Maine Humanities Council
Notes from an Open Book: November, 2008
1. MHC Symposium Brings Great Discussion to Portland and Bangor
The MHC presented its fall symposium “Fear, Civil Liberties, and the Rule of Law” on October 17 in Portland and October 18 in Bangor. Speakers Joel Rosenthal, President of the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, and Jeffrey McCausland, US Army, Ret., and Carnegie Council Senior Fellow, presented two fascinating talks on the role of fear in American society past and present, and a panel, facilitated by Dr. Rosenthal, featured an enlivening discussion with Stephen Podgajny, Executive Director of the Portland Public Library (in Portland; Barbara McDade, Executive Director of the Bangor Public Library took this spot in Bangor); Paula Silsby, U.S. Attorney for Maine; and Shenna Bellows, Executive Director of the Maine Civil Liberties Union.
Joel Rosenthal began his talk with the parable of the frog and the pot of boiling water, which he and others referred to throughout the event (the frog either touches the water when it is boiling and jumps out to safety by instinct, or stays in while the water goes from lukewarm to boiling, lulled by the warmth, until it is too late). He spoke of the difference between a healthy fear or respect for dangers, and a panic that creates violation of civil liberties. “History does not repeat itself, but it rhymes,” Dr. Rosenthal quoted Mark Twain. Some examples of the panic referred to included the demand for total triumph over a perceived evil, the evil being an “other” with a human face, resulting historically in the Salem witchcraft trials, the 1950’s McCarthyism, and the Palmer raids. “Are our fears well-founded?” Dr. Rosenthal asked.
Jeffrey McCausland then spoke about current events, describing terror as a technique. He showed a sampling of those considered to be terrorists around the world and told the audience that 115 organizations or people are defined as such on Wikipedia. This, Dr. McCausland stated, led into the question of perception. He continued with a discussion of the USA PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism), and shared information about the Department of Homeland Security (such as its structure; it rivals the Department of Defense in size and budget with 86 congressional committees and subcommittees), as well as the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
Dr. Rosenthal then facilitated a panel discussion that highlighted the attributes of free and open speech, with a spirited debate resulting about centralized information, direct applications of the Patriot Act, and the importance of public debate.
The second part of this event is yet to come: a reading and facilitated discussion in Portland and Bangor, both on November 13, 2008, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. The book being used is The Crucible and there is still time to sign up, although additional discussion sections created to meet demand are filling up quickly.
If you missed the first session, you can listen to Dr. Rosenthal and Dr. McCausland by podcast. The panelist discussions will soon be available here, too.
Back to the Top2. MHC News
Literature & Medicine: Humanities at the Heart of Health Care® just received a grant of $399,508 from the National Endowment for the Humanities for programming at 15 Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Centers across the country, including Maine’s VA in Togus. It was the success of the program at Togus for the past 8 years, and at the VA in White River Junction, VT, that prompted the Council’s proposal to offer the Literature & Medicine program to more VAs. Maine is partnering with 9 other state humanities councils in this effort. As part of the grant, MHC will offer a national training institute in June of 2009 to lay the groundwork for effective programs in the 15 VA hospitals. MHC will also organize a national Literature & Medicine conference in 2010 or 2011.
This grant allows MHC and its partners to reach a group of health care professionals undergoing great challenges as they treat an increasing number of patients suffering from severe traumas and life altering wounds. The Literature & Medicine program provides one way for humanities councils to be of service.
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The joys of bread, baking and eating, are highlighted in Born to Read’s November book list. Stories include those about a runaway tortilla, how the pretzel was created, and a baker who brightens up a snowbound town.
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still need links
Podcast Update
We have quite a collection of podcasts available. New ones include the Blaine House Oral History project with MHC oral history specialist Jo Radner, interviewing the staff and former residents of the Governor’s mansion; and historian David Richards presenting at the Yarmouth Historical Society (David is a MHC scholar, too, and if you haven’t heard him in person, this is an opportunity to get a sense of what he offers to MHC constituents).
Back to the Top3. Facilitator Profile: Mahmud Faksh
MHC scholars are our greatest resources, and we feel particularly fortunate to have Professor Mahmud Faksh among this group. Mahmud helped create and then facilitated the MHC’s “Behind the Headlines: An Introduction to the Middle East” Let’s Talk About It series to great acclaim. One participant told us, “The readings supplied the necessary background. Prof. Faksh took it from there, like a master chessman explaining the strategy and tactics of what is going on there today.” Another referred to his “expressiveness and wit.”
The series was created in response to numerous requests from libraries for a series examining the history and political situation in the Middle East. This was by no means an easy task. However, having attended some of Mahmud’s presentations for teachers, both Lizz Sinclair, director of Let’s Talk About It, and Victoria Bonebakker, the MHC’s Associate Director, knew who to turn to. He has worked very successfully with the MHC’s teacher programs, sharing his expertise and enthusiasm for the Middle East with teachers across the state. His knowledge, openness, and ability to show many layers and views of the complex history and politics of the region have been invaluable, as is his commitment to increasing the public’s knowledge and encouraging thoughtful dialogue about the Middle East. Discussions start in libraries and teacher programs, but both Mahmud and the MHC hope that the conversations continue in people’s homes and communities. This is likely, as his enthusiasm for this subject is infectious.
“I am impressed by Mahmud’s ability to help others carefully examine the context for the events currently occurring in the Middle East. He has a gift for presenting the complexities of given situations while acting as a guide to work our way through them, ” Lizz Sinclair told this newsletter. “ Participants come away from the sessions both wanting to continue the discussions and having a better basic knowledge of the region to build from. I also admire his commitment to promoting thoughtful dialogue about the region. There are few public places where that can happen, particularly because events or situations in the Middle East can prompt strong emotions. Mahmud respects this and presents the information as impartially as he can, creating a safe atmosphere for questions and discussion. It is wonderful to work with him.”
Mahmud is Professor of Political Science at the University of Southern Maine and often lectures at West Point. He has published extensively on Middle East and Islamic affairs and his works include The Future of Islam in the Middle East: Fundamentalism in Egypt, Algeria and Saudi Arabia.
He told this newsletter, “This has been truly a journey of the mind in the quest of sharing and exchange of ideas and promoting knowledge—the mission of the Maine Humanities Council. These programs served as educational vehicles to educate the public in the comfort of their own hometown libraries, promote the love of learning, and broaden the intellectual horizons of Maine educators.”
We are honored to have Mahmud among our scholars.
Back to the Top4. Grants and Events
Recent Grants: Infrastructure Grants
A description of the first humanities infrastructure grant awarded in 2008 appeared in the July issue. Here are descriptions of the eight infrastructure grants awarded since then.
$1,900 to the Abbe Museum, Bar Harbor, for Textile Display Cases
Although its reputation in the museum community is impeccable, the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor has never been able to accept textiles on loan from other institutions because it hasn’t had the proper display cases. That will change in 2008, when the museum acquires two cases, custom-built to conservation standards by a local Bar Harbor carpenter. The first test of the new cases will come with a loan from the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and American Art in Indianapolis. The Eiteljorg will loan a coat made by Mi’kmaq artist Teresa Marshall for inclusion in the Abbe’s exhibit Twisted Path: Contemporary Native American Artists Walking in Two Worlds, which runs December 4, 2008 through June 14, 2009. This exhibit, along with future exhibits that take advantage of the new textile display cases, will particularly enhance the Abbe’s contribution to Native American studies in Maine schools. To learn more, please call (207) 388-3519 or visit www.abbemuseum.org.
$3,050 to Greater Portland Landmarks, Portland, for Educational Enhancements at the Portland Observatory Museum
Greater Portland Landmarks introduces visitors to Portland’s architecture, maritime history, and sense of place at the Portland Observatory Museum on Munjoy Hill. New computer equipment enhanced historic images, PowerPoint presentations, and furnishings will provide the infrastructure the museum needs to present educational information to students and tourists alike. A state-of-the-art webcam, in particular, will improve the experience of mobility-impaired visitors who cannot climb the 103 steps to the top of the Observatory. The Observatory Museum is open from April to October, and the webcam image is visible year-round at the website of Greater Portland Landmarks and the City of Portland. For more information, please call (207) 774-5561.
$3,227 to the Franco-American Heritage Center, Lewiston, for Lighting Our Past for the Future
“Lighting Our Past for the Future” will bring museum-quality lighting to the 18 exhibit cases and two murals in the Franco-American Heritage Center in downtown Lewiston. The cases house photographs, musical instruments, household items, crafts, maps, military memorabilia, and other examples of Franco-American culture. Over 12,000 people each year pass through the Center’s 450-seat Performance Hall, but because the performances usually take place at night, special lighting is needed to make the displays more visible, attractive, and accessible to these visitors. The project will also illuminate exhibits in the Heritage Hall on the Center’s lower level, currently being refurbished as a learning center, rental hall, and catering kitchen. For more information, please call (207) 783-1585 or visit www.francoamericanheritage.org.
$4,300 to the Mount Desert Island Historical Society, Mount Desert, for Making Mount Desert Island History Accessible by Touch Screen Exhibit
Historical resources on Mount Desert Island are segmented by geographic area, such that residents are frequently well-versed in the history of their own community, but lack knowledge in other areas. Similarly, while visitors have access to the fine collections of institutions like the Seal Harbor Library and the Tremont Historical Society, there is currently nowhere to go for an overview of island history. That’s why the Mount Desert Island Historical Society is creating a touch screen exhibit covering social history, labor and economic factors, trends in architecture, and other broad topics. Touch screen buttons leading to photographic images will draw viewers in to the stories being narrated by local experts. Since the exhibit will be fully portable, it can travel from its home base at the Old School House to schools, town meetings, tourist areas—even banks and grocery stores. To learn more about this new exhibit, please call (207) 276-9323.
$10,000 to the Portland Harbor Museum, South Portland, for 2008-2009 Educational Initiative
The Portland Harbor Museum is in the process of developing three web-based curricula for use in Maine schools, each elucidating the impact of world events on ordinary life in and around Casco Bay. The first curriculum focuses on commerce in the age of clipper ships. The second will look at Ferry Village in South Portland during World War II, and the third looks back further still, to the colonial era. Students will use online tools to learn about daily life during these periods, then make the connection to national and world history. All curricula will be aligned with the Maine Learning Results. For more information, please call the museum at (207) 799-6337.
$10,000 to the Saco Museum & Dyer Library, Saco, for Public History in Public Places for Saco Bay Cities
The Saco Museum plans to create three new local history exhibits covering the Saco Bay communities of Biddeford, Saco, and Old Orchard Beach. One of the exhibits will be installed permanently in the Saco Museum, where local history is a focus of the collection but isn’t currently presented to the visiting public in a comprehensive manner. A smaller exhibit will be installed at the Amtrak Downeaster Station in Saco’s historic mill district. Twenty linear feet of colored panels will hook tourists just entering the area as well as commuters who use the station but aren’t familiar with the museum. Finally, a lightweight exhibit that will be brought to local schools will include a trunk filled with objects from the museum’s collection, to ensure a tactile experience of history. To learn more about any of the three, please contact the Dyer Library/Saco Museum at (207) 283-3861 or www.sacomuseum.org.
$8,500 to the Penobscot Marine Museum, Searsport, for Fisheries
A new exhibit on fisheries will soon occupy its own building at the Penobscot Marine Museum. This comprehensive exhibit will combine gear, photographs, models of boats, and educational films to inform visitors about the four major types of fisheries on the coast of Maine (designed to catch shell, ground, sea run, and schooling fish). Visitors will be able to view the fisheries from the perspectives of fisherman, researchers, corporations, legislators—even the fish themselves—and they will leave with an understanding of both the history and the questions about the future that face fisheries today. For more information, call (207) 548-2529 or visit www.penobscotmarinemuseum.org.
$10,000 to the Association culturelle et historique du Mont-Carmel, Lille, for Musée on the Web
The Musée culturel du Mont-Carmel is a decommissioned Catholic Church in the St. John Valley, fully renovated and now serving as a museum dedicated to the preservation and development of Acadian and Québecois culture. This infrastructure project will support the development of a website for the museum that will explain the renovation process, showcase items from the collection, serve as a resource for students and educators, open lines of communication with a broader public, and support development efforts. The website will serve as a model for other cultural institutions in the St. John Valley. It will be bilingual, and will specifically encourage former parishioners to share their stories. It will also allow researchers to access the more rare and delicate items in the collection, which must be stored away from visitors. The website will be launched in conjunction with the building’s centennial celebration in 2010.
Grant-Funded Events
Only a few grant-funded events are occurring in November. Click here for a full list.
Back to the Top5. What We’re Reading
This booklist includes personal favorites of MHC staff members, as well as books used by MHC programs. This month, featured titles are Harry the Dirty Dog, Spuds, The Forger’s Spell, and Death with Interruptions.
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6. Quote of the Month
“This group sits and ’reads,’ even as I am leaving. I marvel at their attention span/attentiveness. I’m delighted that they know to turn the book right side up, turning pages right to left, reading the pictures, etc.”
—A Born to Read volunteer reader.
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Thank you to our current members. Your support helps to make Maine Humanities Council programs like the ones detailed in this newsletter possible. If you are not a member but would like to make a gift you may do so online or contact me, Diane Magras, for more information.
Notes from an Open Book welcomes feedback from its readers. Please contact Diane Magras by email at diane@mainehumanities.org or by phone at (207)773-5051 ext. 208 (toll-free 1-866-637-3233, ext. 208) to respond.