey Mitchell- "History of Crowell/Spencer Lumber Co."/ Tour of Sawmill
- January 8- Dr. Kevin Ells-"Early 20th Century Communication and Social Interaction"/ Introduction of Anthology of student written journey stories. Written and Illustrated by High School Students
- January 15- Dr. Ginger Jones-"Minority Laborers in Sawmill Communities"/ Mexican Food Sampling buffet.
- January 22- Dr. Jerry Sanson- "Immigration and Population in Early 20th Century/ Original one act play to be performed,"The Dinner Guest."
In conjuction with the exhibit at the Southern Forest Heritage Museum, the shops on main street Glenmora will have exhibits which ask leading questions and provoke discussion about journeys in our area.
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RELIC: Thinking about War and the Humanities
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The humanities and critical thinking have always been intimately linked. Why ask questions about our present condition, expectations of the future, or our past experiences unless we are willing to look at ourselves in other than self-serving ways? We do the latter enough anyway at other times. Audiences in the RELIC programs enter the arena of critical thought about ourselves through reading content and astute scholarly leadership.
An example of this process occurred in the town of Napoleonville when residents met to participate in the RELIC program "I'll Be Seeing You. . . America and World War II." Professor Charles Elliott of Southeastern Louisiana University facilitated discussions about the American experience in the war in the public library. "Questions and opinions were raised, debated, examined and bandied about in an amiable and enthusiastic discourse," he related, pointing out the impact of one text in particular. "Overall," he concluded, "Japan at War proved a rousingly-preferred selection, and all participants expressed opinions that this particular book changed their previously-held perceptions of the Japanese as people and as a people." Can one text really do all that? Hardly. It was the text, the facilitator, the preparation of the library staff and the efforts of the individual readers who did this in the unique atmosphere that is found in the RELIC program experience.
There are opportunities for more critical thought about ourselves in public libraries around the state starting with the new year. Final scheduling is not set yet, but below is a list of prospective RELIC programs in libraries. If you are interested in any of them, call the library and tell the staff to put you on the call list.
RELIC Library Reading Programs, Winter/Spring 2012 (schedules yet to be set)
- Alexandria, Westside Regional Branch, Rapides Parish Library. "Making Sense of the American Civil War." 318-445-2411.
- Baton Rouge, Goodwood Branch, East Baton Rouge Parish Library. "The Louisiana Purchase: Impact and Legacy." 225-231-3746.
- Belcher/Hosston, Shreve Memorial Library. "The Louisiana Purchase: Impact and Legacy." 318-226-5881.
- Bogalusa, Washington Parish Library. "Elizabeth I of England and Her Times." 985-735-1961.
- Bossier City, Bossier Parish Historical Center, Bossier Parish Library. "Elizabeth I of England and Her Times. 318-746-7717.
- Farmerville, Union Parish Library. "The American West in Fact and Fiction." 318-368-9288.
- Morgan City Public Library. "I'll Be Seeing You. . . America and World War II." 985-380-4646.
- Shreveport, Broadmoor Branch, Shreve Memorial Library. "Making Sense of the American Civil War." 318-219-1701.
- Slidell, St. Tammany Parish Library. "Making Sense of the American Civil War." 985-893-6280, ext. 120.
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KnowLA: The Online Encyclopedia of Louisiana
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Fall in Louisiana brings football fever, and the Saints' fight song can be heard blasting in the Mercedes Benz Superdome, from open car windows, and in shops, restaurants, and homes across the state. Most Louisianans know the football team was named in honor of the song, "When the Saints Go Marching In," but not many are familiar with the tune's origins. "When the Saints Go Marching In," often called "The Saints," is a traditional American hymn originally published as a spiritual. The song was a favorite "coming back" instrumental played by brass bands in traditional jazz funerals during the early 1900s. Its popularity increased only when artists such as Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, and Elvis Presley cut more upbeat recordings of the hymn. Most New Orleans musicians agree that the song is the most requested jazz song of all time. For example, at Preservation Hall in the French Quarter, requests cost between $2 to $5, except for "The Saints," which will set you back $10.
KnowLA, the LEH's online encyclopedia of history and culture, explains the history and significance of the song and a full-length 1958 recording by Louis Armstrong live at the Monterey Jazz Festival. The entry (http://www.knowla.org/entry.php?rec=1119), written by jazz historian Bruce Raeburn, was adapted from an article in the LEH's magazine, Louisiana Cultural Vistas. Visitors to KnowLA will find many new connections between the magazine and encyclopedia entries as the programs coordinate content through links and adaptations.
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PRIME TIME's Growth and Success in Kentucky
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The Kentucky Humanities Council (KHC) believes in PRIME TIME. With funding and support from the Kentucky Department of Libraries and Archives (KDLA), KHC continues to increase PRIME TIME's reach and impact throughout Kentucky. During 2011, KHC funded the implementation of 19 programs in Kentucky.
KHC Associate Director, Kathleen Pool said "We truly value the Prime Time Family Reading Time Program and the partnership with the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities." In 2002 the LEH awarded KHC one of several NEH National Expansion Grants which formed the basis for this long-standing partnership. An active PRIME TIME affiliate state since receiving the initial award, KHC has successfully completed 121 PRIME TIME programs; exposing over 6,300 participants to a love of reading and discussing literature.
An avid supporter of bilingual PRIME TIME, KHC hosts increasingly diverse audiences at its PRIME TIME sites. One of KHC's 2009 programs included participants who spoke 6 different languages. The KHC staff and trained team members accommodated those in each language group by recruiting translator's to help facilitate storytelling and discussion. Based on the outcomes of that extremely successful program, KHC plans to implement a summer 2010 program for refugees being serviced at Kentucky family resource centers.
KHC continues to expand its PRIME TIME infrastructure which includes a large cadre of trained Program Coordinators, Scholars, and Storytellers. In March 2012, the KHC staff will host its 8th self-funded and self-planned training workshop in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky.
The LEH and PRIME TIME greatly appreciate the Kentucky Humanities Council as well as its supporters and partners for their commitment to literacy and the humanities on behalf of Kentucky's families.
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River and Reverie Exhibit opens at Louisiana's Old State Capitol
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Louisiana's Old State Capitol will pay homage to the upcoming celebration of the bicentennial of statehood by paying tribute to the river that had such a dramatic impact on it. As seen through these stunning works, the Mississippi River's majesty and grandeur are on exhibit in a variety of media from award winning painter Rolland Golden. A native of New Orleans, Golden graduated from the John McCrady Art School in New Orleans. His work has been recognized with awards from the National Arts Club, American Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society. His more recent honor was a Visual Arts Award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters. "River and Reverie: Paintings of the Mississippi River by Rolland Golden" will be on display Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 100 North Blvd. 225.342.0500. The exhibit runs from Dec. 7-22, 2011 and Jan. 17-March 10, 2012.
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