Indiana Humanities is encouraging Hoosiers to discover and discuss their relationships with the natural world through a new statewide initiative called Unearthed.
“After nearly a year and half spent in a pandemic, now is the perfect time to explore our connection to our environment and to one another,” said Keira Amstutz, who serves as president and CEO of Indiana Humanities. “With this theme, we hope that the humanities can bring context, reflection and conversation about our actions towards the land and how the effects are felt by individuals and communities.”
Activities and events will include engaging speakers, a statewide read, the Smithsonian’s Water/Ways exhibit, Campfires treks, a film series, a podcast and more.
As with Indiana Humanities’ past themes — including INseparable, Quantum Leap and Food for Thought — the nonprofit and its partners will leverage the humanities disciplines of ethics, philosophy, history, literature and religion to examine the topic and connections to it.
“We are looking forward to thinking, reading and talking about the places that have inspired generations of Hoosiers to write, create, explore, study, save, steward and love this land,” Amstutz said. “We hope this theme encourages Hoosiers to dig deeper into our relationships with the land around us.”
A few ways Hoosiers can engage with Unearthed:
• Watch a 90-second video featuring Hoosier poet Ross Gay and Hoosier writer Scott Russell Sanders, and leave a reaction in the comments section.
• Register for an in-person or virtual Next Indiana Campfires event that combines wild places, great writing and a warm campfire to get Hoosiers talking in fresh and surprising ways about the world.
• Learn more about how to engage with the Unearthed theme by attending a webinar on June 30.
• Visit the Smithsonian’s Water/Ways exhibit that dives into water — an essential component of life on earth, environmentally, culturally and historically — during its stop in Centerville, Madison, New Harmony, North Webster, Rolling Prairie or West Terre Haute from June 26, 2021 to April 10, 2022.
• Tax-exempt organizations can apply for funds to host speakers in their communities from an environmental humanities speakers’ bureau. Deadline to apply is July 9, and programs can begin on or after Aug. 1.
• Reserve a set of books related to the theme for their book club using the free Novel Conversations lending library.
• Tax-exempt organizations also can apply for grants to do environmental humanities programming in local communities.