Editorial: From a friend who cares.
"FYI. A comment on the suggestion from both the Gov and the Commonwealth Foundation (see news article).
The non-profits that advocate for history in Pa (and elsewhere) who will now have to "do more" have traditionally run their operations on grants that came from (you guessed it) PHMC. So much for that line of horseshit.
The people who work and used to work at PHMC didn't go into their professions because they thought they'd make lots of money. They did it because they had a sincere interest and love of history. They did their best work in out-of-the-way places, not places with a lot of political pull or money, and they did it for next to nothing. Cutting the guts out of this tiny agency did almost nothing to resolve the budget deficit. It was, among other things, a cynical attempt to silence rational perspectives on the societal value of doing things like building a casino in the middle of Valley Forge or Independence Park. This is political bullying of a weak and defenseless constituency.
The loss is incalculable. There are the properties themselves, which served as lynchpins in the communities that surrounded them. There is the loss of advocacy, technical advice and funding for the preservation and re-use of old buildings, communities and places as a rational alternative for ripping up farmland for new developments.
There is the grant and seed money that kept small historic properties and groups alive in every county of this state. Perhaps most significantly, there is the loss of passion, motivation and (no kidding) about 1,000 years of cumulative experience and institutional memory that walked out the door with those employees last Friday.
The Commission had a long and honorable tradition of speaking for, preserving and promoting Pennsylvania's distinctive and important historical roots. Who we are is in no small part where we came from: a Colonial Province, a religious refuge, a hotbed of revolution, the cradle of heavy industry and railroading, an agrarian heartland, an ethnic melting pot. The legacy of this heritage is at the heart of why
people travel here to see our state, and why we aren't New Jersey or Ohio or any of our other neighbors. Eviscerating the tiny investment we had in protecting, promoting, and preserving that legacy was dumb, mean and cynical, and ought to be remembered next November."
11/29/2009
11/04/2009
Jim Thorpe Film Premieres in New York November 19
Jim Thorpe Film Premieres in New York November 19
Detailed Biography of Native American Sports Legend
The full length version of “Jim Thorpe, The World’s Greatest Athlete” will premiere in New York on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York, the George Gustav Heye Center. Presented by the museum’s renowned Film + Video Center, the screening will be followed by a discussion with co-producer, co-writer Joseph Bruchac (Abenaki). The film will be screened again on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m.
All screenings are free, but reservations are recommended. Contact fvc@si.edu or 212.514.3737. Also on Nov. 19, the museum shop will host a signing by Mr. Bruchac of his published works on Jim Thorpe at the museum shop at 5 p.m.
The film is a biography of Jim Thorpe (Sac/Fox), a Native American athlete who became a sports icon in the first half of the 20th century. Beginning with Thorpe’s boyhood in Indian Territory, it chronicles his rise to athletic stardom at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, winning two gold medals at the 1912 Summer Olympics, his fall from grace in the eyes of the amateur athletic establishment, and his rebound in professional baseball and football. Thorpe retired from pro sports at age 41 just before the stock market crash of 1929. He worked as a construction laborer before getting work in Hollywood as a bit part player. Later, Thorpe became a representative for Indian extras in Hollywood, fighting for equal pay for Native Americans in the movies. In the 1940s, he crisscrossed the nation as a public speaker advocating for Indian self-determination.
The Film + Video Center of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is an international leader in the presentation of indigenous film and video projects. National and international programs include the Native American Film and Video Festival, the annual Native Cinema Showcase in Santa Fe, and daily screenings for youth and general audiences. FVC produces the bilingual Native Networks Website with information and resources on indigenous film, video, and radio: www.nativenetworks.si.edu and www.redesindigenous.si.edu. Media information is provided through the website, by phone and E-mail; on-site research and video viewing are available by appointment.
The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian’s George Gustav Heye Center is located at One Bowling Green in New York City, across from Battery Park. The museum is free and open everyday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Thursdays until 8 p.m. Call (212) 514-3700 for general information and (212) 514-3888 for a recording about the museum’s public programs. By subway, the museum may be reached by the 1 to South Ferry, the 4 or 5 to Bowling Green or the R or W to Whitehall Street. The museum’s Web site is www.americanindian.si.edu.
Detailed Biography of Native American Sports Legend
The full length version of “Jim Thorpe, The World’s Greatest Athlete” will premiere in New York on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York, the George Gustav Heye Center. Presented by the museum’s renowned Film + Video Center, the screening will be followed by a discussion with co-producer, co-writer Joseph Bruchac (Abenaki). The film will be screened again on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m.
All screenings are free, but reservations are recommended. Contact fvc@si.edu or 212.514.3737. Also on Nov. 19, the museum shop will host a signing by Mr. Bruchac of his published works on Jim Thorpe at the museum shop at 5 p.m.
The film is a biography of Jim Thorpe (Sac/Fox), a Native American athlete who became a sports icon in the first half of the 20th century. Beginning with Thorpe’s boyhood in Indian Territory, it chronicles his rise to athletic stardom at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, winning two gold medals at the 1912 Summer Olympics, his fall from grace in the eyes of the amateur athletic establishment, and his rebound in professional baseball and football. Thorpe retired from pro sports at age 41 just before the stock market crash of 1929. He worked as a construction laborer before getting work in Hollywood as a bit part player. Later, Thorpe became a representative for Indian extras in Hollywood, fighting for equal pay for Native Americans in the movies. In the 1940s, he crisscrossed the nation as a public speaker advocating for Indian self-determination.
The Film + Video Center of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian is an international leader in the presentation of indigenous film and video projects. National and international programs include the Native American Film and Video Festival, the annual Native Cinema Showcase in Santa Fe, and daily screenings for youth and general audiences. FVC produces the bilingual Native Networks Website with information and resources on indigenous film, video, and radio: www.nativenetworks.si.edu and www.redesindigenous.si.edu. Media information is provided through the website, by phone and E-mail; on-site research and video viewing are available by appointment.
The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian’s George Gustav Heye Center is located at One Bowling Green in New York City, across from Battery Park. The museum is free and open everyday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Thursdays until 8 p.m. Call (212) 514-3700 for general information and (212) 514-3888 for a recording about the museum’s public programs. By subway, the museum may be reached by the 1 to South Ferry, the 4 or 5 to Bowling Green or the R or W to Whitehall Street. The museum’s Web site is www.americanindian.si.edu.
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