Indiana Humanities connects people, opens minds and enriches lives by creating and facilitating programs that encourage Hoosiers to think, read and talk.
- About Us
About Us
Indiana Humanities connects people, opens minds and enriches lives by creating and facilitating programs that encourage Hoosiers to think, read and talk. - Programs
- Spirit of Competition
- Community Conversations
- Novel Conversations
- INconversation
- Chew on This
- Food for Thought
Programs
Indiana Humanities programs encourage Hoosiers to think, read and talk, by convening community conversations, exploring rich topics like food or competition and providing sets of books for book clubs. - Resources
Resources
Indiana Humanities provides humanities-based resources and grants to teachers, schools, libraries, nonprofits and other organizations across the state. - think.read.talk.
think.read.talk.
Learn about upcoming programs and events, listen to various points of view, and connect with others. In essence: this is a space to think, read and talk.
Spirit of Competition
We all engage in competition every day – whether it’s through sports, business, politics, the arts, etc. Competition affects us all and contributes to our individual character, local communities and overall culture.
That’s why we’ve chosen Spirit of Competition as our new two-year set of programs. Like Food for Thought, this theme is designed to celebrate, examine and question the role something plays in our daily lives. This time, it’s competition. Through the lens of athletics, politics and economics, we’ll examine five core elements of competition: civility, rivalry, passion, innovation and failure.
How can you join the team?
Visit the traveling exhibit. An interactive experience that contains short films and interactives, this exhibit engages visitors across the state in thought-provoking conversations about the core elements of competition. Featuring Indiana stories about well-known and lesser-known competitors, this exhibit was designed in partnership with the Indiana Historical Society. Get a sneak peek, here.
Are you an educator? Download our new Spirit of Competition teacher toolkits! Designed by a curriculum advisor, these resources will help educators encourage students to think, read and talk about elements of competition through lessons integrated with social studies, English, civics and physical education curriculum.
Contribute to our blog. A central hub for conversations online, our blog will integrate essays, short stories, videos and social media. Have an opinion on something or great story related to civility, rivalry, passion, innovation or failure? Email Kristen at kwells@indianahumanities.org for more info.
Give us your starting lineup. Have a great list of 5 competition-related books we should all read? Share it with us!(Check out IU Men’s Basketball Head Coach Tom Crean’s here.) Email your list, along with a photo and your full name to Kristen at kwells@indianahumanities.org.
Partner with us. Like we did with Food for Thought, we’re interested in partnering with organizations on various events and programs to engage new audiences and encourage them to think, read and talk about the role competition plays in their lives. If your organization or business is interested in partnering on an event or program, please contact Brandon at bjudkins@indianahumanities.org.
Sign up to receive Spirit of Competition e-newsletters. We’ll send you targeted e-newsletters that deliver rich, impactful content and visuals, plus all the inside scoop about application deadlines, upcoming events and programs. Sign up here.
Also in development: Chew on This conversation cards, a film series, and more!
Elements of this initiative have already included:
Before the Big Game: Lessons learned — so far.
This pre-Super Bowl breakfast panel featured:
Allison Melangton, President and CEO, 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee- John Lechleiter, Ph.D., Chairman, President and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company; 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee Board Member
- Carolene Mays, Commissioner of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission; 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee Division Chair of Administration.
The discussion, moderated by journalist, writer and speaker Anne Ryder, centered around lessons learned during the planning process and opportunities for Indianapolis after the crowds disperse. See pictures.
Super Kids, Super Welcome.
This humanities-inspired project with the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee encouraged Hoosier kids to create a “welcome card” for 18,000 hotel rooms in Central Indiana. We exceeded our goal, and collected more than double that amount. National journalists and visitors have been complimenting the effort, as in this New York Times blog post.
Our Food, Our Farmers essay contest.
Students in grades 4-12 participated in the 2nd Annual Ag Essay Contest titled “Our Food, Our Farmers: Feeding the World.” This year’s contest explored Indiana’s role as a global agricultural leader. Sponsored by Indiana’s Family of Farmers and Indiana Humanities, the essay contest encouraged students to recognize and share all the ways Indiana agriculture plays a positive role in their own lives – as well as in the lives of those around them. Learn about the 2013 Ag Essay Contest.
INconversation with Will Allen.
The perfect transition from Food for Thought to Spirit of Competition, this event featured Will Allen, a former Miami Hurricane basketball star who has become an influential and inspiring urban farmer. The son of sharecroppers and the first African-American to play college basketball for the University of Miami, Will is widely considered the leading authority in the expanding field of urban agriculture. On Jan. 13, he received the NCAA’s top honor to his long list of accolades: the prestigious Theodore Roosevelt Award. Learn more.
Indiana Humanities connects people, opens minds and enriches lives by creating and facilitating programs that encourage Hoosiers to think, read and talk.