Programs:
Leaders and Legends
Sacagawea, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, Jed Smith, Hugh Glass, Cynthia Ann Parker, Sitting Bull, Annie Oakley, Mari Sandoz, Doc Middleton and Eugene Vidal are characters you may encounter in “Leaders and Legends,” a program which highlights men and women who helped shape the American West. Lyn Messersmith and Deb Carpenter perform original stories, poems and songs about historical figures who overcame tremendous odds to succeed, suffered great personal loss to stand up for the rights of others, or lived their lives in such a way that they continue to provide lessons or insight for us even today. Program is approximately 45 minutes in length, with discussion time afterwards. Appropriate for all ages.
“Leaders and Legends” is available through the South Dakota Humanities Council (web.sdstate.edu/humanities) and the Nebraska Humanities Council (www.nebraskahumanities.org). If your organization is not eligible for funding assistance from SDHC or NHC, contact Lyn or Deb for a price estimate.
The Heart’s Compass
Some set the tongue of the wagon to the North Star at night, so they wouldn’t lose their trail. Others were content to feel the rising sun on their backs and to walk into the setting sun each night. Many followed the deep wagon ruts and the hardened paths made by scores who went before them. Women on the trails sometimes cut a trail of their own; most, however, had little choice but to follow their men on rugged paths which led-- they were promised-- to a better life. Always, the women who went West-- and survived-- relied on an incredible inner strength to guide them on their journey. They relied on The Heart’s Compass. Program is approximately 45 minutes in length, with discussion time afterwards. Appropriate for all ages.
“The Heart’s Compass” is available through the South Dakota Humanities Council (web.sdstate.edu/humanities) and the Nebraska Humanities Council (www.nebraskahumanities.org) and the Nebraska Touring Program (www.nebraskaartscouncil.org). If your organization is not eligible for funding assistance from SDHC or NHC, contact Lyn or Deb for a price estimate.
Workshops and Residencies:
Check out the Nebraska Humanities Council (www.nebraskahumanities.org) and the Nebraska Arts Council (www.nebraskaartscouncil.org) for specifics on residency information and application forms. If your organization is not eligible for funding assistance from NHC or NAC, contact Lyn or Deb for a price estimate.
The following are sample workshop themes. Lyn and Deb can tailor the workshops to fit your needs.
Elementary: “The Past Through My Pen: Writing From History.” In this workshop, Deb Carpenter and Lyn Messersmith demonstrate how history can come to life through research and interpretation. This workshop will focus on local history. Students will develop background material into stories, poems and/or songs, using simple rhymes as well as rhythm instruments found in a classroom.
Junior High: “Making the Connection Between Past and Present.” In this workshop, Deb Carpenter and Lyn Messersmith demonstrate how stories from the past can encourage us and help us put our lives in perspective. This workshop will focus on emigration, with emphasis on the hardships of moving to a new place. Students will develop historical background material (diaries, news clippings, etc.) into poems, stories and/or songs which reflect the idea that “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
High School: “Leaders and Legends.” In this workshop, Lyn Messersmith and Deb Carpenter shares stories, poems and songs about men and women who shaped the American West. The workshop will focus on character education. Students will be encouraged to look at their role models and select characteristics or qualities they admire and would like to pattern. Then students will write poems, stories, or songs which put abstract words (such as “kindness,” “ambition,” “courage,” “persistence”) into concrete terms.
Adult: Creative Writing from History. Lyn Messersmith and Deb Carpenter share examples from their work and give writing exercises which focus on family history and local history.
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