DHF ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

• Sussex County Symposium - September
• Kent County Symposium - April
• December Humanities Salon
• Anniversary Celebration Kickoff - October 23-24, 2008

Sussex County Symposium - Inspired by Places

Capping off a year of Delaware-themed events (Picturing Delaware: Inside and Outside the Frame), DHF is offering a two-day symposium in Sussex County on September 18-19, 2009.

W. Barksdale Maynard is the keynote speaker for the opening night event, inspired by Delaware's "places." An author and art historian, Maynard is basing his presentation on his award winning book, Buildings of Delaware (a volume in the Buildings of the United States series of the Society of Architectural Historians), turning a spotlight on the churches and steeples, facades, architects, design styles and building materials that are iconic in the First State. A reception will follow.

The September 19 schedule embraces three themes and is comprised of nearly a dozen presentations on topics such as industry, agriculture and the environment in Delaware. Man's Effect on the Land: Industry and Agriculture will touch on subjects ranging from canneries to church camps to "choo choos." Land's Effect on Man: The Environment will turn attention on vocations dependent upon the First State's unique landscape, such as river piloting and hunting. In Portraying Place: Delaware's Historical and Cultural Affairs Curator Ann Baker Horsey will discuss two artists known for painting Delaware imagery, Jack Lewis and Howard Schroeder; Ricky Sears, a drawing instructor at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, has documented the evolution of Bethany Beach through photography and painting, and will discuss the aesthetics of suburban development; and Stephen Ruszkowski, a 2009 Delaware Division of the Arts Fellow, will discuss the influence of Northern Delaware architecture on his painting.

The Friday, September 18 event takes place at 7:00 p.m. at the Milton Theatre and concludes with a reception; cost: $10 in advance, $12 at the door. The free Saturday, September 19 event takes place at the Sussex County Library from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Says Delaware Humanities Council President Larry Josefowski, "Milton is the perfect location for a symposium inspired by 'place.' Not only is it home to a great deal of well-preserved Victorian architecture, it has a rich industrial history. From ships to buttons to wreaths, Milton helped put Delaware on the map commercially during the last three centuries."

All of the weekend's activities reflect DHF's anniversary theme. Picturing Delaware: Inside and Outside the Frame has offered glimpses of Delaware through the humanities, using archival photographs, paintings and other cultural material as the framework for reflecting on Delaware's people, places and unique character. Past symposia have focused on Delaware's history and its people.

"Delaware is often recognized for its preservation efforts," says Executive Director Marilyn Whittington. She adds, "We are pleased to turn the humanities focus on things that Delawareans value historically--its architecture, its industrial past, its traditions and its landscapes--much of which is preserved and celebrated in Sussex County." In 2008-2009, DHF sponsored a program that enabled Milton and Seaford to host the Smithsonian Institute's traveling exhibit, Between Fences. The two towns uncovered a treasure trove of fence and boundary images and documentation, much of which has been added to the towns' permanent historical collections.

This program is open to the public. Because seating is limited, RSVPs are requested no later than Monday, September 14.

Follow this link to our registration form, or send an email with your name, email address and phone number to rsvp@dhf.org and payment instructions will be emailed to you. Payments for Friday's lecture and reception ($10 in advance; $12 at the door) will be accepted by mail, online or at the door. For more info call (302) 657-0650 ext. 10 or toll free (800) 752-2060.

Kent County Symposium - Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18, 2009 at Wesley College

The Delaware Humanities Forum held a free two day symposium in Kent County on Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18 on the campus of Wesley College. This symposium focused on the people of Delaware--those who are famous as well as those who are less-often celebrated. This event was planned as part of the Forum's yearlong anniversary celebration, Picturing Delaware: Inside and Outside the Frame.

The Forum arranged presentations by esteemed experts on topics such as journalism in Delaware, 'century' farms, the Lenape Indians, Delawareans in the Vietnam conflict, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, and more. Participants heard keynote speakers, took part in panel discussions, and enjoyed interactive presentations and musical performances, all of which turned the humanities focus on Delaware. Friday's symposium participants visited Vietnam Mailbag: Voices from the War at the Delaware Public Archives.

'Kent County was the natural choice for our mid-year symposium,' said Delaware Humanities Council Vice Chairman Larry Josefowski. 'Dover is the home to both the Delaware Public Archives--one of the oldest public archives programs in the country and a great resource for images of regular Delawareans--and Legislative Hall, filled with portraits of former governors and Delaware's War heroes. If you are going to reflect upon Delaware's people, the best place to begin is Dover.'

Added Council Chairman Kim Burdick, 'When planning our 35th anniversary activities, we knew we wanted to celebrate Delaware's people, places, and unique character. We were pleased to be able to choose one county to play host to each of our anniversary themes. Our Sussex County symposium--focusing on 'places'--is planned for September, and we wrap up our anniversary year with an October event in New Castle County.'

Speakers, panelists, and moderators for the two-day Dover event included: artist and historian Kay Wood Bailey; Dennis 'White Otter' Coker, Lenape Tribe of Delaware; Don Flood, former editor of The Dover Post; Dennis Forney, Cape Gazette co-founder, publisher, and president; Wesley College Professor of History and American Studies, Susanne Fox; Ann Baker-Horsey, Curator of Collections for the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs; DHF Speakers Bureau presenter Karen Jessee with Tommy Tear; Dr. William N. Johnston, President of Wesley College; authors Nancy Lynch and Larry Nagengast; Michael McGrath, Chief of Planning, Delaware Department of Agriculture; Civil War historian Dan Pritchett; Widener University Professor of Law, Thomas J. Reed; and Tom Summers, Delaware Public Archives. Musical performances were courtesy of Irish folk music band Celtic Harvest and Dover youth ensemble First State Strings.

All symposium events were held at Dover's Wesley College. A reception at the Annie Jump Cannon House, the home of Wesley College's President, followed the Friday symposium.

Inaugural Humanities Salon Takes Place at Historic Hale-Byrnes House

In December, DHF launched the first of a series of Humanities Salons. For this inaugural event, Chairman Kim Burdick hosted 25 guests at her home, the historic Hale-Byrnes House for an evening of 18th century history, music, and delicacies. Additional Humanities Salons will take place throughout the year at the private homes of our Council members and other Friends of the Forum. We encourage you to become a Friend of the Forum today and take part in our yearlong celebration.

Delaware Humanities Forum kicked off its 35th Anniversary year on Thursday, October 23 and Friday, October 24.

To see pictures from the events, visit efotolab.com and type DHF into the search box. You will be asked to create a login and password.

About Our Anniversary

The Delaware Humanities Forum celebrates its 35th anniversary year in 2008-09 with statewide celebrations. The anniversary theme is Picturing Delaware: Inside and Outside the Frame and offers glimpses of Delaware through the humanities, using archival photographs, paintings and other cultural material as the framework for reflecting on Delaware's people, places, and unique character.

Anniversary Events

Kicking off its anniversary year, the DHF held a celebratory dinner on Thursday, October 23, 2008 at Wilmington's University and Whist Club. The next day, a Picturing Delaware symposium--featuring National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman Bruce Cole and more than a dozen other distinguished humanists--took place at the Delaware Art Museum. The day's agenda included lectures, community discussions, and a tour of the museum. To round out the day's activities, a wine, cheese, chocolate and jazz reception featured Mayor James M. Baker, jazz scholar, and a musical tribute to Clifford Brown by trumpeter Gerald Chavis.

This two-day celebration was the first part of a year-long reflection on the Delaware community, to be followed up with various events and a symposium in Kent and Sussex Counties during the winter and spring.

Humanists at the Forefront

Our featured guest for the Picturing Delaware symposium was National Endowment for the Humanities Chairman Bruce Cole. He is an art historian, the author of fourteen books, an expert on material culture and spearheaded two major NEH initiatives--We the People and Picturing America (the inspiration for our Anniversary theme). Each initiative uses classic works (literature and art) as a creative way to teach American history and culture, and incorporates the preservation of America's history through digitization.

We are honored to have Bruce Cole join us for our anniversary celebration, says DHF Director Marilyn Whittington. One of his areas of expertise is the art of the Renaissance period, which is the time when people began to reflect on the concept of "self" and "identity." This is the very basis of the humanities: understanding our own experiences as a way to connect with people, cultures and ideas.

Additional scholars and humanists participating in the celebration included David Schrader, Executive Director of the American Philosophical Association; Ellen Rendle, Delaware Historical Society Curator and author of Historic Photos of Delaware; Joyce Schiller, Delaware Art Museum Curator; Ryan Grover, Biggs Museum of American Art Curator; Elizabeth Higginbotham, University of Delaware Professor of Sociology; Jeanne Nutter, Bloomfield College Communications Professor; retired Delaware educator Sharon Moore; Karol Schmiegel, director emerita of the Biggs Museum; photographers Mike Biggs, Kathy Buckalew, Fred Comegys, Kevin Fleming and Lise Monty; The Honorable James M. Baker, Wilmington's Mayor and a jazz scholar; and, trumpeter Gerald Chavis, a devotee of Clifford Brown's compositional work and style.

Picturing Delaware: Inside and Outside the Frame

The Forum recognizes that Delaware's rich and fertile history includes individuals who were both "inside and outside the frame."

Says DHF Chairman Kim Burdick: Through our anniversary celebration, we hope to shine a light not only on prominent figures in Delaware history lessons, but also those who were and are outside the frame of textbook history.

Artists who have "pictured Delaware" through photography, painting, and music were highlighted alongside the people who ensured the preservation of Delaware's visual history. Participants reflected on populations that are often excluded from history's frame: ethnic minorities, women, and laborers.