Veninga, James F.

English

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University of Rhode IslandDigitalCommons@URIReauthorization: Hearings and Reports (1990) Education: National Endowment for the Arts andHumanities, Subject Files I (1973-1996)1988Reauthorization: Hearings and Reports (1990):Speech 06James F. VeningaFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/pell_neh_I_73This Speech is brought to you for free and open access by the Education: National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, Subject Files I(1973-1996) at DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Reauthorization: Hearings and Reports (1990) by an authorizedadministrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@etal.uri.edu.Recommended CitationVeninga, James F., "Reauthorization: Hearings and Reports (1990): Speech 06" (1988). Reauthorization: Hearings and Reports (1990).Paper 19.http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/pell_neh_I_73/19' , ·.1. TESTI'19NY of JA~iS F. VENINGA EXECUTIVE DIR~CTQI Tt:XAS COMMITTEE FOR THE H1JHA.NiTIES Q~ behalf of t8t STATE HUMANITl~~ P~bGRAM REGARDitG ,y 1989 APPROPRIATIONS to the before the APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMtTfli 0~ tHE INTERIOR of the u~s. HOUSE QF ltPRESENTATIVES MARCH 17, 19~~ • ... 1-Mr. Chairman, distingui~hed l!letjjbefs 6f the Subcommittee, I am very pi~•seci to appe~t befote you to di.scuss the vitally important work of the ~t:@t:e l:lu_111a'll,ities. tounciis. My name is Jame.s F. Veninga,. and I h@•e ~~t~~d as t~ecutive Director of the Texas Committee fo~ tb~ Rtj~a~itie~ since 1975. I have had the good fortune of obse.rvin~ @n4 p@:rtici.pating in t:h~ J~Owth ~~j development of this national prog:r•m· What: be~&il as an. experim.ent in public hµm~nit:4e~ bas beco~e an ~n~t:it\lt.iotJ,al reality. This remarkable progr•m i,~ §e~vi,~g the humanities w~ii. ~Ore i!DP6ttafitly, it is serving American de1Doctacy well. I am pleased to offer thoughts as to why t:his i§ so. A very useful report was p1,1blisbed thi.s past ~ovember by a ~t6tip of nationally~recognized scholars, w~it~:rs, @~ci educ•tio!l@l acim~ilistrators, titled I_h_e _ _Kumanities and the Ame_rican Promise_. Over the course of eighteen mont.hs, the Colloquium on the Humaniti~~ @~ci tbe AIDetican People met at th.e University of Vligt~ia on four different occasions to "discuss the re.latonship--as it has been and. as it should be--between •ij~lt: ~~etic•ns and those ar~as of intellectual activity known al§ tl1e humanities." fhe report und~rscores the progress that has been made in 6~t c~~~tty ~il ptqv!4!~~ i~~r~t~g oppgrtunities in the b1,1l!la-g.Jties for adult Americans. While tb~ CQlloqu-ium did not set out to examine or evalu@.te @n:Y _P@'tHPH~'t i~t}titutioil or program, it did devote considexable space in its report to -2-state humanities c9u~clls. ?he report notes how the st@t~ councils have "given sh.11.p~ te:> a curriculum in the humanities [th@tl @ppeats to satisfy a real social need, ~v~o a htift~et, felt by many adults.h E•etf jear, accor~ing to the F~9eratioft of State Humanities Councils, tip~atds of twenty~five mill.ion Americans take p@r·~ ().f bel!ef it from approximately ~, 0 00 humanit;:ies progfa~s--conference~, sympos!@, libtaf' teading p.IOgiams, lectures, exh:ibits, film, a~d special radio and televisio~ Pt6g~ams. But; ~hat., one must ask; is the sbape •Pd coftteftt of this curricl1ll1111, a~d ift what ways does this curr:icl1lti_li_l a,nd the programs that flow from lt; se~ve the humanities and American democracy? The shape is wide an9 g~ep. The curri.culum encompasses @il the traditiona.l disciplines 9f the hU~anities as well as newer intetdJsciplfnary studies, including women's stl14l~s, Jlac~ $t1.1dies, Mexican•American Studies, Native-Ametl~~~ Studies, medical and environment@l etbits, fil~ studies, and folkl.ore @QQ f·olk cultur~. Tbe cutticUlU~ ificiudes concern for t~@ditie:>~@l subJects•-the history of ideas in W~$t;er~ culture, major themes in American and European liter@tl1~e, tbe tilstory of American politits, and so forth. But !t also ifitludes concern for newer subjects and interests, includ{ng, fot ex@~ple, the impact of t;~.1,ev:l,s:l,on on American society, ethical issue.s arising from advances in medical technology, l@n4 l1Se at1.d other environmental concerns; civil ~:igbts, aftd the problem o·f punishment vs. t•b@~ilitation in recent American penal theory and practiee. -3-As with the case of curricula in schools or universities, this curriculum for public humanities in America can best be described by application--particular projects that provide learning opportunities for Americans. I begin with a few examples of projects funded by the Texas Committee for the Humanities. Last October, 2,500 citizens from San Antonio and surrounding cities attended the third annual Inter-American Bookfair, established to highlight contemporary literature south and north of the United States-Mexico border. In conjunction with the Fair, in which 70 presses displayed 1,000 new book titles, there were lectures, readings, and discussion programs. Writer and actress Maya Angelou gave a dazzling presentation to an audience of 600. Her theme was the power of poetry, the ability of words to lift the human spirit and to understand the human legacy. Chilean novelist Isabel Allende, who has lived in Venezuela since the Pinochet coup in 1973, read passages from her latest novel and discussed its social, political and cultural background. As noted by a San Antonio newspaper, "Allende's slight, trembling voice gave evidence to the horror of the book's inspiration, almost as if she could not bear to read the words she had written." Literature was also the focus for a project in Dallas--but this time the focus was on classical works. The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, a remarkable community-based organization founded a decade ago, sponsored, with support from the Texas Committee, the NEH, and local donors~ an intensive four-week summ~t iO~titute for secondary school teacher~ :J.t:l th~ North 'i'exa.s area. Fifty-two teachers of Et:tglish participated in a rigorous cour~e of study iil tragedy and com~ g y , f Q cu s in g on gr ea t works of li t ~HI. t~ re i ft t-h e Wes t er n tradition. Ev@lQ@ti6ij reports received from the participants at~ moving @~ij g&ve hope for the further renewal af th~ b~~~~itf es in our schoo h ! ''I discovered anew the love of te@ch:i.t:lg Hiat drew me into the profess.iort lh th~ first place," wrote one teacher. Another: "I t:llli!k that i can say, without a doubt, that ~v~~y one of us has been transform~g ltj • profound way by our e-xpetieilce here at the Institute.'' And @11C>t;he.t: "The re.inforcement rec~!ve4 i~11t us back to our jobs with a renewed ~~ns~ of excitem.ent and commitment." Part of the strength 9f the curriculum that underlies the state humanities program ha$ beeg @ ijeep concern for the 1el@t:ioijship between the humanities and issues of coftt~~p6~4ry public life. Last £all, the Institute f6~ the ~umanities at Sal@go, ~ith m~jor fun~ing from the Tex~$ Go~mitt~e, sponsored a three-d@:Y c<>nf~rence entitled "Understanding Evil." The Salado Instit~t~, ioc•ted iv a small village 40 miles north of Austin, bas emerged as a symbol of th~ growth of public humanities in the state @t:lg ~ation. The confe.rence, attended by 2~0 citiiens~~ the maximum number that local facii~tie$ t6gt4 ~@~4l~.,.~b~9ggbt together afi e~tt•6tdJn•rY g~ogp of sch~lars, writers~ and tbit:tl<et.s~ ... psychoanaiyst Rollo Mii.y, foJ:me:r Member of Congress barbara Jordan, author and p~ofe§•ot 6~ history Jeffrey Russell. -. -5-author and Rockefellef toundation presidep.t Rlthard Lyman, P!9fess6t and minister Sam\Jel P~6ct6r, holocaust schoia~ Rabl Hilberg--to tj.alile a few••to cast ligh~ ()ii, this darkest of subjects, what Sir Lauren~ Va,~ d¢r Post, speaki.ng to th~ audience on fl l_g1 ff om his home i_n Lonc:log,, described as "the greatest prol:>l.e111 of 6bt time." What an extraordin@!Y event--250 Texans, from @ll ~a,l~s of life., willin~ t<;> give up a weekend to iE!@'t~ what some of the ~b{ld's greatest thinker•--past and present--have to ~'' abobt the natlir~ of ~vii. This conference wa~ c()vered by most ·of the major da.ily newspap«!rS iil the state and by th~ ~ost6~_Ql_g_b_e_ and the ~hi_c_ago_ Tribune. Ap.d 6ft the 28th of this mop.tg, a 90 .. minute documenta~y fil~ of this event, narrated l:>Y a111 ~oyers, will be l:>~<;>adca~t nationally on PBS. I believe these Texas pro8r@~i a±e representative of th~ State program na tio~~ U,y and rep.re sen ta ti V·e Of tJ:ie C Oiilpotlen ts Of a v•iy rich national curricui\J~ {ot adult Americans. For example~ the Main~ Hulil•nlties Council is devotin~ considerable reso\J'fC~$ t9 a D!Ulti•faceted project focuifing Q~ the history of ~~pl6tation and settlement t~ the Northeast region from l49a to 1700. This proj~ct Is d~a~ing on the insight~ 0£ scholars ftom @~ltiple disciplines in develop~nt • traveling exhibitioIJ, Qf maps, a symposium; a·n int~!ti:ationai conference, and other pul:>li~ ptogta~s. In thi kidwe~t~ the Great Plains Ch~utau~u•, ~PQ~~Q~ed by humanLties council~ i~ North and South Dakot@, Neb~aska, and -6-Kansas, is in its 10th year. The heart of the Chautauqua program is the nightly open-air tent performance in which an historical character--Thomas Jefferson, Abigail Adams, Henry Adams, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, among others--delivers a 35-minute monologue followed by a 50-minute dialogue with the audience. This program continues to expand, to generate spin-off programs, and to gather such a following that families plan vacations around the programs and communities compete vigorously for the privilege of hosting the scholars who play these historical figures. The Illinois Humanities Council, with funding from the NEH and the MacArthur Foundation, continues its remarkable six-year program emphasis on "Inventing Illinois." The Council is supporting projects throughout the state that explore each year a range of topics--the settlement of the state, working in Illinois, and the nature of leadership. These and thousands of other efforts sponsored each year demonstrate the extent to which this curriculum and program are of, k!.' and for the people. The program is of the people in that state councils respond to worthy project ideas of local, community-based organizations and institutions. The program is !I_ the people in that all councils are governed by volunteer citizens and all councils call upon interested citizens and various constituencies in developing program plans. And the program is for the people in that the mission of all the councils is to enhance public understanding and appreciation of the humanities. _..,_ tet it is true that fr<>~ ti~e to time the state hy~•~ities p~ogtam h•~ had its critics. Tb~¥e have been those who bell~Ve that th@ b~~jnities belong inside th@ 't*de~y, arid that endeavors in the humanities 01,1t~ide the academy a.re somehow inferior. A"gg there have been those wh() t~~d to believe that the work of councils, like tb~ ~~tk of scholars in th~ academy, should shy •w,y fto~ controversial issue~ ()f c6fite~porary life, that scholars in tbe h~~anities have littl~ tb coijtrlbtite to •rialysis of policy conce~~s. tottunatelyi the work of st~t~ councils proves ~lj~se ctitics to be wrong. lfideed~ it can be dem()~~ttated that this national curriculy~ l~ ptibiic humanities has enti~b~d i~~easurably schola.rs in the humaniti@s and the academy itself. I thl11_k P'~tittilatiy of the work of st@te ¢ofifitils on state and regional studies, on womefi'~ history, on minority history ~nd c~lt~te, on fol lt c ti l t ti re , and on o the r subj e c t ~ t'l:l:a t have ca 11 e d for interdiscipll~'ty ~otk. these eff~rt.s bav~ h@4 ~ ~bst positive impact on our school~ a#d coile&es and universitie~~ One of th~ gteat challenges facing the ne~t ~eneration of scholar~ *411 be that of integrat.ion and ~y~tl:l-s!s. :Cn the ge~@iopment of public school and uniVets~tj curricula, in the ~titing of history books ang i~ th~ editing of readers a~g afith6logies, much work neeg~ t~ be done to incorporate scholarship i~ the newer disciplines into traditJ6~@l $tY4i@s, courses., and prog~~~·~ t~ ~eeting this challeng~, thes~ s ch ol a rs w i i l cl o we 11 to lo o k to tll ~ s ta t e human i ti e s p·r o g ~ @ 111 where int~gratio~ @~d ~~rithesis form the h~~ft 6t what we do, meldirig t:tie tild and the new, rel@ti~i the past to the present, the traditional with tbe non-traditional, tb~ Known with the urikilbwn, the comfortabl~ •1th the uncomfortable. The charter fe>·t tilie tiE;H includes the m~~ci@H~ to help create and ~y§tai~ i climate that ~ncoutate~ freedom. of thougbt, im~g!~~ti6n, and inquiry. It ~Ives me great plea~y~~ to feport that the state coQ~t11~ are hard at work meet!~g tbls mandate. Although ~yCh has been a.ccomplisbed, ~e know that our work to advance public undet~tiriding of and appr~c1@ti6fi for the h u f!l@P. i ti e s ha s o nl y b e gun • We a lS o know th a t re c en t: accompi1§h~efit~ would not have happeied without the strong ~~pport of this SubcQ~f!l1ttee. During tb~ pist seven yeais, st~t~ cbtifitils have labored in an envir-0nme~t: thit threatened greatly i~dticed federal I J I Indeed, despite tbe ciiligent efforts of many, th~ amount appropriat:eci lij 6utright funds for §t@t:~ ~6uficiis for FY 1988,. $21.3 mill1on~ is $500,00b less th@~ tbe a~ount ~ppropriated for FY 1984 and $2.6 ~iiiion less than the amo~nt @PPt-0priated for FY 198li St@te cb~ficils continue to 111ake dtafuatic progre$s 1~ secur1tl.g c6tporate, foundation, ~nd 1ti<Hvidual contributions --a~ ~~11 as state apvropri•tions--tb j~ppo~t their programs~ although Trel~tj~f Mitching funds, our best jti~ulus to private •9-giV,1l$ t b~ve not kept pace with the expanded op_po~t11I!!t-ies that have come with a maturing program; in4eed, tbete have been reductions in tbtse fuOds. Councils in ~ ~t.J-bet ()f states that have not benefited from gene~@llY ~9od etonomic times have been particularly h~rd hit. Te~as, for instance~ remaJ11s in a deep tecession~ and the tot•l revenues of the Tex•s Ce>llimittee for the Humanities, compared to 1984, @~e do~~ bt approximately 30%~-a percentage that reflect~ 4ecll~es ift both tederal and private fundin~· To ensgie ~ stton~ aftd vibrant state humanitief p~o~r@~ @~Q to move the program forw@~Q, J eD.dorse completely the proposal of tb~ ~ederation of State Humanities Councils tb@t the ~tate program be fund·ed at $25 million i~ fiscaj year 198g. I also believe that steps should be t~ke1l tbis ye~t to ensute that the National En.dowment for the Ht.Jmatilt:tes, by fiscal year 1991, achieve ft1iiQiD.g P~tity with the National Endowment for the A~tS• J kfto~ of no sound argument that can be p~t foiwatd as t6 why the pr~sent imbal~n~e 1Il fu11difig fot the arts and the humanities ~li6lcllcl c()g.ttl!ue. One f ind s in th e au t.h o r i z l n g 1 e g i s la t i 6 g, f 6 r t be -tt ~ii a tisi6n of Americ@ •s a learning $oCiet,. One finds • vitl<>~ Qf citize~s ift touch with history and culture, a vision of citizens understanding th~ w()~lc;l ~}?<:>t~t t;tiem, @_t:1.<l a. visio'[). of c1tliens t~anslating this understandi11g 4nt<> civic action. this vis i on is as i mp o r t • 1l t to 4@ y as i t was In 1 9 6 5 • P e rh a p s i t i s more iffipo~t•~t, t9t the world con~inues to grow in complexity. -10-The well-bein~ of -tJ1e l!ation and of our democratic h1,tltut-ions depends on a thou~htful, teflettive citizenry. Th~ CQtf!C~itim that I have been describing ,n4 the pf6jetts tbat flow from it undergird and ~-~IY out this vision. This ~Urtitfilu~, uni.que in the histo~y of tbe nation, is, as I have noted, of, by •~4 f6t the people. It draws its strength from t~~ l~•~t~a~ion and creativity of the Am~~ieal! pe6pl~. OU~ t6al is to help weave the ~g~•~iti~s ifito the social fabxic of Ameri~•· St~te Councils are planning now the programs, ~mpb~~~~ a~d ptojects tha.t wi.11 take them l~tQ the 1990s, efforts tha.t ln,Volve nothing less in intent than the op~t:1,IJ;1.g c:>f the American mind~. The humanitt~~, like life itself, are inh~rentlY f6~~i~d-iooking. We must continue to dr~•~ Qf a wise and visionary citizenry in to~tb ~ith the realm of ideas and of the hg~'~ sPi~It. ~e are doing that~ and I thank you, Mr. Chairm~n, •~4 the distifi~fiished members -of this Sgbeo~mittee, for your continued co~~it~~~t •~d support. 

Reauthorization: Hearings and Reports (1990): Speech 06

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Reauthorization: Hearings and Reports (1990): Speech 06

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