31 ways to experience the humanities

October is Arts & Humanities Month, which means 31 days of thinking, reading, talking and listening. Check out our guide to humanities experiences around Indiana for each day of the month.

Here are some of my favorites:

IDADA (Indianapolis Downtown Arts and Dealers Association) First Friday tour. There’s no better way to spend a Friday night in Indy than to wander from gallery to studio to performance space. Start at our place—the Meredith Nicholson Home (1500 N. Delaware St.)—for a discussion about how schools can serve as catalysts for urban renewal.

Wallow in your Hoosier-ness. Indiana authors, artists, musicians and poets will showcase their talents at An Evening in Brown County on Sunday, Oct. 11. I’m looking forward to Hoosier wine and beer, plus tapas made from locally grown food. Get more info here.

Travel back in time. Explore the religious and visual culture of 17^th-century Spain and Latin America–for free. Sacred Spain: Art and Belief in the Spanish World, opens Oct. 11 at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. It features 80 works of art, including the legendary Crown of the Andes, an actual crown set with 450 emeralds.

Start a book club. If you’re like me and haven’t joined or started a club yet, it’s time. The Indiana Humanities Council will even lend you the books, for free. Check out our lending library.

Take a road trip. Take advantage of the great weather and scenery that October offers and head north, south, east and west, knowing that wherever you go, you’ll find a great museum or Hoosier landmark.

Find Peace in the Resource Connection

Today is the International Day of Peace, so we took a look at the various resources in the Resource Connection that centered on learning about peace. Here’s what we found:

• An excerpt from George Rogers Clark’s memoir that details peacemaking with the Indians.
• An overview of the Fall Creek Massacre, which took place in Madison County, Indiana.
• President Woodrow Wilson’s 14-points speech for world peace.
• Eight U.S. soldiers, some who killed and some who said no, reveal their inner moral dilemmas in Soldiers of Conscience.
• A Road Map to Peace in the Middle East—Can it be followed?
• A lesson plan to investigate whether media play a role in wars and conflicts.

Plus, much, much more. Check out the more than 40 resources that investigate peacemaking (and lack thereof) from various perspectives at the Resource Connection.

Find multi-generational activities in the Resource Connection

One of my favorite memories growing up was “Grandparents Day” at school. I loved eating lunch with my grandparents, performing skits and creating works of art just for them. As your family celebrates Grandparents Day, take a look at the Resource Connection and discover some activities your multi-generational family can do together—perhaps it’s reading a story that teaches young children what it means to be a veteran, reading a few stories handed down to students by their grandparents, or inviting kids to think about what grandpa really means when he says, “Back in my day…”.

Do your own search at the Resource Connection and see what you can discover.

What-Are-You-Reading-Wednesday: Just read.

Written by Travis DiNicola, executive director of Indy Reads, in anticipation of World Literacy Day–Sept. 8. Visit www.indyreads.org to find out about World Literacy Day activities around Indianapolis.

Reading and writing is perhaps humanity’s greatest invention: and no one learns how to read on their own. This year I ask you to join us on World Literacy Day in celebrating literacy, the work done by Indy Reads volunteers, the success of our students, and your own ability to read. On Tuesday, September 8^th, you can “Take Five to Read” as the whole city takes five minutes at 5pm to read. Just read. Read for pleasure. Read to a child. Read out loud. Read to yourself. Just read.

September 8 was proclaimed International Literacy Day (also known as World Literacy Day)  by UNESCO on November 17, 1965. It was first celebrated in 1966. Its aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies. On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally. Celebrations take place around the world.

The first time World Literacy Day was celebrated in Indianapolis was on September 8^th, 1973. Then mayor, Richard Lugar, declared in a proclamation that as World Literacy Day was celebrated around the globe, we would celebrate here at home as well by honoring the Greater Indianapolis Literacy League (now known as Indy Reads, changing its name in 1998) for their work in training tutors to teach adults to read and write. He stated that illiteracy is a serious world problem, which prevents adults from full participation on our civic, social, and economic life. It continues to be so today.

That proclamation, signed by Senator Lugar, hangs on the wall next to the door to my office at Indy Reads. Every morning, as the Executive Director of Indy Reads, I am greeted by this reminder about the importance of the work we do. Indy Reads was founded in 1972 by a group of volunteers committed to eliminating illiteracy in Indianapolis. The organization has gone through many changes since then, but the vision remains the same: to make Central Indiana a better place to live by providing free tutoring to adults who struggle with reading and writing. Our goal is to “Make Indianapolis 100% Literate.”

The need has never been greater. One in five adults in our city are illiterate or semi-literate. This year we have already worked with more than double the number of adult students that we use to average for the entire year just two years ago. By the end of 2009 we will have reached more than 750 adults as long-term students, and at least another 100 through our short-term Literacy Labs. We are only able to do this through the work of more than 600 dedicated volunteers.

Will you “Take Five to Read”?

Are you ready for some football?

Are you rooting for the Colts this season? Or are you a fan of the Bears, Packers, Lions, Browns, Bengals, or another team entirely? Or maybe you are a college or high-school fan to the core. Whatever team you are cheering for, football season will quickly be in full swing, with the Colts’ first regular season game Sept. 13 against Jacksonville at home.

Before all of the action begins, we took a look at what types of resources were available in the Resource Connection. The 26 resources include a photo essay about Black Hoosiers’ Sports Heritage from the Indiana Humanities Council; a tribute to Cam Cameron, former football coach at Indiana University, from the Wabash Valley Visions and Voices; and a lesson plan from the Bill of Rights Institute about the legal rights involved in being searched and patted-down upon entering NFL games.

Remember, Sept. 13 is just around the corner. Check it out for yourself so you can wow your friends with some football trivia, and don’t forget to get the grill all cleaned up–-Are you ready for some football?

Top three reasons to check out Indy Jazz Fest

By Rich Dole, a professional freelance trombone player in the Indianapolis area, currently doing PR and Media Relations for Indy Jazz Fest and Owl Studios

This year’s Indy Jazz Fest is going to be, well, for a lack of a better term or phrase, it will be OUT OF SIGHT!! Why? Well, allow me to explain:

1. Instead of a couple of days, the 2009 Indy Jazz Fest presented by MARSH will be a full week! Starting at Clowes Hall on Sat., September 19 and ending Sat./Sun. September 26/27 at The Lawn @ White River State Park, with everything in between, the Indy Jazz Fest will have something for everybody. THAT’s 9 (NINE) DAYS of JAZZ!!!

2. The artist line-up for the 2009 Indy Jazz Fest is virtually a Who’s Who of today’s jazz artists! Check out this list:
Branford Marsalis
Marcus Miller
Poncho Sanchez
Soulive
Garaj Mahal
Charlie Hunter
Nicholas Payton
Claudia Acuna
Randy Brecker
Rufus Reid
David Baker
Rob Dixon
Derrick Gardner
Buselli-Wallarab Jazz Orchestra

There is something for everybody there! Traditional Swingin’ Jazz, Salsa/Mambo/Latin jazz, Progressive/Modern Jazz, Brazillian Jazz, Big Band Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, Funky Jazz and Jam Bands!

3. Like the wide and varied artist line-up, the sponsors the Indy Jazz Fest has is also a Who’s Who of Indianapolis Arts sponsors, including MARSH Supermarkets, Printing Partners, St. Vincent Health, Take Note, DCG, United Water and 88.7fm WICR to name a few.

All information one could ever need is available on the website: www.indyjazzfest.net, including how/when/where to buy tickets to all concerts at all venues!

What are YOUR ‘Top Three’ reasons to attendIndy Jazz Fest?

Green thumbs (and not so green) welcome at the Resource Connection

Before the warm days draw to a close, why not drop by the Resource Connection and check out all of the great gardening resources we have to offer?

Learn what gardening was like 500 years ago when Christopher Columbus arrived in America with the Seeds of Change online exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution.

Don’t have a green thumb? Why not help the kids create a Japanese Rock Garden with these resource provided by the East Asian Studies Center?

A celebration of culture

By Dorothy Paunovich
“Serb Fest” is held at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church in Merrillville, Ind., on the first weekend in August.

This year, an exhibit (funded in part by the Indiana Humanities Council) called “Immigrants, Serbs of Steel” told the story of hard-working immigrants who labored in the dangerous steel mills from the early 1900s to the present day. The Serbian immigrants helped build Northwest Indiana’s steel mills, industries, and towns. The exhibit can still be viewed every Sunday after church.

On Sun., Aug. 2, co-authors Stephen McShane and Gary Wilks (Steel Giants) shared  their research about the early immigrants’ contributions to northwest Indiana’s steel industries. Nick Tarailo (Bronko’s Restaurant) spoke of the stories his grandfather  shared about the early days in Gary. You can learn more by watching a video about the project, here.

Included in the exhibit was a burgundy embroidered vest that is more than 200 years old, and was buried in the ground during two wars (WWI and the Turkish war). It belonged to the great-grandmother of one of our parishioners who is 70-years-old. She said that they had to hide their identities and things of value during those times.

Every Serbian family has a fascinating story related to the events that brought them to this great country. Serb Fest is a celebration of those stories, and a homecoming for the heart. Everyone is welcome at Serb Fest–it is attended by so many non-Serbs because they love the food and music.

It has become somewhat of a homecoming for college students, relatives, and for those who are even just slightly Serbian. They can count on things that are familiar: their favorite foods and music. There’s nothing like watching several hundred young people in their teens and early 20s singing and dancing to music that came from a foreign land several generations ago. They still want to dance and sing because it really means something special to them. They all bring friends from school and their neighbors. I remember my non-Serb friends in high school being envious because we had spent the weekends at church dances, basketball tournaments, or traveled to perform with our folklore dance groups or choir. We had so much fun and had so much to talk about. If you went to a Serbian church, it didn’t mean you were in church all of the time, but AT church, where you were surrounded by all this great culture.

What are your “ethnic” memories growing up in Indiana? How do you celebrate that culture today?

Indiana State Fair and the Resource Connection

One of the great pleasures of late summer in Indiana is getting to visit the Indiana State Fair, which takes place from August 7-23.

Whether you are taking the family for elephant ears and corn dogs or planning a night out for a great concert, there is so much to see and do during the weeks of this yearly event. The Indiana Humanities Council will even have a booth this year for Hoosier Heritage Day on Aug. 13, so make sure you stop by for a visit. And, check out the model barn, debuting on the 13th, thanks in part to a Humanities Initiative Grant from the Council.

If you look up the Indiana State Fair in the Resource Connection, you get some interesting results, including the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library’s Kid’s Info Page on the fair, an 1887 Sandborn Map of the fairgrounds, and several items from Traditional Arts of Indiana, including the Profiles of 2006 State Fair Masters. Check it out for yourself and do a little research before you visit the fair this year; it might make your experience even better!

Does a justice’s sex, race or ethnicity contribute to the quality of the justice’s decisions?

Written by David Orentlicher, MD, JD. Orentlicher is the Samuel R. Rosen Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Hall Center for Law and Health at Indiana University School of Law-Indianapolis and an Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Indiana University School of Medicine.

Much has been made of Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s “wise Latina” comments.  Critics have claimed they reflected unfair bias and that her decisions as a Supreme Court Justice will be swayed by inappropriate personal prejudices.  Others have observed that the comments must be understood in their context and that doing so demonstrates that the judge was simply saying that one’s experiences affects how one understands the law.  In any event, Judge Sotomayor has stated that she chose her words poorly and miscommunicated her main point.

Is there some truth to Judge Sotomayor’s statement that she “would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life?”  Does a justice who has lived a life rich with experience make better decisions than a justice who has not done so?  Does a justice’s sex, race or ethnicity contribute to the quality of the justice’s decisions?

A few observations come to mind.  Judge Sotomayor may have confused the benefits of diversity in a group with judgments about individual members of a group.  Surely a justice’s views will be shaped by the justice’s experiences, and those in turn will be shaped by the justice’s sex, race or ethnicity.  When groups are making judgments, they do better when their members bring together a diversity of perspectives; a Supreme Court with justices of different sexes, races and ethnicities will probably make wiser judgments than a Supreme Court where all of the justices have the same sex, race and ethnicity.  But that is very different from saying that any one justice’s sex, race or ethnicity leads that justice to make wiser judgments than other justices.

Still, is there something to the claim that a life rich with experiences leads to better judgments on an individual basis?  Parents commonly think that they are providing a better upbringing for their children when they expose them to a variety of experiences and a diverse group of classmates.  In other words, was Judge Sotomayor correct to suggest that a life rich with experiences makes someone wiser?

In some ways, this takes us to the famous contrast of the fox and hedgehog (the fox knows a little about many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing very well).  Is it better to see through a pluralistic view or a well-developed single view?  Which is better, breadth or depth?  Who is wiser, the generalist or the specialist?  It’s difficult to say that one is better than the other, so are we back to the point that diversity matters for the wisdom of the group?