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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0024.000 1996-1998 HAWAII COMMITTEE FOR THE HUM'A'~T'~S • FIRST HAWAIIAN BANK BUILDING • 3599 WAI'ALAE AVM • ROOM 23 • HONOLULU. HAWAII 96816 NA MANA WAI PI. ' E HO'OLA ANA I KA AINA ~ THE MANY 9OUFCES OF WATER, THE LAND LIVE N , ~ ~96 ~EG'0 `rFic~ GS December 4, 1996 The Honorable James Arakaki Council Chairman, County of Hawaii ~ 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Dear Chairman Arakaki: The Hawaii Committee for the Humanities (HCH) recently awarded seven grants totaling $86,264 to non-profit organizations in support of humanities projects for the public. The HCH is a private, tax-exempt organization which receives funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities and regrants these funds locally in support of public educational projects in the humanities. "Teacher Institute on United States and Pacific Island Histories" A grant of $19,896 was awarded to Chaminade University of Honolulu, Hawaii Museums Association, and the National Council for History Education to hold atwo-day teachers' institute in Honolulu focused on two topic areas (total project budget $39,796). The first examines U.S. history during the period between the two world wars and features keynote presentations by Spencer Crew, director of the Smithsonian Institution's Nationa? Museum of American History, and William Leuchtenburg. The second subject area will explore Pacific Island history, in response to requests by teachers related to recent Hawaii State Department of Education social studies curriculum changes. Teachers and historians will collaborate on eight lesson plans accompanying the institute presentations. An address by Spencer Crew, open to the general public and to museum leaders, will discuss "America's Museums at the Crossroads." The institute and programs are scheduled to take place on two consecutive days during the third week of August, 1997. The principal humanities scholar is Mitch Yamasaki, who teaches American history at Chaminade University of Honolulu, and the project ?9!e no. CIAO Ref. To:,___ ~ ~ TELEPHONE: (868)32-5402 ~~S~ ~D'~y~ Ref. Date director is Paul Field, who teaches history at Windward Community College. Information: 735-4824. "Big Science, High Tech and the Humanities Radio Series" Of the many forces that shape our lives our work, our play, our thoughts, our existence science and technology surely rank among the most powerful. A grant of $17,750 was awarded to the Science, Technology and Human Values Committee to develop and produce thirteen weekly radio spots of three minutes each for Hawaii Public Radio focused on humanities treatment of topics in science and technology and their impact on society, culture and individual lives (total project budget $52,590). Who, and what, is science for? Why is so much contemporary interest focused on pseudo-science and the paranormal rather than on science? What is the interplay between science, technology, society and values? Historian of science Philip F. Rehbock, principal humanities scholar for the project, points out that "scientific knowledge has occupied an increasingly privileged position throughout the world, replacing other more traditional ways of knowing. At the same time, the technologies with which we control our world have become increasingly dependent on scientific knowledge." The project director is David Stroup, from Hawaii Public Radio, who will produce and script the series. "Elvis and Marilyn: 2 X Immortal" Lecture Series A grant of $7,950 was awarded to The Honolulu Academy of Arts to hold afive-part lecture series at the Academy to accompany an exhibit of celebrity imagery dealing with Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley (total project budget $18,139, including $2,709 in third party cash gifts). The programs will look at the cultural forces of Elvis and Marilyn, especially the power of their imagery in music, literature and the visual arts, and examine the almost god-like way certain celebrities of the popular arts have been treated within the folklore of our society. An interpretive humanities guide and lesson plans for teachers will be developed for distribution during the project. The lectures are scheduled to occur between April 16 and June 8, 1997 at the Honolulu Academy of Arts Theatre. The principal humanities scholar is Joseph Stanton, director of the University of Hawaii Center for Arts and Humanities. For more information, please contact the project director, Jennifer Saville, curator of Western art at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, at 532-8772. "0 Hawaii A Nation Within" A grant of $30,668 was awarded to the 0 Hawaii Ad Hoc Committee to produce a sixty-minute historical documentary on the years of the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and annexation of Hawaii, 1893-1898, from local and national perspectives, by focusing on the lives of Queen Lili`uokalani and President Theodore Roosevelt (total project budget $112,421, including $19,738 in third party cash gifts). The program will build on an already produced, companion video entitled "0 Hawaii: From Settlement to Kingdom." As Lili'uokalani serves to focus an understanding of Hawaii at that time, Roosevelt, as the American most instrumental in driving American expansion, will serve to focus an understanding of the U.S. A humanities guide will accompany the video, which will be divided into 20-30 minute segments for classroom use. The principal humanities scholar is Rich Budnick. For more information contact project director, Tom Coffman, at 247-8181. "Koke`e Pioneers: Memories of the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp, Koke'e, Kauai, 1935-42" A "Preserving Hawai`i's Heritage" grant of $5,000 was awarded to the Hui 0 Laka: Koke`e Natural History Museum to conduct and transcribe oral history interviews of twelve former corpsmen, which will be used in the restoration and interpretation of the CCC camp at Koke`e (total project budget $10,200). The Koke`e Civilian Conservation Corps Camp was built in 1935 as part of national service program for youth launched by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Depression Era. The Corps built trails, roads and buildings in Koke`e State Park and worked on vital conservation projects such as planting trees, controlling erosion and limiting the populations of feral animals. The social history and impact of such efforts will be compared to projects done elsewhere in America. The principal humanities scholar is John Lydgate, who teaches history at Kauai Community College. For more information, please contact the project director, Marsha Erickson, executive director of the Koke`e Natural History Museum, at 335-9975. "Exploring Images of the Physically Disabled or Handicapped in American Society" A grant of $2,500 was awarded to the Honolulu Theatre for Youth to hold a forum following performance of the play Operation Elvis, dealing with beliefs about, perceptions of and responses to the physically handicapped, and to produce a playbill insert on related ethical issues and dilemmas (total project budget $5,837). Philosopher Larry Baker, principal humanities scholar for the project, points out that often the images and reactions are "uncomfortable, prejudiced or harmful to the autonomy and well-being of the physically disabled or handicapped person." Lyn Kajiwara Ackerman is the project director. "Thomas Jefferson in Hawaii: An Historical Role-Playing Program" How much of Thomas Jefferson's vision still survives as the shadow lengthens on the twentieth century? To what extent are we heirs of Jefferson? A grant of $2,500 was awarded to the Jefferson in Hawaii Advisory Group to hold in-school presentations in Honolulu, Mililani, Waipahu and Kaneohe featuring role-playing of Thomas Jefferson by Clay Jenkinson, who has received numerous awards for his portrayal, including the National Endowment for the Humanities' Frankel Prize, with commentary and discussion by other historians (total project budget $6,380). Cynthia Smith, who teaches American history at Honolulu Community College, is the principal humanities scholar and Kathy E I I w i n, a teacher at Kailua High School, is the project director. Programs are planned for the spring of 1997. I am also pleased to inform you that the Hawaii Committee for the Humanities has applied for and received a Focus Grant of $25,000 from the Research and Education Division of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The award allows HCH to work with its sister humanities councils in American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on teacher's institutes on U.S. and Pacific Islands histories. Historians, teachers, educational leaders and representatives from the humanities councils from all four island communities will take part in an HCH-supported institute for teachers scheduled for summer, 1997. The HCH hopes to use this project to plan a larger, three-year project that coordinates a series of week-long institutes to be held in Hawaii, Guam, Amerika Samoa and the Northern Marianas. These will focused on Pacific history that includes a regional overview and contrasting case studies, comparing and contrasting historical, social and cultural differences among various island states. Also, at its most recent meeting, the HCH elected officers for 1996- 1997. Edward J. Shultz, who teaches Asian history at the University of Hawaii at West O'ahu, was re-elected as HCH chairman. Willa Tanabe, Dean of the School of Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Studies at the University of Hawaii at Ma noa was re-elected as HCH vice-chairman. Attorney Burt T. Lau will serve as HCH secretary-treasurer. Esther Arinaga, who serves on the Board of Directors of the Federation of State Humanities Councils, will continue to advise the HCH as a liaison between the HCH and the Federation. Three new members were elected to serve on the Hawaii Committee for the Humanities: E. Kalani Flores, a lecturer and consultant on Hawaiian studies and member of several community organizations on Kauai; Susan Arinaga Li, counsel for Hawaiian Electric Company and a trustee for the Hawaii State Library Foundation; and Mitch Yamasaki, professor of history at Chaminade University of Honolulu and a trustee for the National Council on History Education. Leaving HCH after six years of outstanding service were historian Dan Binkley, community leader Aletha Kaohi and librarian Florence Yee. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you desire additional information on the HCH or its grant-supported projects. Sincerely, f / Annette M. Lew Executive Director