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Mississippi Humanities Council Newsletter - July/August 2018
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Stuart Rockoff
Executive Director |
Director's Message
The Power of Partnerships
A few weeks ago, we held our "People, Politics, and the Press" summit at the 2 Mississippi Museums in Jackson. The event, which focused on the crucial role of journalism in our democracy, was the product of a unique collaboration between multiple statewide media organizations. When we first developed the idea for the summit with Ronnie Agnew of Mississippi Public Broadcasting, we knew we wanted to involve other media partners. We enlisted Mississippi Today, the Mississippi Press Association, and the Clarion Ledger to help plan and organize the event. The great success of this journalism
summit proved again that there is far greater strength in
partnering with other organizations than in going it alone.
As a relatively small organization, the Mississippi Humanities Council has always relied on partnerships to do our work. We would have been unable to create an online
Mississippi Encyclopedia from scratch or maintain it, but by working with the Center for Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi and University Press, we were able to launch the digital version of the Mississippi Encyclopedia in June. As we expand "Ideas on Tap" from Jackson to other communities in the state, we would not be able to put together important, topical, and appropriate discussions without local partners like the Stennis Center for Public Service, the USM College of Arts & Letters, the Sarah Isom Center at Ole Miss, and Keep Cleveland Boring.
Even as a grant maker, we see ourselves primarily as a partner. We work with our grantees, offering suggestions on how to strengthen their programs and connecting them to scholars and other organizations who could help amplify their impact.
In May, the National Endowment for the Humanities sent a review team to evaluate our work, which they do every five years. While the team was here, they met with four focus groups made up of our partners. No MHC staff or board members were in the room, but based on the reviewers' initial report, our willingness to offer partnership, guidance, and support was recognized as one of our greatest strengths. Such work doesn't always feature in a press release or media coverage and can be hard to sell to potential funders, but it's a crucial way we serve our state.
Rather than being out in front, the Mississippi Humanities Council is often behind the scenes helping to organize and fund a wide array of programs. For instance, this month our assistant director, Carol Andersen, has arranged for Piper Kerman, author of
Orange Is the New Black, to speak to 350 female and youth inmates at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl.
Kerman is coming to Jackson to give a lecture for a Greater Jackson Arts Council event, and because the
Council supports multiple humanities education courses at CMCF, we were able to organize an additional stop on her agenda to meet
with students who have participated in our various programs at CMCF.
We are a catalyst and a connector, always advocating for a deep and informed exploration of the human condition and our state's complicated history.
We are a catalyst and a connector, always advocating for a deep and informed exploration of the human condition and our state's complicated history.
One of the best examples of partnership is the Mississippi Book Festival. From the festival's start over four years ago, the MHC has been an active partner in what has grown into the state's premier literary event. We serve on an advisory board with several other entities, including the Mississippi Department of Archives & History, the Mississippi Library Commission, the Mississippi Arts Commission, the Margaret Walker Center, University Press of Mississippi, and many others. All of these organizations are invested together in the festival. We share in the credit, along with the festival's extraordinary staff. If one entity tried to take on running the festival by itself, it would not be nearly as successful. We are truly much stronger working together as a group of cultural organizations than we would be individually.
You can enjoy the fruits of this extraordinary partnership August 18th, when the 4th annual Mississippi Book Festival takes place in Jackson. We hope to see you there!
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MHC Supports Fourth Annual Mississippi Book Festival
On August 18th, book lovers from around the state will flock to the Mississippi State Capitol for the 4th Annual Mississippi Book Festival. This year's lineup promises to be the best yet.
As with the previous three festivals, the Mississippi Humanities Council is closely involved with this year's event. We will be presenting author panels on the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement and teaching the writing of Eudora Welty. We are very excited to be the supporting sponsor of "A Conversation with
Jesmyn Ward," in which the two-time winner of the National Book Award will talk about her work and life in Mississippi. In addition, we will be supporting the conversation between Pultizer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham and political consultant Karl Rove. This special program, which promises to fill the Galloway sanctuary, is part of the "Democracy and the Informed Citizen Initiative," funded by the Mellon Foundation through a grant to the Federation of State Humanities Councils.
In addition to these panels, the MHC will also present its signature family reading programs, featuring storytellers reading acclaimed children's books. These programs will take place at 9:45, 10:30, and 11:15 am on the ground floor of the capitol. The MHC is also a supporter of the festival's literacy outreach program, which will bring 1500 elementary school students to the Galloway sanctuary on the Friday before the festival to hear from Irene Latham and Charles Waters, authors of
Can I Touch Your Hair?, an exploration of racial difference and common humanity. Thanks to the MHC, each of the students will receive a copy of this award-winning book.
This year's festival begins with the unveiling of the first markers of the Mississippi Writers Trail, a joint initiative of the Mississippi Arts Commission, the Book Festival, Visit Mississippi, and the MHC. Funding for the first phase of the trail comes from a special chairman's grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The MHC is proud to be associated with the state's premier literary event. Be sure to join us on August 18th in Jackson!
Learn More
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'Orange is the New Black' Author to Visit Mississippi
Prison Reform Activist Joins Area Judges, Corrections Commissioner for Discussion on Prison Education
The Greater Jackson Arts Council, with support from the Mississippi Humanities Council, will host Correcting Corrections: A Deep Dive on Prison Education, a free panel discussion, Thursday, August 23, from 2-4 p.m. in the Camellia Room of the Old Capitol Inn, Jackson. Piper Kerman, author of the international bestseller Orange Is the New Black, will headline the event, which will be moderated by James E. Graves, U.S. Circuit Court Judge for the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Additional panelists include Carol Andersen, assistant director of the Mississippi Humanities Council and coordinator of the Council's prison education programs, Pelicia Hall, commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, Betty Lou Jones of the Mississippi Parole Board, and Keith Starrett, U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of Mississippi.
"Literacy is the focal point of this power panel," Judge James E. Graves, 5th Circuit Court of Appeals said. "We're going to dive deep into the link between literacy and prison sentences, literacy's impact on inmate experiences behind bars and literacy's importance for successful re-entry into society."
"This is more than a criminal justice issue," added Janet Scott, GJAC executive director. "The consequences of incarceration are so far-reaching. Building up prison education programs is just good community practice. And the arts can play a role in that."
Admission is free for the power panel discussion but seating is limited. Reservations can be secured online here.
While she is in Mississippi, Kerman will also speak to 350 female and youth inmates at the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility in Pearl at an event arranged by the Mississippi Humanities Council through its prison education program.
Learn More
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Next Major MHC Grant Deadline September 15
The Mississippi Humanities Council grants program supports projects that stimulate meaningful community dialogue, attract diverse audiences, are participatory and engaging, and apply the humanities to our everyday lives. Grants may be used to support public humanities programs, exhibits, the planning of larger projects, and the development of original productions in film, television, radio or online resources
The Council also offers special grants to support oral history projects around the state.
Larger grants ($2,001-$7,500) deadlines are May 1 and September 15. Funded events may not occur fewer than ten weeks from the deadline date, and pre-consultation with MHC staff is required before submitting an application. Grant application forms and other related documents may be found on the
Grants page of the MHC website.
Learn More
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Mississippi Journalists Examine the Role of the
Press
in our American Democracy
On July 14, over 350 Mississippians attended
People, Politics and the Press at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson, an unprecedented collaboration between the Mississippi Humanities Council, Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Mississippi Press Association Education Foundation,
Clarion Ledger and
Mississippi Today. This one-day civic engagement summit was part of the national "Democracy and the Informed Citizen" initiative, funded by the Mellon Foundation through a grant to the Federation of State Humanities Councils.
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Ashley Norwood of Mississippi Public Broadcasting on the pane/, "Millenials and the Media"
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"The Fourth Estate: The Role of Journalism in Our Democracy" with Randall Pinkston (correspondent/anchor for the former Al Jazeera America), Curtis Wilkie (visiting professor of journalism, University of Mississippi), Alexander Burns(national political correspondent, The New York Times), and Evan Smith (CEO, The Texas Tribune).
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Panelists Anita Lee (Sun Herald), Jeff Amy (Associated Press) and R.L. Nave (Mississippi Today) discuss 'Fake News,' Public Trust and the Media."
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Mississippi native and now a national correspondent for the Associate Press Jesse Holland delivers the morning keynote address.
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Attendees squeeze into the Flamingo in Fondren in Jackson to hear "Ideas on Tour: Truth Decay?"
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Ideas on Tap Continues Summer Series in Jackson
This summer, the MHC's happy hour program Ideas on Tap is traveling all over Jackson as part of its new series "Ideas on Tour." The summer series will take place through August and will visit different Jackson-area venues each month.
On July 31, the most recent Ideas on Tour program took place at the Flamingo in Fondren. The program, "Ideas on Tour: Truth Decay?" focused on the idea of truth. Panelists included Dr. Steve Smith, a professor of philosophy at Millsaps College who examined the philosophical nature of truth and the idea of relativism; LaTanya Autry, an art historian who spoke on the issue of objectivity in museums; and Anna Wolfe, a journalist at the Clarion
Ledger who addressed truth in journalism amidst the growing claims of "fake news."
An earlier program in the Ideas on Tour series, which took place at Offbeat in Midtown, focused on the idea of safety in communities. The series will conclude with a program on August 28 about cultural appropriation. More details will be announced soon.
For more information on Ideas on Tap, contact Caroline Gillespie at
[email protected].
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The Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum in Meridian hosts the Water/Ways traveling exhibit through August 25. |
Water/Ways Makes Waves
in Meridian
The Smithsonian Institution's Water/Ways traveling exhibit is now on display at the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum in Meridian through August 25. The exhibit is free and open to the public, so make sure to visit if you are in the area!
During the exhibit's stop in Meridian, the Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum has scheduled a series of public programs to highlight the role of water in Meridian's history, businesses, and culture. Programs include an exciting "steam-up" on August 23, during which the museum will power up all of its steam engines for visitors to see and learn how each engine operates. For a full list of Water/Ways programs taking place at the Industrial Heritage Museum, visit our
website calendar.
Once Water/Ways leaves Meridian, it will head to four other sites around the state through early 2019. Next up is the Lower Mississippi River Foundation in Clarksdale, which will host the exhibit from August 31 through October 13.
For more information on Water/Ways or to see its full Mississippi schedule, visit our website or contact Caroline Gillespie at
[email protected].
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Coming Up: Humanities Programs Sponsored by MHC
Monday Movies: All the Difference
August 27, 2018, 6:30 p.m.
Burns-Belfry, Oxford
The Oxford Film Festival will host a screening of All The Difference at the Burns Belfry,
which traces the paths of two teens from the south side of Chicago who dream of graduating from college. Statistics predict that Robert and Krishaun will drop out of high school, but they have other plans. Oscar-nominated producer/director Tod Lending's intimate film, executive produced by author Wes Moore, follows the young men through five years of hard work, sacrifice, setbacks, and uncertainty. As they discover, support from family, teachers and mentors makes all the difference in defying the odds.
Eyes on Mississippi
September 6, 2018, 6:00 p.m.
Delta State University, Cleveland
Delta State University will host Ellen Ann Fentress, author, journalist, and documentary filmmaker, and present a screening of her film, Eyes on Mississippi, a documentary chronicling the life and work of journalist Bill Minor through his newspaper columns reporting race during the civil rights era. The event will be free and open to the public with refreshments. A panel discussion will occur immediately after the screening. Panelists include Ellen Ann Fentress; Aallyah Wright (DSU alumna in journalism and current reporter for Mississippi Today covering education and the Delta); Woodrow Wilkins (former Delta Democrat Times managing editor and current WXVT assignment manager); and JonMark Nail (DSU assistant professor of digital media arts.) The panel will take place on the DSU campus in the Baioni Conference Center.
Cause Collective: In Search of the Truth
September 15, 2018, 10:00 a.m.
Pike School of Art, McComb
In Search of the Truth (The Truth Booth) is an installation comprised of a touring, portable, inflatable "Truth Booth" that embarked on a world tour at the Galway Arts Festival, Ireland, in 2011 . The exterior is iconically shaped like a giant cartoon speech bubble with the word "TRUTH" boldly printed on the side. The interior acts much like a photo booth, but serves to compile 2-minute video responses from the public. Once seated inside people are invited to record their opinions and thoughts as they finish the statement: "The truth is..."
Throughout this long-term project the video footage will be compiled and edited into a video artwork. To expand and engage with audiences, the movements of the Truth Booth and sample responses will be tracked, edited, and categorized on a website. Ultimately, the goal of this project is to capture as many definitions, confessions, and thoughts on The Truth as possible, creating a diverse 'portrait' of people across the globe.
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