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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 12, 2017)
1C THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, MAY 12, 2017 CONTACT US Erick Bengel | Weekend Editor ebengel@dailyastorian.com WEEKEND BREAK FOLLOW US facebook.com/ DailyAstorian Why we need the National Endowment for the Humanities widen when I told them about the per- mafrost, and described what it felt like to walk on it. In a New York Times column, Nicholas Kristof asked: What could the humanities be in a digital age? “Our world is enriched when cod- ers and marketers dazzle us with smartphones and tablets,” he wrote, “but, by themselves, they are just slabs. It is the music, essays, enter- tainment and provocations that they access, spawned by the humanities, that animate them — and us.” Today, the humanities are as essen- tial as ever, as is the National Endow- ment for the Humanities. The agency is essential to the nur- turing in our society of individuals and groups who still need honest and rel- evant information from public media, who receive an education from teach- ers in the humanities, and who seek to empathize with all members of soci- ety using the knowledge gained from the humanities. A local remembers an agency-funded fellowship in Alaska By DENISE REED For EO Media Group In 1965, President Lyndon John- son created the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts. The National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act was the culmination of a movement calling for the federal government to invest in culture, as it had invested in science. Thus, science and the humanities became our country’s most signifi cant pillars of cultural advancement. Without these two fi elds our society becomes less civilized, and unable to sup- port the cultural development of the diverse peo- ples that make up the U.S. The NEH funds cul- Denise Reed tural institutions — such as museums, libraries, col- leges, universities, public television and radio stations — and, frequently, individual scholars. I don’t consider myself a scholar, but I, along with 12 other educators from eleven states, received NEH fellowships for a project in Alaska during the summer of 1988. After completing a rigorous vet- ting process, and completing prelim- inary study requirements, I was off to the University of Fairbanks. The title of our seminar was “Orpheus: A Creator’s Myth.” We were charged with investigating the work of com- posers, authors and oral histories that contained references to Orpheus, the poet-musician of Greek mythology. The grant provided me and my NEH fellows with the oppor- tunity to study the myths of First Nation peo- Keeping us human Submitted photo Denise Reed (far left, second from top) and the group of “Orpheus fellows” ples and those of other cultures that, in some way, incorporated the Orpheus story, which speaks to the power of music to shape thoughts and beliefs. The group’s musicians conducted an extensive study of the early operas on this subject. As essential as ever What an experience! The semi- nar involved four full days of study, which sometimes carried on into the late evening. And why not? It was still light out at 11 p.m., and there was an annual Native American cere- mony, occurring on the university campus, that boasted continuous drumming over a period of two to three 24-hour days. Weekends, meanwhile, were fi lled with discover- ing Alaska, which I later realized was part of what NEH intended to support, along with our formal study. The fellowships changed our lives; as educators, we would come to ful- fi ll the agency’s goal: to strengthen teaching and learning in schools and colleges, provide opportunities for lifelong learning, preserve and pro- vide access to cultural and educational resources, and fortify the institutional base of the humanities. I will never forget, or be able to release, the infl uence this opportunity had on me and, subsequently, on my students. I returned from the seminar with knowledge about myths, First Nation peoples and the ways in which many cultures approach the myster- ies of life. And I returned having had adventures in what was then the last frontier. I watched my students’ eyes We need the NEH to continue to do all of this and more through their numerous grant programs. Our soci- ety should never accept the possiblity of these agencies disappearing. I was elated when, on May 1, I received an email from the Americans for the Arts Action Fund that shared the news that — because of grass- roots arts advocacy, and because peo- ple contacted their representatives — funding for the NEH and NEA would continue, and would, in fact, increase in some areas, instead of being cut as predicted. But let us not become complacent. It is still possible that some of these programs may be cut in the coming years. The humanities are essential to the growth of civilization. It’s what keeps us human, keeps us questioning and trying to make sense of our exis- tence, and it is what fosters critical thinking about the meanings of justice and peace. Denise Reed is the conductor of the North Coast Chorale and a mem- ber of the Oregon Humanities Board of Directors. She teaches opera and music appreciation, along with world music and the histories of some of America’s popular styles of music at Clatsop and Tillamook Denise Reed in Alaska, 1988. Submitted photo The humanities are essential to the growth of civilization. It’s what keeps us human, keeps us questioning and trying to make sense of our existence, and it is what fosters critical thinking about the meanings of justice and peace. Denise Reed conductor of the North Coast Chorale and a member of the Oregon Humanities Board of Directors
