Celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month in October!

National Arts and Humanities Month (NAHM) is a coast-to-coast collective celebration of culture in America. Each year since 1993, NAHM has helped give millions of Americans the opportunity to explore new facets of the arts and humanities in their lives and has encouraged them to begin a lifelong habit of active participation. National Arts and Humanities Month's four primary goals are to: create a national, state and local focus on the arts and humanities through the media; encourage the active participation of individuals, as well as arts, humanities and other interested organizations nationwide; provide an opportunity for federal, state and local business, government and civic leaders to declare their support for the arts and humanities; and establish a highly visible vehicle for raising public awareness about the arts and humanities. What You Can Do In towns and communities across America, arts organizations are planning and developing events, celebrations and innovative programming to highlight National Arts and Humanities Month. Throughout the month of October, special events will capture the spirit that the arts and humanities bring to everyday life. In particular, cultural organizations are being asked to do the following: Participate in the month-long celebration with an already-scheduled activity or a new event, large or small, that will be free and open to the public. Events could include a free performance, lecture or reading; a behind-the-scenes tour, a workshop, a concert or a festival. An open house is a great way to invite the community to join with your organization in celebrating the month. Obtain a proclamation from your elected officials. Use the Atlanta Arts Accords as a template for getting your elected leaders to declare their support and appreciation for the arts and humanities. The Atlanta Arts Accords were signed by representatives of the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Association of Counties, the National League of Cities, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Congressional Arts Caucus. Invite representatives from each of these groups and other civic leaders to sign a similar set of accords or issue a proclamation. See a Sample Proclamation. The Pittsburgh Arts Accords, a similar document signed by business and foundation executives, can be used to encourage the support of your state's private sector representatives. Submit articles and opinion editorials to newspapers and magazines about the value of the arts and humanities. Five More Ways to Participate Launch a mentor program. Identify businesses to sponsor arts and cultural organizations for membership in local convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs). Create NAHM giveaways and information. Produce materials (cultural calendars, brochures, buttons, etc.) in partnership with businesses and place them in visitor centers, CVBs, hotels, airports, restaurants and convention centers during the month. Dedicate cultural events for NAHM. Identify or include already-scheduled events for October as part of your celebration of the month. Create an arts and humanities month banner for your website and ask others to include it on their sites. Reach out to the media. Conduct editorial board meetings, write op-eds, and involve media representatives in symposia or events during the month.

For more information go to: www.nasaa-arts.org

Jane

Friday, 23 September Site Visit to American Civil War Museum

This Friday, 23 September, 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. we will visit the American Civil War Museum, which includes the White House of the Confederacy and the Tredegar Iron Works.  You can find a link to the museum's website and directions to where we will meet below.

Website       Directions

We're Famous: The Following Was Published in the 28 July Reynolds Wrap Up

REYNOLDS AWARDED $100,000 NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES GRANT

Jane Rosecrans Introduces NEH Grant

Reynolds Community College faculty, staff and guests gathered at the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant kick-off event June 20th.  The event was held in celebration of Reynolds receiving the Transforming Community College Humanities Through Local Engagement grant.  Reynolds was chosen as one of 12 U.S. community colleges to be awarded the three year $100,000 grant from the NEH.

Dr. Jane Rosecrans, Professor of English, will serve as project director and Dr. Stephen Brandon, Professor of English, will serve as co-director.  According to Rosecrans, the grant will give Reynolds the ability to develop courses in the Humanities/Liberal Arts and help to provide support for humanities faculty.

“The humanities have been under attack in the United States recently as colleges and universities focus on STEM programs and business,” said Rosecrans. “The support this grant will provide our humanities courses is a huge boost. In addition, we are hoping that by developing our humanities courses by working with academic and independent scholars and local historical, cultural, arts, and religious institutions, we will also make these courses more engaging for students.”

In addition to Rosecrans and Brandon, ten faculty members will serve as NEH Faculty Fellows in history, literature, art, music, humanities, philosophy, and religion in support of strengthening those aspects of the college to better serve faculty, staff, students and the community.  Numerous seminars and symposiums have been scheduled in the coming months to give the community an opportunity to share in learning about history and the arts from world renowned experts.

For Rosecrans, the NEH grant kick-off served as a platform to show upcoming plans for the grant.  Attendees learned about the ways in which the project will move forward with plans for a website and future expansion.

“We plan to communicate with the college as we proceed over the next three years so that everyone at the college might share in our success,” Rosecrans added.  “We also hope that this project at Reynolds serves as a role model for other community colleges who may also take advantage of resources in their communities and we plan to share what we learn at New Horizons and other conferences as part of the community college humanities association.  Finally, we hope to create long-term relationships with academic scholars at four-year institutions and our other project partners.”