The Great Lakes Culture Program

   Director's Note
   News & Events
   Services
   Calendar
   Gatherings Program
   Fellowships
   Awards
   Education
   Publications
   Resources
   Site Map
   Contact

Mapping Great Lakes Identity: Past, Present, Future

February 16-17, 2001
Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

Planning Principles and Concepts

Rather than duplicate, reinvent or compete with activities and projects currently underway within disciplines or in other parts of the region., the Center for Great Lakes Culture intends to complement, coordinate, integrate, and inventory what others are doing. This includes development of the Center as a virtual center… to make resources more accessible to all.

CONFERENCE BACKGROUND

As part of a Planning Grant initiative for regional humanities centers established and funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, “Mapping Great Lakes Identity: Past, Present, Future” will build on a series of “gatherings” convened in the past year throughout the Great Lakes/Ohio Valley region in disciplinary and thematic areas focused on helping to formulate the future agenda of the Center. The gatherings help the Center inventory regional activity and establish priorities for future work among partners. Gatherings to date have addressed strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities in regional research, programming, collections, teaching, and technology. To further the process of prioritizing the future agenda of the Center, “Mapping Great Lakes Identity” will convene regional participants in 4-6 new disciplinary/thematic “gatherings” and in plenary sessions designed to explore the concept of regionalism and the role a humanities center can play in a region.

CONFERENCE PREPARATION

Participants are asked to reflect on in advance, and to prepare to discuss, the concepts and questions addressed here and in the enclosed program, and will be asked for continued input in listserv communications following the Conference. As part of the process of recording and prioritizing gatherings and listserv activity during the planning phase, the Center will later formulate strategies for carrying out regional activity with its partners in the implementation phase.

DISCIPLINARY PRIORITIES: How do we map/inventory the Great Lakes/Ohio Basin region?

The conference will encourage the development of disciplinary or subject priorities in regional scholarship, collections, teaching, and public activity. What do we know about the region? What do we need to know? Where should activity best be focused or integrated?

THEMATIC and INTEGRATED PRIORITIES: How do we deal with issues of cultural authenticity? What are appropriate configurations of research, teaching, public activity and technology? What themes and subjects might be catalysts for significant regional work?

The conference will promote and facilitate integration and cross-pollination among participants from the varied disciplines, providing opportunities to create linkages between people across the region and across disciplines.

PLEASE BRING WITH YOU:

1. Brochures, flyers, handouts, display materials from your project or institution if you want to make them available at one of our six display tables.

2. Networking materials: contact details (including email addresses and web sites) for people, projects, and institutions working on regional and cultural issues.

TIME

ACTIVITY

LOCATION

PRESENTERS/

FACILITATORS

Thursday, February 15

7:30 p.m

American Indian Dance Theater

(Optional evening activity for early arrivals. For ticket information contact Wharton Center for the Performing Arts, 800/942-7866

Wharton Center

Friday, February 16

8:00	CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST	Lincoln Room
9:00	Welcome: Conference Purpose and Overview Overview of the Center for Great Lakes Culture	Lincoln Room	*Kurt Dewhurst*, CGLC
9:20	Keynote Have the Great Lakes Produced an American Cultural Region?	Lincoln Room	*Michael Conzen*, University of Chicago
10:30	NETWORKING & REFRESHMENT BREAK	Lincoln Room
10:45	Small Group Discussions WHAT EXACTLY ARE WE MAPPING, AND HOW DO WE ADDRESS ISSUES OF SCHOLARS BEING WILLING TO ENGAGE IN REGIONAL STUDIES? ·What is important about the scholarly work of regional studies? How do we identify, map and inventory regional resources? How do we connect scholars and their work with the public? What are the challenges of doing regional studies work, and how might those challenges be addressed? how might those challenges be addressed?	Lincoln Room	*Peter Berg*, MSU
12:00	LUNCH	Red Cedar A&B
1:00	A Conversation on Place, Identity and Regionalism Session Host: *Wendy Wilkins*, Dean, College of Arts and Letters, MSU Moderator: *Jim McClintock*, MSU	Lincoln Room	*Richard Ford,* author *Rick Knupfer*, Michigan Humanities Council
2:30	NETWORKING & REFRESHMENT BREAK	Lincoln Room
2:45	Disciplinary "Gatherings" ·Native American culture ·Labor history ·Expressive culture ·Identity: social and geographic boundaries ·Vernacular architecture ·Heritage landscapes ·Additional “gatherings” generated on-site?		*Kurt Dewhurst*, CGLC
3:30	NETWORKING & REFRESHMENT BREAK	Lincoln Room
3:45-5:00	Disciplinary “Gatherings” (continued)	Lincoln Room
5:30	Reception Welcome from College of Arts & Letters	Red Cedar A&B	*Wendy Wilkins,* Dean
6:30 8:00	DINNER Welcome from Michigan State University	Red Cedar A&B	*Peter McPherson*, President, MSU
8:15-9:30	Great Lakes Music and Stories	Red Cedar A&B	*Lee Murdock*

TIME

ACTIVITY

LOCATION

PRESENTERS/

FACILITATORS

Saturday, February 17

8:00	CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST	Room 105 A&B
9:00	Plenary: Public Participation in Mapping Community Assets	Room 105 A&B	*Joe VanderMeulen*, Land Information Access Association
10:00	NETWORKING & REFRESHMENT BREAK	Room 105 A&B
10:15	Framing the Center Agenda: Projects, Themed Issues, Questions Participants will form small groups that will use priorities developed from Friday’s discussion groups to generate specific programs and activities for the Center.	Room 105 A&B	*Peter Knupfer*, MATRIX/MSU, Lead Facilitator
12:00	LUNCH Center for Great Lakes Culture Awards Ceremony	Red Cedar A&B	*Kurt Dewhurst*, MSU, Director, CGLC
1:30-3:00	Closing Plenary: Pulling It All Together – Mapping Our Future A facilitated discussion involving the conference participants.	Room 105 A&B	*Lynne Goldstein*, MSU *Rick Knupfer*, Michigan Humanities Council *Kurt Dewhurst*, CGLC