Region 6 Director John Miller, totally not hiding in your bushes.
Director John Miller has completed the region’s report and scorecard for the first half of 2012. The report is definitely worth reading, as it details all the good work Region 6 has been doing this year. The scorecard just proves we’re awesome.
Note that Molly's outfit involves a LIVE OWL. Your move, Lady GaGa...
The Greater Kansas City Interpretive Sites Coalition will be hosting a storytelling workshop on February 2.
This three-hour workshop will open the world of storytelling possibilities to you. Tap into the amazing power of storytelling to educate, entertain, enlighten, and empower. Discover how to reach out through the magic of stories and explore the use of stories to enhance your interpretive programs. Storytelling helps your programs come to life, cost nothing and can be taken with you anywhere! Learn about stories for nature walks, wildlife presentations, history and more. Folklore, personal memories, multicultural stories, and myths all can be used to spice up your presentations. Anyone can become a storyteller! Instructor Molly Postlewait has been telling stories for over 20 years and is an award-winning storyteller.
Participants will receive a professionally-produced CD, Whisper in the Wind, created by the National Association for Interpretation. The stories are told by interpreters from Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas display a variety of story styles. This CD was awarded the National Association for Interpretation Outstanding Product for 2011.
Proceeds from the workshop will go to the Greater Kansas City Interpretive Site Coalition and to NAI Region 6 for the production of the CD.
Download the registration form (Microsoft Word Document) for additional details.
NAI Region 6 2012
Fantastic news, Region Sixers! Financial assistance is now available for the 2012 Workshop in Austin, Texas. Region Six will be able to fund two full registrations and two half registrations. It only takes a few minutes to apply (see the documents below), but you have to act quickly. The deadline for applications is Friday, January 20.
Because you’ve been good, I’m going to let you open one Christmas gift early. It’s the 2012 Region 6 Workshop registration packet! Sorry, did I ruin the surprise?
Promise I won't tell you what the next one is...
Your conference committee has been hard at work lining up some great experiences for the February 2012 Workshop in Austin. And, having read through the packet, I can report that this is going to be a fantastic event. You can find out more details about it on the Workshop & Conferences page. And if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail Workshop Chairs Tara Humphreys and Katie Raney.
Oh, you don’t have Adobe Acrobat? Well, I kept the receipt, so you can exchange it for a Microsoft Word Document.
by John Miller, Region 6 Director
Fred Christian
NAI and the interpretive community mourned the loss of a true master interpreter, Fred Christian, on September 2nd of this year. His Marilyn postponed the Memorial service to allow family, friends, and fellow interpreters to share the amazing life of this outstanding man. Specifics of the memorial are attached.
I am not alone in knowing that Fred Christian had many positive influences on the profession of interpretation. Although Fred had taken a less active role in NAI over the past couple of years, he still commanded a magnetic personality that enlightened everyone. There were several ways to describe Fred: friend, husband, father, Naturalist, Historian, photographer, interpreter, elder statesman. However, my best description of Fred was as a “gentleman mentor”. Like Bob Jennings, Fred Christian was always available to listen, show interest, and give sound advice to young and seasoned interpreters alike. Fred’s passion for interpretation was always contagious. His grace and warm personality gave you a better feeling than the warmest down-filled blanket. Fred’s presence, whether as a presenter, State Coordinator, Awards Chair, committee member, or attendee completed the interpretive experience for many of us at our conferences.
My last conversation with Fred was at the 2009 Region 6 workshop in Shreveport, LA. Fred offered me a seat on the tailgate of his truck prior to the scholarship auction. Fred had seen me play shutterbug with my camera and wanted me to see his new camera and lens. Fred quickly turned from giddy kid to gentleman mentor as he shared how he had used the new camera to take photos that he had always dreamed of taking. He interpreted the feel of the lens, the look of the zoom, the sound of the shutter, the hunger to take better photos, and the smell of the upcoming BBQ. What I thought was only the passing of a couple of minutes had actually been an imperceptible 30 minutes of some of the most valuable photo tips I had ever received.
I treasure the time I spend with all interpreters at state, region, and national conferences, but mentors like Fred are truly the giants of our profession. His influence on all interpreters, from students to old timers like me, is something that may never be equaled. While I will miss my friend Fred, I am comforted to know that the legacy of this gentleman mentor will be strong for years to come.
A Celebration to Honor the Life of Fred Christian will be held on Friday, November 4, 2011 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the American Legion Post #14 at 5315 South Lakeshore Drive, Shreveport, LA. Region Sixers are invited to join Fred’s family and friends for food and drink. Bring your pictures, funny stories, and memorabilia to share. More details about the celebration and memorial service are available here (PDF). Fred’s obituary from the Shreveport Times is available here (PDF).
NAI Region 6 2012
UPDATE: The call for presentations and posters has been extended to November 21. Those that are selected will be notified by January 1, 2012, so that they can take part in the Early Bird Registration.
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Interpreters are faced with challenges everyday and asked to go Beyond the Limits to make interpretive moments occur. Many attributes may make up a good interpreter, but in these times of uncertainty we need a greater understanding of our natural surroundings and cultural differences. Interpreting with independence and innovation may make all the difference. This type of interpretation requires an “I can” attitude and with it anything can happen.
Region 6 is currently seeking presentations for the 2012 workshop that reflect these ideas. If you are interested in presenting at the workshop, please complete and return the Call for Presentations form (Microsoft Word Document). Proposals are due by November 21, 2011.
Posters and other media for the workshop’s “Marketplace of Ideas” are also being sought. Please complete and return the Call for Posters (Microsoft Word Document) by November 21, 2011.
Region 6 Scholarships -- Because no one wants a future that doesn't include more of this.
Attention Students:
The 2012 Freeman Tilden Scholarship applications for Region 6 are now available. The Freeman Tilden Scholarships recognize students who have demonstrated academic and professional success, and have the potential to make an outstanding contribution to the field of interpretation. We have three scholarships available this year– one for undergraduates, one for graduate students, and one that can be awarded to either an undergraduate or graduate student.
Scholarship recipients receive $700, plus free registration and $150 expenses to attend the upcoming NAI Region 6 Workshop in Austin, Texas. Eligibility requirements are included in the application. Applications must be postmarked by October 31, 2011.
Note to Self: Save some Matthew McConaughey jokes for February...
Are you excited about the upcoming NAI Region 6 Workshop in Austin, Texas? I can tell you are. But put your shirt back on and stop with the bongos for a moment– we need to talk about something serious.
Each year, your fellow Region Sixers are creating outstanding interpretation, and helping to advance the profession of interpretation. And each year, Region 6 honors their contributions through our annual awards. But in order to recognize our best and brightest, we need you to nominate them! Think back over the past year (and even beyond), and you’ll surely remember some interpretive moments that made you proud to be part of this profession. This is an opportunity to share those moments with the whole region, by recognizing their creators.
The 2011 Nominations Guide is now available, with criteria and instructions for each award, as well as nomination forms. Nominations must be received by November 15, 2011, so get started right now!
Powder Valley Nature Center
The National Association for Interpretation (NAI) will conduct a “Train the Trainers” workshop on August 22-26, 2011 at Powder Valley Nature Center in Kirkwood, Missouri. This workshop is the first step in becoming a Certified Interpretive Trainer (CIT). For more information on the workshop, please visit the NAI website.
Would you like to help Arkansas State University put a new interpretive site in Region 6? Would you like to do so by ROCKING OUT? Of course you would.
ASU is currently developing the Johnny Cash Boyhood Museum and Home in Arkansas’ Historic Dyess Colony. First, a little bit of background on the project:
The Dyess Colony was established in 1934 as one of the nation’s first agricultural resettlement communities under the Works Progress Administration and the Federal Emergency Relief Administration.
This is totally what the interpreters' uniforms should look like
Colonists recruited to take part in this cooperative experiment included the Ray and Carrie Cash family. They moved from Kingsland, Arkansas, in 1935 with their children, including 3-year-old J. R. Cash (later known as Johnny Cash). The country music legend grew up in Dyess, graduating from Dyess High School in 1950. His experiences there influenced much of his music and career.
The colony’s former Administration Building is being restored as a memorial to Johnny Cash. The museum will include exhibits on his boyhood in Dyess, the influence of his family, and the impact his early life had on his later music. The former theater next door will be reconstructed to show an orientation film, along with Johnny Cash documentaries.
The house Johnny Cash lived in from the time he was three-years-old until he graduated from high school will be restored or re-created to accurately convey his early lifestyle. The house will be furnished as it was during the 1930s and 1940s, based on recollections of family members. The project also will draw from Johnny Cash’s own memories of the house, documented on video during his 1968 return to Dyess.
Now for the fun part. To finance this project, Arkansas State University will be holding a benefit concert, featuring an all-star lineup of Cash’s family and friends. For more information about the concert, and to buy your tickets, visit www.johnnycashmusicfest.com.
