Aaron Douglas, UNL Class of ’22: Visual Artist of the Harlem Renaissance

By Peggy Jones

This visual presentation will introduce the artist Aaron Douglas, the “Father of Black Art.” Douglas was the first Black graduate of the UNL Department of Art. His work is a celebration of Afrocentric Modernism, with which he established one of the earliest affirmative depictions of Black identity, history, and experience.

The Art & Practice of Hispano Storytelling
By Ricardo Garcia
With chistes (jokes), cuentos (legendary tales) and corridos (legendary ballads), Ricardo Garcia entertains and informs by telling stories from Northern New Mexico, the homeland of Hispano culture in the United States. This program provides an “experience” in the Hispanic oral tradition of storytelling. In English with smattering of Spanish.

The History of Trick Roping and the Wild West Show
By Joan Wells
Wells uses the vanishing folk art of trick roping to bring the color and history of the Old West alive. South of the border in Old Mexico, the charros created rope spinning -making intricate flower designs with ropes. When Vincente Otopeza introduced this trick roping tradition to Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in 1894, he gave American cowboys a different perspective on trick and fancy roping. Wells follows the evolution of trick roping through the heyday of Will Rogers and his affiliation with the Texas Jacks Wild West Show and the Ziegfeld Follies in the first decades of the 20th century.

Kiowa Tales
By Matthew "Sitting Bear" Jones
These are the stories, tales and legends of Set-Angia, Sitting Bear's Native American people. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, these stories reveal the Kiowa vision of the world—from the time of Creation to the coming of the white man. Attired in native dress, Sitting Bear brings to the audience through his storytelling the thinking and customs of his Kiowa people, legends such as why the Crow is black and how the Coyote got his yell.

The Klondike Goldrush, Seen Through the Eyes of Robert W. Service, Bard of the Yukon
By Stuart C. Lynn
In a Chautauqua-style presentation, Lynn portrays the Scottish-born poet Robert W. Service. Lynn revives the age-old art of storytelling with personal recollections and renditions of ballads about the Klondike gold rush. Service lived and wrote in the Yukon between 1903 and 1910. The program introduces listeners to such characters as Dangerous Dan McGrew, Sam McGee, Blasphemous Bill McGee, Salvation Bill and others.

Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery Through the Eyes of a Crew Member
By Dale Clark
The quest of Lewis and Clark to discover the interior of the continent of North America was one of the most successful expeditions in American history. Between May 14, 1804, and Sept. 23, 1806, the Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled about 8,000 miles with the loss of only one man. This presentation, which can be tailored for any age group, features a fictional member of the Corps a few days after returning to the United States. As he unpacks his chest of mementos, he reminisces with the audience about the 28-month journey. 

Lifestyles of Lakota Women
By Phyllis R. Stone
As a descendant of Chief Iron Shell, a peace chief of the Rosebud Sioux, Stone shares her expertise on the lifestyle of a Lakota woman from birth to death. She describes changes that have come about in modern times, contrasting the contemporary lifestyles of Lakota women with past traditions. The degree to which Lakota women lead lives separately and distinctly from men in their tribe is discussed, and variations of practices that can be found among women in the tribe are described. Stone's intimate knowledge of her Rosebud Sioux people and their ceremonies, her native attire and artifacts make this a rich and unique experience for young people.

Making Music Come Alive
By Phyllis Dunne
Dunne presents toe-tapping, hand-clapping, sing-along music for kids of all ages. An eclectic blend of folk and traditional music is performed with voice, dulcimer and piano, spiced with interesting historical and personal insights. Dunne combines entertainment and education for an interactive exploration of music appreciation. 

A Musical Journey Across America
By Chris Sayre
From the engaging sea shanties of the Eastern Seaboard to the haunting songs of the Appalachian Mountains, from the blues of Mississippi to the pioneer songs of the American West, Chris Sayre brings to life the rich and varied music of the continental United States. Performing on guitar, mandolin, banjo, slide guitar, concertina, melodeon, lap dulcimer and musical saw, Chris captivates his audiences and leaves them with a deeper understanding of how we got to where we are today.

The Otoe-Missouria Tribe: Forgotten Nebraskans
By Matthew "Sitting Bear" Jones
This program, uniquely presented through storytelling by a member of the iowa/Otoe-Missouria Tribe, offers a glimpse of the lives, lifestyles and personal feelings of his tribe, a proud and honorable people who once lived and hunted on the Nebraska prairie. Sitting Bear Jones, who makes this presentation attired in his native dress, can alter the program to accommodate a variety of audience types. This storytelling presentation is particularly suited for intergenerational gatherings.

Our Plains Indian Heritage
By Phyllis R. Stone
Stone, an elder of the Rosebud Sioux tribe and a Sun Dancer, explains the uses and traditions of handmade items she brings for this presentation — items from both past and present American Indian cultures. Dressed in a traditional Sioux woman's dress, she speaks about the life of the Rosebud Sioux as she shares artifacts. She describes life on the reservation and how her family combines their Indian heritage with other interests. Also included in the talk are artifacts and legends of the Mountain Man and the relationship of that culture to the Indians of the Plains.

Pride in the Mexican Culture
By Olga Olivares
This presentation relates the history of Mexican Americans in Nebraska and their contributions to the state since the early 1900s. Olivares describes the beauty and richness of this culture through songs, dance, proverbs, folk stories, food, posters, photo displays and other items. 

Reminiscences of an Oregon Trail Pioneer
By Maurine Roller
The Oregon (Overland) Trail linked the East with the West via the "Great American Desert." Thousands of men and women chronicled their journeys from familiar homelands to their Promised Land. Roller researched more than 400 women's diaries and created a composite pioneer woman, Cora Garvey, who left Missouri in 1853 to find a new life in Oregon. Cora, now at journey's end, looks back over the last six months. In this living-history presentation, she reminisces about cholera, encounters with Indians, accidents, humorous anecdotes and everyday toil, dispelling the myths and stereotypes surrounding women who traveled the Overland Trail.

Sing Me a Story: The Ballad of Yesterday and Today
By Pat Boilesen
Whether it be the ballad of the immigrant of the 1800's or the ballad of today, these songs tell the story of life and living, good and bad. This program explores the differences and similarities between the ballads of yesteryear and the ballads of today, and why they are still sung today.

Storytelling and the Hispanic Oral Tradition
By Linda M. Garcia-Perez
An experienced storyteller, Garcia-Perez draws on her experiences as a young girl in Omaha's Mexican-American barrio. Her stories convey a universal message of humor, wonder and tradition. The presentation can be tailored to focus on one of the following topics:

• "Traditional Hispanic Stories for Families and Children"—Using stories to bring to life the myths, fantasies and tales of Latin cultures.
• "Keeping the Oral Tradition Alive: Abuelita" 

Vaquero to Buckaroo - Hispanic Roots of Cowboy Culture
By Ricardo Garcia
This Power Point presentation answers the question "Where did cowboys come from?" by showing how cowboy culture was developed in Mexico by Mexican, Indian and African slaves and rich landholders. Participants learn about the Hispanic traditions of ranching, branding, roping, trail driving, horsemanship and the roundup, from which the "rodeo" developed. Garcia also shows how Mexican storytelling and singing led to cowboy yarns, tall tales, poetry and ballads. History, story and music are combined to tell the saga of the Mexican-American cowboy. In English with smattering of Spanish.

The Victorian Child
By Anita Sue Clement
This program focuses on the Victorian child from the middle of the 19th century to just past the turn of the 20th century. A child's place in the family and in the world changed greatly during this time, and Clement will bring it to life for you with photographs, artifacts and stories of children, their families and their lives—from the pampered darling to the child put to work in a factory or a field. 

A Young Man's Journey on the Oregon Trail
By Dale Clark
In 1843 an emigrant group of about 1,000 people left Independence, Mo., traveling to Oregon guided by Marcus Whitman. The group included more than 100 women and 600 children. In the next 25 years, over 350,000 emigrants made the 2,000-mile journey in this huge voluntary migration. Many myths have sprung up about this journey. The program is delivered as though Clark is reflecting on the diary and artifacts he kept when embarking on the cross-country adventure he "recreates" as an 11-year-old might have lived it in 1849.