Humanities on the Road – gearing up for an overhaul

24 December, 2013

Here’s a copy of the latest blog-post that I wrote for Nevada Humanities.

HUMANITIES ON THE ROAD – GEARING UP FOR AN OVERHAUL

Nevada Humanities’ Humanities on the Road program is one of our longest running ventures and it’s one of the key ways in which we can connect our work with people and communities across our fine state. Basically, it is a roster of carefully-selected expert presenters who are ready and willing to travel throughout Nevada to provide engaging public programs that explore the history, culture, and heritage of this region and beyond. These programs can be booked by any not-for-profit organization or group within the state at a very low cost; museums, libraries, cultural centers, for example, have all made good use of Humanities on the Road.

I took over the running of Humanities on the Road a few months ago with a remit to expand it. That means keeping in place all the current offerings which remain relevant, but also bringing in compelling new voices, fresh perspectives, greater diversity and a wider range of formats; so while we expect lectures and Chautauqua presentations to remain the bedrocks, we also hope to offer, for example, workshops, facilitated discussions, or curated tours. The aim is to increase the appeal and pertinence of Humanities on the Road to Nevadans.

How to go about that has been exercising my mind for some time and one way I’ve been finding out has been by asking people. For example, not long ago, whilst on a road trip from Vegas to Elko, I dropped by various potential host organizations and institutions en route to see what might be of interest to them, and several people mentioned that they were looking for fresh ways to connect with their local environment. I’ve therefore been keeping that in mind in my search for new presenters; and if you’re reading this and there’s some subject or area that you think would make a valuable addition, then please do let me know. I’d love to hear from you.

In any case, expect a revamp of the Humanities on the Road offerings later this year, as well as a special package of presentations to coincide with Nevada’s upcoming Sesquicentennial. However, you don’t have to wait till then to experience a Humanities on the Road program; our current offerings are also awesome – recent presentations have included poet and novelist Shaun Griffin reflecting on “Being a Poet in the West” in Fallon and Anita Watson portraying Mary Oxborrow in Genoa. Check out our calendar to see if there’s program happening soon near you.

By the way, if you’d like to be kept informed of progress of our overhaul and when the new presenters and presentations will be available – drop us a line at hotr@nevadahumanities.org and we’ll make sure you’re added to our database.