|
Humanities Resource
Center Archives
Speaker profile
“Libbie” Custer story lives in Marla Matkin program Now Nebraskans can see and hear the wife of Gen. George Armstrong Custer tell her story. The latest addition to the Nebraska Humanities Council Speakers Bureau is “Libbie’s Story,” a Chautauqua-style program by Marla Matkin as Elizabeth Bacon Custer. An independent scholar and performer from Hill City, Kan., Matkin also offers the program “Frontier Military Posts (and the Women Who Called Them Home).” Matkin has a bachelor’s degree in education from Fort Hays State University. As “Libbie” Custer, Matkin introduces her audiences to the Civil War, the 7th Cavalry, the Kansas Plains, the Little Bighorn and her husband and Golden Cavalier, Gen Custer. Based on historical fact, it is a personal account of the Custers from the first furtive glances of romance to Libbie’s last remembrances as widow, author and lecturer. Questions are encouraged at the conclusion of the presentation. “Libbie’s Story” is recommended by historians and other officials at numerous sites where Matkin has appeared, including the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana, the Fort Laramie National Historic Site in Wyoming, and the Washita Battlefield in Oklahoma. “Frontier Military Posts (and the Women Who Called Them Home)” is designed to introduce audiences to the lives and times of these extraordinary women. Audiences learn about the different classes of women on post, their day-to-day routines, their social interactions and, on a more personal note, how they functioned under Victorian and military constraints. At the conclusion of the program, Matkin demonstrates a Victorian tea, which was a source of comfort, relaxation and reflection for officers’ wives. If you want Marla Matkin to speak to your group or organization, contact her at 785-421-5513 or by e-mail at rfd12@hotmail.com. Both “Libbie’s Story” and “Frontier Military Posts (and the Women Who Called Them Home)” are suitable for audiences ranging from grade 4 to adult. |
|||
|
Speaker profile
NHC speaker Leonard Greenspoon portrays historic Omahan Klutznick Biblical scholar and translator Leonard Greenspoon offers a variety of programs through the Nebraska Humanities Council. As a member of the NHC Speakers Bureau, Leonard Greenspoon delights audiences with the programs “The Ancient World in American Popular Culture” and “The Bible in Popular Culture.” Through the NHC Scholars-in-Residence program, he offers “The Ten Commandments from Biblical to Modern Times,” “The Bible: It’s Not Just in the Church and Synagogue” and “Translating the Word, Transforming the World.” Greenspoon, who holds the Philip M. and Ethel Klutznick chair in Jewish Civilization at Creighton University, is now available for appearances statewide in a Chautauqua portrayal of Philip Klutznick, a national Jewish leader and an adviser to seven U.S. presidents. Though Klutznick lived in Omaha for only 15 years, he left a mark on the city through his financial support of Creighton University and his help in creating the Omaha Housing Authority. He graduated from the University of Nebraska and Creighton law school and was deputy Omaha city attorney. Greenspoon’s program tying the Bible to popular culture uses comic strips, newspaper stories and columns to help us connect modern life to the Bible and ancient cultures. For example, Linus quotes Proverbs to a skeptical Lucy, and the young boy in “Family Circus” asks if the donkey means Mary and Joseph were Democrats. With his knowledge of the ancient world, his ability to read a dozen languages and his wonderful sense of humor, Greenspoon helps audiences find connections between ancient culture and our lives. His recent articles include “Extra! Extra! Philistines in the Newsroom” (Bible Review, August 2000) and “Etched in Stone,” an examination of the Ten Commandments in the wake of government controversy over the posting of the Commandments (Creighton University Magazine, Winter 1999). Greenspoon, who earned his Ph.D. in Near Eastern languages and civilizations from Harvard, has a unique ability to help audiences find relevance and humor in ancient texts often considered dry and unconnected to the 20th century. |
|||
|
Speaker profile
Neville Murray has three programs Neville Murray, a visual artist who served as multicultural arts manager for the Nebraska Arts Council (NAC) from 1992-1999, offers three programs through the Nebraska Humanities Council Speakers Bureau. “West Indian Caribbean Art and Culture” reflects his Jamaican heritage as well as his work as the curator of numerous exhibitions, including “Soon Come: The Art of Contemporary Jamaica,” which made its world debut in Nebraska this summer. The show brings together artists of diverse ethnic backgrounds and training and aspires to defy many of the stereotypes associated with Jamaican culture. Murray also curated “Telling Our Stories,” an online exhibition showcasing Nebraska’s African-American artists. “Issues of Equity, Inclusion, and Multiculturalism” and “Addressing the Digital Divide” reflect Murray’s innovative work with regard to arts and culture and digital divide initiatives. He is founder and director of Cultural Design, an online company that has been instrumental in developing programming and training to address the digital divide, a name given to the disparity that’s growing between those who have access to and use technology and those who don’t. He also has recently spearheaded a project, “Open Studio The Arts Online Nebraska,” a collaborative regional project to teach under-served artists and organizations web design and development. In his role as multicultural arts manager for the NAC, Murray worked with various cultural groups in Nebraska, including Native American, Hispanic, Asian and African-American populations. Through his own art, Murray deals with issues that confront Africans in the Diaspora and records his Jamaican heritage and culture. He tries to express issues that relate to his history, including slavery, loss of identity and language, and how this experience manifests itself in the 21st century. |
|||
|
|
Film series
Two-part film tells WW II history “From Rosie to Roosevelt: A Film History of Americans in WWII” is a curated series exploring the social, political and military issues created by our involvement in World War II. Promoting dialogue and scholar-led discussion in library settings, it features such documentaries as “The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter” and “D-Day,” with two distinct program themes, “The American Command” and “The American People.” The series attracts both men and women, as well as intergenerational audiences. Veterans and others can reinterpret their experiences. Younger Americans can see how the world is, in large part, the product of forces and policies from the war years. Materials include 14 award-winning documentaries, booklets with essays and resources for further study, a manual, posters and publicity kits. The only cost is shipping the materials both ways. |
Phone 402-474-2131 or e-mail nhc@nebraskahumanities.org |
 Return Home |