UTAH HUMANITIES MESSAGE


Dear friend of the humanities,

We hope you will visit the National Endowment for the Humanities to enjoy the winter edition of the NEH's Humanities magazine. This issue explores a variety of articles that connect with Utah Humanities' work across the state.
 
Our Beehive Archive radio show is a fun way to learn more about some of the most pivotal - and peculiar - events in Utah history. The Wicked City or The Story of Storyville (pages 4-5) is very similar to a recent snippet about Salt Lake City's Red Light District. Both delve into the history of "the world's oldest profession" and how each found ways to clean up their cities through some interesting means. Visit our Beehive Archive to learn more about Utah's past.
 
Learning How to Sing the Blues (page 6) emphasizes how important it is to  provide kids "a chance to invest in themselves and understand that everyone is the same," much like our Clemente Course in the Humanities. Students from both programs get a chance to interact with people from different schools and backgrounds and they are able to experience hands-on experiences that enhance their education. Clemente is currently helping students at East and West High Schools achieve their dreams to attend and succeed in college. Visit the Clemente portion of our website to learn more.
 
Much like our Heritage Workshops, which aim to strengthen Utah's cultural sector and provide the resources needed to execute successful oral history projects,The Bhutanese Story of a Pumpkin (page 7) reminds us of how important oral histories are at preserving important cultural stories and traditions.
 
During an interview with Joanne B. Freeman, in Reading Alexander Hamilton (pages 8-11 and 50), we discover how reading a book about Alexander Hamilton when she was a teen helped spark her interest in his life. Our Center for the Book recently collaborated with the Salt Lake County Library, The City Library, and Murray Library to offer a similar experience during the second annual United We Read SLC and a county-wide reading of The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez. Henriquez delighted attendees by speaking about the origins and purpose of her work, and signed books while visiting with the crowd.
 
In The Voice of Shirley Jackson article (pages 23-25 and 47), we are asked to "imagine if we could listen to authors of decades (and centuries) gone by read their greatest creations," what it would be like to hear authors read their books and share their experiences in their own words. We get a glimpse of who Shirley Jackson was as an author as her books are read and recorded in her voice.  Much like Utah Works which is a new series of short stories about the way we work in Utah, told in participants' own words. Utah Works was a collaboration between UPR, Utah Humanities, Ogden Union Station, Hyrum City Museum, and the Territorial Statehouse State Park Museum as part of the Museum on Main Street, The Way We Worked, traveling exhibition which toured six Utah communities over the past year. To hear these local work stories, visit Utah Public Radio.
 
In Shot Dead for Protesting (pages 32-35), we read the story of two university students who were shot to death during a campus protest. The article chronicles the day's events that led to this controversial tragedy. Because we know that tragedies like this continue to this day and discrimination and hatred are still felt by many, we collaborated with the Springville Museum of Art and Ogden Union Station to bring a unique exhibition, Speaking Volumes | Transforming Hate , to Utah. This stunning exhibition challenges and moves visitors with its thought-provoking and occasionally light-hearted collection of artwork, and provides honest opportunities to address discrimination in our communities and racism in America. For exhibition dates visit the Speaking Volumes portion of our website.
 
In Around the Nation (pages 38-42) both the Alabama Humanities and the Tennessee Humanities highlight their current display of the Smithsonian's Water/Ways, an exhibit that will tour Utah starting in 2020. The Oklahoma Humanities has recently held a One Book One Community at their Still Water Public Library, an event we are planning for Utah communities, like Park City, in 2018.
 
We hope you enjoy immersing yourself in this issue and reflecting on all the ways the humanities touch our everyday lives. Please visit our website to learn more about our programs.

We look forward to seeing you at some of our upcoming statewide events!