Chautauqua scholars, dressed as historic figures, help audiences engage with the past. Here, W.E.B. DuBois takes the stage. Image courtesy of Humanities Nebraska.
With NEH support, Humanities Nebraska has been bringing Nebraska Chautauqua to communities across the state for the past 30 years. Taking a different theme every three or four years, Humanities Nebraska develops a range of public programming for each Chautauqua, including speakers, performances, and a camp for teenagers. Since 2004, the NEH has provided direct funding for Nebraska Chautauqua, including recent Chautauquas themed around the Homestead Act’s 150th anniversary and the 100th anniversary of World War I.
“The whole idea is to provide an educational experience that is immersive and also has an entertainment component.”
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Nebraska Chautauqua brings high-quality humanities programming to rural areas. Image courtesy of Humanities Nebraska.
Over the course of a week, scholars-in-residence act as a catalyst for discussion around Nebraska Chautauqua’s central theme. Here, a scholar dressed as Jane Addams engages an audience. Image courtesy of Humanities Nebraska.
Chautauqua scholar Helen Lewis discusses food and medicine during World War I. Image courtesy of Humanities Nebraska.
Nebraska Chautauqua brings its rich historical programming to two different communities each summer, focusing primarily on the many rural communities that lack the access to humanities programming provided by cities like Lincoln and Omaha. Over the course of a week, scholars-in-residence act as a catalyst for discussion around the central theme. According to Kristi Hayek Carley, who directs the program, “the whole idea is to provide an educational experience that is immersive and also has an entertainment component. Together, we hope to introduce the public to ideas and topics that they have perhaps not explored fully and help them make connections with related topics that are out there.”
In Seward, Nebraska, middle schoolers researched and performed the roles of significant World War I figures in their town. Image courtesy of Humanities Nebraska.
During a recent Chautauqua in Seward, Nebraska, scholars took on the roles of Jane Addams, Woodrow Wilson, William Jennings Bryan, Edith Wharton, and W.E.B. Du Bois. Adults attended workshops on World War I weaponry and medicine, while middle-schoolers researched the impact World War I had on their town before performing biographical sketches on stage. In preparation for the program, local planning committees research the history of the town and tailor the program for their community. In Seward, a corresponding exhibition at the Nebraska National Guard Museum displayed aviation and medical artifacts from the war. As Carley observed, “it’s always fun to visit each community, to see what kind of spin they put on the topics and the connections they make… All of the communities end up offering stories that perhaps would not have been unearthed otherwise.”
