The Humanities Series at The Emerson Center
Our Gift to the Community.

Close This Window


Once again in 2008-2009, The Emerson Center at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Vero Beach, in partnership with the Florida Humanities Council, will present the Florida Humanities Series.  Six acclaimed speakers will be presented at the Center between October 2008 and April 2009, with all presentations relating to Florida history, culture and issues.  Admission to each is complimentary and all performances will begin at 7 p.m.

The Humanities Council is an independent, non-profit organization and is the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Each year, FHC funds hundreds of public programs in the state that explore Florida's history, folklore, environment, literature, music, and art. This year, The Emerson Center was among the community organizations throughout Florida to receive grants that fund humanities programs, making this series a partnership with the FHC once again. Special thanks goes to ABC Printing/Coastal Graphics, our Printing Sponsor.

Thursday, October 23, 2008 – 7:00 p.m.
Florida Cracker Storyteller of the Late 1800s

Judge Nelson Bailey is listed in the Directory of American storytellers as a Teller of Florida Stories. His Florida stories weave together a multicolored quilt of history from prior to the 1500s through the 1800s, with true tales of Native Americans, Spanish explorers, settlers, ranchers and more all told in a unique and entertaining way.
 

 

Thursday, December 4, 2008 – 7:00 p.m.
Filming a PBS Documentary on Marjorie K. Rawlings:
The Weave of Nature, Literature & Art on the St. Johns

Bill Belleville, award-winning environmental writer and filmmaker, will talk about the filming of “In Marjorie’s Wake,” a new documentary retracing the journey of author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings on the St. Johns River. The film captures the many ways over time the river has shaped culture – literature, art and music. Holiday refreshments following.


 Thursday, January 29, 2009 – 7:00 p.m.
Florida’s Wacky History and Why You Should Care

Eliot Kleinberg is that rarest of native Floridians who writes extensively about Florida and Floridiana. He has written nine books, all focusing on Florida. He is absolutely excellent, knowledgeable, engaging, funny, and deeply committed to the message that if you live here, you’re a Floridian and should be engaged in Florida’s culture and history.

 

Thursday, February 19, 2009 – 7:00 p.m.
Silver Wings and Civil Rights: WWII Tuskegee Airmen Video

Jon Anderson’s first feature film was a winner at the 2004 Miami International Film Festival for Best Documentary Feature. The film is about the Tuskegee Airmen from WWII. He uses video interviews with the aging Tuskegee Airmen to tell the story of the first African-American men to serve as pilots in the Air Force. Retired Tuskegee Airman Colonel Hiram Mann joins him.

 

Thursday, March 12, 2009 – 7:00 p.m.
Our Place in Nature: Are We In or Out?

Ron Cooper, born in the South Carolina Low Country, grew up traipsing through the swamp. Dr. Cooper is a past president of the Florida Philosophical Association, has published philosophical essays, and is the author of Heidegger and Whitehead: A Phenomenological Examination into the Intelligibility of Experience. His program examines ethical perspectives of the environmental movement and considers new movements that call us to rethink our place in nature.
 

Thursday, April 9, 2009 – 7:00 p.m.
Florida Archaeological Heritage

Jim Miller is a senior level consultant in archaeology, historic preservation and heritage planning. Having served twenty years as State Archaeologist of Florida, Dr. Miller imparts a terrific overview of archaeological research in Florida, offering a wealth of information about historical changes in archaeological research, interesting sites in Florida, cultural resource management, and more.


 

The capacity of the Emerson Center is more than 800; free admission will be offered on a first-come first-served basis.  There will be a selection of V.I.P. seats reserved for season ticket holders of the "Celebrated Speakers Series," Humanities Series Sponsors, and Friends of the Emerson Center. The Emerson Center is handicapped accessible and is conveniently located at 1590 27th Avenue, on the SE corner of 16th Street and 27th Avenue in Vero Beach. For more information, contact 778-5249.