Nebraska Governor's Lecture in the Humanities
Wednesday, November 4th
7:30, Joslyn Art Museum
The History and Ecology of the Missouri River
Thursday, November 5th
Tour: 1:00-5:00
$25/ REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Omaha is a river town. Take a journey along the "Big Muddy" to explore its history, its ecology, its role in the growth of the city, and how the river became part of downtown revitalization. The tour will take a look at efforts to shift parts of the river back to its pre-dam days, and how it is managed in the face of many competing interests. How does management of the river address environmental concerns, recreational uses, transportation and irrigation needs, and municipal uses? What does the future hold for this important resource? Weather permitting, the tour group will float downriver in boats provided by Nebraska Game & Parks Commission, so dressing in layers is encouraged (the tour will be by bus if inclimate weather). Participation is limited to 55 people.
Opening Reception
Thursday, November 5th
5:00-7:00, Union Pacific Headquarters
FREE/ REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Map of walking directions to Union Pacific Headquarter.
Join us at one of the country's greenest buildings for our opening reception for drinks and healthy noshing on food native to the Great Plains-such as buffalo-ka-bobs-generously sponsored by Union Pacific at its beautiful new corporate headquarters within walking distance of our hotel. The history of the railroad permeates the building (including a great gift shop), which received an Energy Innovators Award from the Department of Energy in 2007 as one of the nation's most energy efficient buildings. Union Pacific has been recognized five times by Working Mothers Magazine as one of the 100 best U.S. companies for working mothers with its support for an integrated health and wellness employee program including a 19,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art fitness facility in the building supervised by American College of Sports Medicine certified staff, which is free to employees, spouses, retirees and contractors. As part of its support for a healthy life-style, the U.P. company cafeteria features healthy offerings (calories and cholesterol count are posted throughout) and uses local produce as much as possible. The welcome-to-Omaha buffet will feature the U.P. chef's philosophy, so plan to arrive in time to eat and drink to our health!
Lunch with Chairman of the NEH
Friday, November 6
12:00-1:15
Join us in welcoming James Leach, the new Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, in his first meeting with the state humanities council community.
Capps Lecture & Reception
Friday, November 6th
5:30-7:30, Joslyn Art Museum
Free/ REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Map of walking directions from hotel to Joslyn Art Museum.
The Walter H. Capps Memorial Lecture was established by the Federation Board of Directors in 1999 to honor the memory of Congressman Walter H. Capps--teacher, writer, public servant, and humanist in the deepest sense. Congressman Capps was a member of the California Council for the Humanities for six years and its chair for three. He was the chair of the Federation Board of Directors from 1983 to 1985. The lecture, officially designated the Walter H. Capps Memorial Lecture, is held annually, as part of or in conjunction with the Federation’s National Humanities Conference. This year’s Capps Lecture will be presented by Bob Kerrey, former U.S. Senator of Nebraska and will take place at the Joslyn Art Museum.
Omaha Tours
Saturday, November 7th
9:30-Noon
$10/ REGISTRATION REQUIRED
On Saturday morning, conference participants will have the opportunity to explore Omaha’s rich history and cultural life during one of the following tours:
Then and Now: The Impact of the Union Pacific Railroad
Travel from the 1800s to the 21st century on a guided tour exploring the impact of the Union Pacific Railroad. The Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs, Iowa, houses one of the oldest corporate collections in the nation including original reports from survey teams and promotional materials that helped attract immigrants to the American West and vacationers to the nation's first national parks. Experience the heyday of passenger rail travel at the Durham Museum, once Union Station, which at its peak in the 1940s moved 64 trains a day through Omaha. Finally, discover the future at the Harriman Center where state of the art technology allows dispatchers to see the setting of every signal, location of every train, alignment of every switch point, and status of each section of track for the largest railroad system in the nation. Participation is limited to 25 people.
Omaha Architecture: From Greek Revival to Postmodern
Join Omaha urban designer and former director of the city's community development and planning departments, Marty Shukert, on a tour of some of Omaha's finest architecture and most intriguing urban environments, including the art deco Union Pacific Passenger Terminal completed in 1931 by Gilbert Stanley Underwood; Lynhurst, home of George and Sarah Joslyn, completed in 1909 in the Scottish baronial style by John McDonald and known locally as Joslyn Castle; the historic South Omaha business district; and North Omaha's Kountze Place neighborhood. Sample the structures and neighborhoods, new and old, which reflect the history, diversity and character of the Midwest. Participation is limited to 55 people.
Culture, Philanthropy and Urban Revitalization
After decades of decline, a combination of community and business commitment is reviving Omaha's urban core. An important part of the downtown revitalization is the city's cultural scene, the health of which has been made possible in large part through private philanthropy. Explore the vital relationship between philanthropy, cultural vitality and urban re-birth on a tour that will visit four primary examples in the Old Market area: the Bemis, a cutting-edge art residency and exhibition gallery; the Kaneko, a creative space for art, philosophy, and science; the Holland Center for the Performing Arts, and the Durham History Museum. We will round out the bus-tour with a look at NoDo's cultural attractions luring the X and Y generations downtown with hopes of keeping the city's brightest and best in Omaha. Participation is limited to 55 people.
Omaha's Ethnic Geography: From Perogi to Enchiladas
South Omaha will offer a case-study of American immigration to those who join this tour: El Museo Latino, one of the bus tour's stops, was once a Polish Community Center. From 1880 to World War I, immigrants from eastern and southern Europe who came to work in the stockyards, factories, and railroads, created ethnic enclaves with their own distinctive churches, newspapers, community organizations, and politics. Today's immigrants from Central and South America who have come to work in meatpacking plants, construction, and service industries have created an equally distinctive Latino South Omaha. Participation is limited to 55 people.
Landscapes of the Heart: Species Preservation
Many challenge the morality of containing wild animals for our viewing; however, zoos also offer us hope of preserving endangered species. Omaha's innovative, world-class Henry Doorly Zoo is an international leader in plant and animal preservation. Its research efforts include conservation and genetic marker studies on Madagascar Lemurs, nutrition analysis of zoo animals, rare and endangered plant species propagation, and a highly successful research program in reproductive physiology for tiger and gorilla species. Join us for an exclusive tour led by a researcher through the state-of-the-art Grewcock Center for Conservation and Research at the Omaha Zoo. Participation is limited to 40 people.
MoMS Lunch at Love’s Jazz and Art Center
Saturday, November 7th
Noon
$20/ REGISTRATION REQUIRED
Join us for an exciting luncheon excursion to Love's Jazz and Art Center to see the Museum on Main Street exhibition, "New Harmonies: Celebrating American Roots Music" sponsored by the Nebraska Humanities Council. Ollie the Trolley, an Omaha tradition, will transport us to and from the Center where we'll enjoy local specialties provided by Chef Mike's Community Café and peruse the exhibition and its local programmatic components. The registration fee includes lunch and transportation. Space is limited to 45 spots.
Brundibar
Saturday, November 7th, Rose Theater
$25/Click here to purchase tickets through Omaha Performing Arts
Map of walking directions from hotel to the Rose Theater, the performance site.
Join the Institute for Holocaust Educational Foundation and Opera Omaha on Saturday evening, Nov. 7 at 6:30 for "Brundibar," the horrific and heroic story of the Theresienstadt Camp's children's opera in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia that Tony Kushner first brought to the American stage in 2003. Following the short opera, Theresienstadt Camp-survivor Ela Stein Weissberger will speak to the audience. She has participated in Brundibar revival performances around the world, including Los Angeles, Prague, and Israel. "Brundibar" will be presented at the beautifully restored Rose Theater (www.Omaha09.org) at 2001 Farnam, a short cab ride (or longish walk) from the hotel. A group of tickets ($25 per person) have been reserved for our conference.
Humanities Film Series at Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater
7 pm Thursday through Sunday
$6
Map of walking directions from hotel to Film Streams theater.
The eight documentaries selected for showing during November at Film Streams’ the Ruth Sokolof Theater—just a short walk north of our hotel—reflect a diversity of subjects and the medium’s ability to be a bridge of understanding to “the other.” Each one beautifully demonstrates the power of the humanities to illuminate our nation’s most troubling problems as well as our enduring faith in a democratic society’s ability to solve those challenges. We plan to have one of the filmmakers speak after his/her film is aired at 7 on Thursday Nov. 5 immediately following the welcome reception at Union Pacific. Join us at 7 P.M. every evening during the conference for a showing of a council-funded film. Film Streams has reduced the ticket-price to $6 for conference attendees with their conference badges.
The Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Nebraska Humanities Councils would like to thank the 2009 National Humanities Conference sponsors for their generous support:
John Gottschalk