Looking for some fantastic humanities finds? Check out our Friday Faves.
Kristen Fuhs Wells, director of communications and development:
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If you’re near Indy, check out Libreria Donceles at Big Car’s Listen Hear space (2620 Shelby St.) in the Garfield Park neighborhood. The pop-up exhibit / Spanish-language used book store is a funky attention to the city. It only runs until Oct. 22 and takes donations only for book purchases.
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The National Endowment for the Arts recently released data on arts audience participation by state. While not directly covering our humanities fields, there is some crossover (i.e., the percentage who read literature). Check out how Indiana compares with the nation.
George Hanlin, director of grants:
- Sure, our Next Indiana Campfires are fun and educational—and it turns out they may be good for your overall mental health too.
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Next weekend the National Museum of African American History and Culture opens on the mall in Washington, D.C. The New York Times has a preview and a review of the architecture and exhibition space.
Bronwen Fetters, executive assistant and program associate:
- I loved the Piggle-Wiggle series when I was a kid. Author Betty MacDonald published the first four books in the series before her death in 1958, and then her daughter Anne MacDonald resurrected her old notes and manuscripts to publish the fourth book in 2007. Now, MacDonald’s granddaughter Annie Parnell is teaming up with Ann M. Martin (of BSC fame) to restart the series again—this time with the original character’s niece, Missy Piggle-Wiggle. The first book in the new series will be called Missy Piggle-Wiggle and the Whatever Cure. I love the multigenerational literary heritage of this project, and I think Annie’s grandma would be proud!
- This article from Brain Pickings looks at what was perhaps the world’s first feminist children’s book, Gone Is Gone: or the Story of a Man Who Wanted to Do Housework, which was written by Wanda Gág in 1935. In the book, Gág (who is more famous for her book Millions of Cats… a classic of children’s lit, if I do say so myself), tells the story of a peasant man and woman who swap roles for a day—farmwork for housework. The story is fun, the vintage pictures are great and the message subverts patriarchal gender norms. Fun stuff all around!
Keira Amstutz, president and CEO:
- In honor of Constitution day, here’s a brief history of the pocket Constitution.
- Check out Welcoming Table, a food festival celebrating international inclusion, designed to raise awareness of the contributions made by foreign-born chefs to Indy’s local food scene.
Jacqueline Cromleigh, communications and community relations manager:
- Some food fun! Check out Mark Twain’s list of 60 American comfort foods he missed while traveling in the 1880s.
Do you have any humanities highlights from your week? We would love to hear from you in the comment section below.