The trouble is, New Harmonies DOES emphasize performance arts.  So what
to do, what to do?  Pull a VH-1 and go "Behind the Music."  Focus on
roots music traditions, styles, social changes, etc.  With an exhibit
like this, it is inevitable--and advisable--that venues are going to
have performance based programs.  Other than companion exhibits created
by the venues themselves to explain local roots music traditions, there
are a couple of ways you can "encourage" and create strong humanities
content.  

Speakers:  Have a roster of speakers that can travel to your various
sites.  This kind of programming gives each community more bang for
their buck.  They only have to schedule it, as opposed to develop it. 
Plus, they can use the extra time to develop a stronger companion
project.   We use 4-6 speakers for each exhibit.  Sites can request one
or all of the speakers.  The programs last about an hour and fifteen
minutes each.  For New Harmonies we have the following topics.

1.  Roots Music in Tennessee:  I believe Ryan in Illinois mentioned the
importance of having a speaker give a general overview of roots music
very early in the exhibit tour (apologies to RL if I'm incorrect).   It
isn't easily defined, and scholars still squabble over the term itself. 
We have a scholar who will address this followed by discussing the forms
of roots music found throughout the state.
2.  Tune-In Tennessee:  A scholar will discuss the impact of radio on
the lives of Tennesseans.  How did we listen to radio?  What was the
impact of radio on society, and how did it contribute to the popularity,
or lack thereof, of roots music from Tennessee on the national stage.
3.  Hillbilly:  The controversial and complex icon of the "hillbilly"
has been used as an insult, a mark of pride, and a marketing tool since
the birth of country music (The Carter Family wore suits and Sunday
dresses until Ralph Peer dressed 'em up like Jethros). Tony Harkins of
Western Kentucky University literally wrote the book on the iconography
of the hillbilly.  His  program will address how the image has been used
in connection with roots music over the years.
4.  Race, Rock, and Elvis:  This program will discuss the intersection
and reciprical influences of roots and popular music and the Civil
Rights Movement.  
5.  Using Roots Music in the Classroom:  This program is an in-service
for teachers sponsored by each community.  It will train teachers how to
use roots music across the curriculum and fits state and national
standards for social studies, art, music, history, etc.   The beauty is,
you not only train teachers how to use music cross curriculum, you also
get them interested in the exhibit.  They will bring students to your
museums.  

Narrative Stages:  Another way of injecting the humanities into a
performanced based topic is using narrative stages.  Folklorists live
for the narrative stage (First time I saw one I said, "that's what I
want to do for a living.  How do I become qualified?  Get a degree in
folklore?  Really?  You're kidding?  No? Ok."  Never looked back.).  
Anyway, let's say you have a blues performance.  Have your state
scholar, or a scholar, sit on stage with the performer.  They talk a
bit, the performer plays a bit, and back and forth and so on.  It's like
a staged interview with songs.  It puts the music in context, and the
audience learns much more about the tradition and form of the music than
they would at just a concert.  See?  You've just turned a performance
into a humanities event.  Take that artmongers!

Ok, I've rambled on long enough.  Hope that helps.  I'm sure there are
a billion more ways to do this, and I'd love to hear others' thoughts. 

Paul



 



Paul McCoy, Program Officer
Humanities Tennessee
306 Gay Street
Suite 306
Nashville, TN 37201
Phone:  615-770-0006 Ext. 17
Fax:  615-770-0007
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Founded in 1973 through funding from the National Endowment for the
Humanities (NEH), Humanities Tennessee is dedicated to developing a
sense of community through educational programs in the humanities across
Tennessee. An organization that began with a focus on grant-making and
cultural development of the state's museums and historical organizations
has grown into a multi-faceted not-for-profit with two distinct focuses:
studies of community history and cultural life and studies of language
and literature.


>>> [log in to unmask] 12/13/07 02:10PM >>>
Has anyone used an art center or art council space for the exhibit or
as a partnering venue of some kind? Arts Council staff are very
supportive, but I am wary of their wanting to turn the emphasis of New
Harmonies toward performance arts. What is good language to keep them
engaged yet keep them tuned to the wider context?

Shelley Crisp, Ph.D., M.F.A.
Executive Director
North Carolina Humanities Council
122 N. Elm St., Suite 601
Greensboro, N.C. 27401
(336) 334-5383
www.nchumanities.org<http://www.nchumanities.org/>

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