|
|
Sower Award in the
Humanities
The Nebraska
Humanities Council annually honors individuals,
institutions, businesses and communities with Sower Awards
for contributions to public understanding of the humanities
in Nebraska, based on nominations and letters of support
from the citizens of Nebraska. The Sower Award is an
original bronze sculpture by Nebraska artist Sondra Dunn
Mahoney.
2008 Sower Award Winner
NET Radio and
TV wins 2008 Sower Award
The Nebraska Humanities Council (NHC) announced
today that Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET) will
receive its 2008 Sower Award in the Humanities.
 NET will be honored Sept. 18 at the Lied Center
for Performing Arts in Lincoln, in conjunction with the 13th Annual
Governor’s Lecture in the Humanities. David Gergen, editor-at-large
at U.S. News & World Report, a popular political commentator,
professor of public service at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy
School of Government and director of its Center for Public
Leadership, will deliver the lecture, entitled “Eyewitness to Power:
The Essence of Leadership.”
“NET has been a strong friend of the Nebraska
Humanities Council and of humanities education in general,” Keith
Blackledge wrote in nominating the statewide public radio and TV
network. “It is committed to cultivating an understanding of our
history and culture by reaching into people’s homes and cars,
kitchens and barns with stories that help listeners and viewers
consider what it means to be a Nebraskan and to connect them with
our national cultural heritage.”
NET Radio maintains a “Humanities Desk,” which
regularly produces humanities features that air throughout the week.
Previously, NET produced an hour-long humanities series called
“Connections,” which brought NHC programs to a statewide listening
audience. NET also maintains an online archive of humanities
programs.
The popular weekly series, “Friday Live” often
includes humanities content from broadcast sites as diverse as the
Neihardt Center in Bancroft, the Stuhr Museum in Grand Island, the
Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, a Chautauqua tent in Alliance and the
program’s original headquarters in a coffee shop in Lincoln’s
Haymarket District.
“From its earliest days, NET Television
(previously Nebraska ETV) has made significant contributions to the
humanities both in Nebraska and nationally,” Blackledge wrote.
Recent programs that received NHC support include “Afghan Journey,”
“Hard Times Swing,” and nationally aired programs such as “Willa
Cather: The Road is All,” which received major support from the
National Endowment for the Humanities.
In earlier decades NET produced hundreds of hours
of educational programming for students of all ages. Now, NET’s
interactive Nebraska Studies website attracts several hundred
thousand users a year and is a unique resource that allows users to
view authentic images and videos that bring Nebraska’s history to
life.
The Nebraska Humanities Council annually honors
individuals, institutions, businesses and communities with Sower
Awards for contributions to public understanding of the humanities
in Nebraska, based on nominations and letters of support from the
citizens of Nebraska. The Sower Award is an original bronze
sculpture by Nebraska-born artist Sandra Dunn Mahoney.
Presented by the Nebraska Humanities Council, the
E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues and the University of Nebraska,
the Sept. 18 evening lecture is free and open to the public.
top
April 2008
Sower Award
nominations are due June 1
The Nebraska
Humanities Council (NHC) is seeking nominations for its annual Sower
Award in the Humanities, which recognizes individuals, institutions,
businesses and communities that have made a significant contribution
to public understanding of the humanities in Nebraska.
The Sower Award
will be presented during ceremonies at the 13th Annual Governor’s
Lecture in the Humanities Sept. 18 at the Lied Center for Performing
Arts in Lincoln. Presidential advisor, Harvard professor and
political commentator David Gergen will deliver this year’s lecture.
Sower Award
nominations must be postmarked no later than June 1. For more
information or to receive a nomination form, contact the Nebraska
Humanities Council at 215 Centennial Mall South, Suite 330, Lincoln,
NE 68508; call (402) 474-2131 ext. 102, fax (402) 474-4852 or e-mail
nhc@nebraskahumanities.org. The nomination form also can be
downloaded by clicking the link in the left-hand column.
Previous awards
have recognized the work of humanities faculty who have taken the
humanities to the public beyond their classroom, volunteers who have
enhanced the cultural life of their state, and journalists and
filmmakers who have brought the humanities to bear on important
public issues. Other winners include museums, historical societies
and libraries that have expanded their mission to include active
collaborations with schools, churches and civic organizations;
businesses and foundations whose support for the humanities has
enriched Nebraskans’ lives; and communities that have incorporated
local ethnic and historical identity in community planning and
economic development.
Among individuals
who have won the Sower Award are Native American leader Charles
“Chuck” Trimble, public TV pioneers Jack McBride and Ron Hull, State
Sen. LaVon Crosby, storyteller Nancy Duncan, humanities advocate
Jack Campbell, philanthropist E.N. “Jack” Thompson, historians
Ronald Naugle and Gary Moulton and poets Don Welch and Ted Kooser.
Winning institutions include El Museo Latino, the Beatrice Public
Library and the Omaha World-Herald. Cozad, Gering and Scottsbluff
are among communities that have won the award.
top
|
