Looking forward to talking about conference while it's underway - even if you're not there? Follow the conference on twitter, or join in: we're using the hashtag #ncph2009.
Steve
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Scallops, drinks, fundraising. Oh my! (Follow the brick-lined road to the wonderful city of Tazza)
Too many Wizard of Oz references?
This year’s Endowment Fundraiser has moved locations. Originally scheduled for the Providence Children’s Museum, it is now being held a mere two blocks from the conference hotel (Biltmore) at the chic Tazza Café. Built in 1898, the Alice Building in Providence, is home to lofts, art galleries, bookstore as well as Tazza Café. A local downtown hotspot, Tazza offers live music, art for sale, eclectic cuisine, and local flare in its historic surroundings. Tickets are still available for purchase at the registration table on the 17th floor of the Biltmore. Student tickets are $45; Individual tickets are $75. Meet us in the hotel lobby at 6:45 pm to walk to Tazza (linking arms while singing and skipping is not required). Of course you are welcome to come to 250 Westminister Ave anytime between 7:00 and 9:00pm (don't forget your ticket).
Your contribution is greatly appreciated and helps NCPH continue to offer awards and new programming.
Please join us.
This year’s Endowment Fundraiser has moved locations. Originally scheduled for the Providence Children’s Museum, it is now being held a mere two blocks from the conference hotel (Biltmore) at the chic Tazza Café. Built in 1898, the Alice Building in Providence, is home to lofts, art galleries, bookstore as well as Tazza Café. A local downtown hotspot, Tazza offers live music, art for sale, eclectic cuisine, and local flare in its historic surroundings. Tickets are still available for purchase at the registration table on the 17th floor of the Biltmore. Student tickets are $45; Individual tickets are $75. Meet us in the hotel lobby at 6:45 pm to walk to Tazza (linking arms while singing and skipping is not required). Of course you are welcome to come to 250 Westminister Ave anytime between 7:00 and 9:00pm (don't forget your ticket).
Your contribution is greatly appreciated and helps NCPH continue to offer awards and new programming.
Please join us.
After some fits and starts, the Working Groups' case statements are now posted on the NCPH website. Participants were selected for each group when they answered the call issued last October. As a warm up for the discussion, they have written 2-3 page statements about their particular interest or approach to the group's topic. Statements are posted for the benefit of the group and for anyone else who is simply curious. You are welcome to sit in on the working group conversations during the conference. This year they cover a wide range of material, from public history labor issues, to historic preservation, racial diversity, the civic value of history, and new digital media, to commemorating the Civil War and preparing to teach public history.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Dine-Arounds
This year, the Program Committee & Local Arrangements Committee have really tried to emphasize social networking. In addition to "speed networking" and the consultants reception (instead of a breakfast), we are also going to try dine-arounds. The purpose of dine-arounds is to provide a venue for conference participants to meet others with similar interests.
The following Dine-Arounds will be offered during the NCPH Annual Meeting, Saturday evening, April 4th. If any interest you, please sign-up at the registration table. Most can accommodate 10-12 people. Please feel free to join any that interest you, even if you are not directly affiliated with the topic, group, or theme. Of course, graduate students are invited to attend any dine-around. In fact all of them should have the phrase "and anyone interested in working. . ."
1. "Arizona State University Alumni, Students, and friends of Noel Stowe." Restaurant: Blue Elephant.
2. "National Collaborative for Women's History Sites." Restaurant: Union Station Brewery.
3. "History Education in the Public Sector" Restaurant: Cafe Paragon.
4. "Junior and mid-career faculty." Restaurant: Kabob & Curry.
5. "National Park Service staff, consultants, and anyone interested in working for the NPS." Restaurant: TBA
If you have an idea for a Dine-Around that you would like to host, please contact me at mbingman@iupui.edu. Its best if you have a local contact to co-host, but we may be able to help you out.
The following Dine-Arounds will be offered during the NCPH Annual Meeting, Saturday evening, April 4th. If any interest you, please sign-up at the registration table. Most can accommodate 10-12 people. Please feel free to join any that interest you, even if you are not directly affiliated with the topic, group, or theme. Of course, graduate students are invited to attend any dine-around. In fact all of them should have the phrase "and anyone interested in working. . ."
1. "Arizona State University Alumni, Students, and friends of Noel Stowe." Restaurant: Blue Elephant.
2. "National Collaborative for Women's History Sites." Restaurant: Union Station Brewery.
3. "History Education in the Public Sector" Restaurant: Cafe Paragon.
4. "Junior and mid-career faculty." Restaurant: Kabob & Curry.
5. "National Park Service staff, consultants, and anyone interested in working for the NPS." Restaurant: TBA
If you have an idea for a Dine-Around that you would like to host, please contact me at mbingman@iupui.edu. Its best if you have a local contact to co-host, but we may be able to help you out.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Confessions of a Conference Junkie
While I think that my reasons for going to conferences will to some extent remain the same, the primary reason that I love going to conferences as a graduate student is that I find them inspiring. I honestly come away from conferences positively high off of ideas. And that is what has made me a conference addict. I love the thrill of new ideas, of sharing ideas with other people working on similar projects, and really just expanding my intellectual horizons. Of course, one of the biggest thrills is learning about possibilities for projects that I had never thought of before or new ways of looking at a topic.
Going hand-in-hand with this is my need to ask questions. I'm generally not afraid to ask questions (or make a fool out of myself) and use conferences as an opportunity to ask experts and colleagues about research questions that are weighing on my mind. I've never been big on being star struck, but it does tickle my geeky soul to be able to talk directly to the historians who have written the books that I dearly love and have shaped my path as a historian. Writing up my questions of an author's work in a book review helps me to frame my interpretation of that person's book, but asking for feedback directly is so much more gratifying.
Yes, this does sometimes backfire. I've gotten a little over excited about grilling two different prominent southern historians (and I'm hoping that they forget both my name and face), but one of those instances resulted in me being asked to write an exhibit review for the JAH (word of advice, don't quote someone's book at him in the middle of a session...that's a little too sycophantic). Also, those occasions have made for great stories afterward (and what historian doesn't love a good story?). So my advice is don't be afraid to put yourself out there and take the opportunity to engage other scholars, ask questions, and explore new horizons.
It is also kind of amusing to be able to say in a seminar discussion after a conference, "Well, when I was talking to Cathy Stanton last week about this very topic, she said..." For historians who are already well established in the field, these kinds of conversations are normal. For grad students...well, I just think that it is cool.
Going hand-in-hand with this is my need to ask questions. I'm generally not afraid to ask questions (or make a fool out of myself) and use conferences as an opportunity to ask experts and colleagues about research questions that are weighing on my mind. I've never been big on being star struck, but it does tickle my geeky soul to be able to talk directly to the historians who have written the books that I dearly love and have shaped my path as a historian. Writing up my questions of an author's work in a book review helps me to frame my interpretation of that person's book, but asking for feedback directly is so much more gratifying.
Yes, this does sometimes backfire. I've gotten a little over excited about grilling two different prominent southern historians (and I'm hoping that they forget both my name and face), but one of those instances resulted in me being asked to write an exhibit review for the JAH (word of advice, don't quote someone's book at him in the middle of a session...that's a little too sycophantic). Also, those occasions have made for great stories afterward (and what historian doesn't love a good story?). So my advice is don't be afraid to put yourself out there and take the opportunity to engage other scholars, ask questions, and explore new horizons.
It is also kind of amusing to be able to say in a seminar discussion after a conference, "Well, when I was talking to Cathy Stanton last week about this very topic, she said..." For historians who are already well established in the field, these kinds of conversations are normal. For grad students...well, I just think that it is cool.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
The Underground Railroad and Public History
Run for Your Life: The Underground Railroad and Public History
James Brewer Stewart, this year's NCPH conference keynote speaker, has written powerfully about the abolitionists, an early contribution to a key topic that has changed dramatically. When his book, "Holy Warriors" appeared in 1976, historians tended to interpret anti-slavery activism as part of a wide range of ante-bellum utopian, social reform movements. These days the focus has shifted from white religious abolitionists to an emphasis on the black public sphere, decoding slave narratives, and the network of African American helpers who made the Underground Railroad a path to freedom. Documenting the historical evolution of appeals to "Let My People Go" to the direct action imperatives of "Let's flee slavery now!" is an important part of public history work on this popular topic.
Historian David Blight has edited a superb collection of articles dealing with conflicts of heritage and history, called "Passages to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in History and Memory" and James and Lois Horton have collected state-of-the-art essays in "Slavery and Public History." On the web see sources from the National Park Services site The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom http://www.cr.nps.gov/ugrr/. The Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Abolition and Resistance has in-depth resources at www.yale.edu/glc/
Check out podcasts, tours, museum objects and library documents from the Run for Your Life projects on the New-York Historical Society website. www.nyhistory.org (or directly https://www.nyhistory.org/web/default.php?section=whats_new&page=society_detail&id=43)
--Kathleen Hulser, public historian, New-York Historical Society
James Brewer Stewart, this year's NCPH conference keynote speaker, has written powerfully about the abolitionists, an early contribution to a key topic that has changed dramatically. When his book, "Holy Warriors" appeared in 1976, historians tended to interpret anti-slavery activism as part of a wide range of ante-bellum utopian, social reform movements. These days the focus has shifted from white religious abolitionists to an emphasis on the black public sphere, decoding slave narratives, and the network of African American helpers who made the Underground Railroad a path to freedom. Documenting the historical evolution of appeals to "Let My People Go" to the direct action imperatives of "Let's flee slavery now!" is an important part of public history work on this popular topic.
Historian David Blight has edited a superb collection of articles dealing with conflicts of heritage and history, called "Passages to Freedom: The Underground Railroad in History and Memory" and James and Lois Horton have collected state-of-the-art essays in "Slavery and Public History." On the web see sources from the National Park Services site The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom http://www.cr.nps.gov/ugrr/. The Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Abolition and Resistance has in-depth resources at www.yale.edu/glc/
Check out podcasts, tours, museum objects and library documents from the Run for Your Life projects on the New-York Historical Society website. www.nyhistory.org (or directly https://www.nyhistory.org/web/default.php?section=whats_new&page=society_detail&id=43)
--Kathleen Hulser, public historian, New-York Historical Society
Sunday, March 1, 2009
An introduction
Hello, NCPH community. I am the chair of the NCPH graduate student committee. This has been a great opportunity to learn more about how the organization operates, to develop relationships with John, Melissa, and the other Indianapolis folks, and to meet some really fantastic students around the country. We've been working on several projects for the annual meeting, including expanding the mentoring program, developing a speed-networking opportunity for new professionals, and an FAQ list (from a graduate student's perspective) about the NCPH meeting. I will also be guest blogging from time to time here before and during the meeting.
Over the course of the next month, I'll be posting items from the FAQ list that we developed. The whole document has been uploaded into Scribd and will also be excerpted in the March NCPH newsletter.
NCPH Conference FAQs
I graduated from Indiana University in 2004 with a B.A. in History, a certificate in Jewish Studies, and a minor in East Asian Languages and Cultures. With all of these incredibly practical degrees in hand and a spirit of idealism in my heart, I joined Teach For America and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. For three years I taught different versions of U.S. history—standard, ESL, inclusion, AP, IB History of the Americas—and AVID at West Charlotte High School. These various experiences, professional and personal, got me thinking about how individuals and communities think about the past, where they encounter “history,” and the challenges of making these processes accessible and meaningful. I moved to Providence, Rhode Island in 2007 to enroll in Brown University’s masters of public humanities program. While my interests have often shot off in all directions, the core of my academic study has been how to craft enriching educational programs and experiences that deliver humanities, especially history, scholarship and make it relevant for diverse audiences.
Over the course of the next month, I'll be posting items from the FAQ list that we developed. The whole document has been uploaded into Scribd and will also be excerpted in the March NCPH newsletter.
NCPH Conference FAQs
I graduated from Indiana University in 2004 with a B.A. in History, a certificate in Jewish Studies, and a minor in East Asian Languages and Cultures. With all of these incredibly practical degrees in hand and a spirit of idealism in my heart, I joined Teach For America and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. For three years I taught different versions of U.S. history—standard, ESL, inclusion, AP, IB History of the Americas—and AVID at West Charlotte High School. These various experiences, professional and personal, got me thinking about how individuals and communities think about the past, where they encounter “history,” and the challenges of making these processes accessible and meaningful. I moved to Providence, Rhode Island in 2007 to enroll in Brown University’s masters of public humanities program. While my interests have often shot off in all directions, the core of my academic study has been how to craft enriching educational programs and experiences that deliver humanities, especially history, scholarship and make it relevant for diverse audiences.
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