The 38th annual Casper College Humanities Festival and Demorest Lecture "CommUNITY". Invited presenters in various disciplines from social sciences, humanities and fine arts, such as literature and political history, will explore the theme and encourage a dialogue with attendees. The Natrona County Library will offer a book club and family day. The Casper College Department of Theatre and Dance will premiere "circlesWEshare," as a production directed/choreographed and conceived by Jodi Youmans-Jones. The Mildred Zahradnicek Art Gallery will present "Margaret Demorest: Teacher, Artist, Writer, and Community Builder," including the art of and by Demorest from the Casper College Foundation Fine Art Collection.

These festival sessions are free and open to the public, and select sessions are also available via ZOOM. Continuing Education Units or PTSB credits arranged by The Center for Workforce Training and Professional Development at Casper College are available.

Schedule of Events

February 21, 2023 at Goodstein Foundation Library

9:30-11:30 a.m. Living Library

Living libraries, human libraries, or living book libraries are all names for similar projects. These are libraries where, instead of checking out a book in the traditional/digital manner and reading its story, you check in to a person and have a conversation about "their" story with a group of other readers. Readers may include Casper College students, staff, and community members. The purpose of the Casper College Living Library is to promote conversation, encourage understanding, and foster a culture of inclusivity. Participants should expect to encounter perspectives they have never considered, viewpoints different from their own, and life experiences that may challenge their thinking, all within a safe and positive atmosphere at the Casper College Goodstein Foundation Library. Short sessions with presenters include time for questions and answers.

Noon: Dale Bohren, publisher emeritus, Casper Star-Tribune

Newspapers, for decades, have been a common thread through the communities they serve. Bohren will offer his perspective on how newspapers reflect, represent, inform, and often define the community they serve through the lens of his experience as a reporter/photographer, editor, and publisher of the weekly Casper Journal, and executive editor and then publisher of the daily Casper Star-Tribune.

1 p.m.: Trisha Martinez, Ph.D. - The Manito Trail

Trisha Martínez, Ph.D., will highlight the field of Latina/o studies and how it contributes to individual, professional and community goals. Focusing on the interdisciplinary ethnographic research project, "Following the Manito Trail," Martínez will share about Wyoming's Manito community, who migrated from northern New Mexico. She emphasizes Manito cultural values that fostered community and served as a social form of resistance. This presentation will focus on the importance of documenting community memory and experience to educate and inspire future generations.

2 p.m.: Deaf CommUnity - A Panel Discussion

Jennifer Tandoc, Chelsea Elertson, Matthew Morgan, and Liliana Morgan
Deaf culture refers to a set of social beliefs, behaviors, history, values and shared institutions which use sign language as the main method of communication. Members of the Deaf community view deafness as a difference in experience and cultural identity rather than a disability and take pride in their Deaf identity. Our panelists will share what being a member of the Deaf commUnity means to them. sites.google.com/site/deafculturedeafeducation/home.

3 p.m.: Panel Discussion - Connecting With Our Military Community

Natrona County is a vibrant military-connected community that is always striving to better serve and connect with veterans, active soldiers, and their families. Join us for a lively open forum with a panel of influential members from our military community. The topic will be the "veteran experience" in Natrona County, connecting with our military community, and the future of veterans' services in as health, education, social services, and more.

5 p.m.: Book Club at Crawford Room, Natrona County Library

"The Sandbar" by Walter R. Jones
Books are available at the Natrona County Library and the Casper College Goodstein Foundation Library, first come, first serve.

February 22, 2023 at Wheeler Hall, Music Building

9 a.m. - Jodi Youmans-Jones

Circles! Defining a Space for Everyone
What is present but often unrealized? The circle! To the human mind, eye, and spirit, circles appear abundantly in nature, our universe, and our belief systems. They occur naturally and generationally as well as through man-made processes. Youmans-Jones will explore the idea of the circle, the circle form, and how our lives are influenced by a shape invoking calm, hope, and community. Within this discussion, she will also reveal the process and creation of "circlesWeshare," an original dance concert, from the audition to the production and how our lives are continuously affected by the intersection of another circle.

10 a.m. - Rick Young, museum director and Michelle Bahe, curator of collections

Interpreting Community in a Museum
Fort Caspar Museum collects objects and stories. Many of the exhibits in the museum use the object as the focus for relating local history - showing what people used. More recent exhibits have lent themselves to looking at the people that used objects and their larger role in the community. Museum staff will provide background on Fort Caspar Museum and discuss recent exhibit topics and the research involved in those exhibits.

11 a.m. - Rebecca Hunt, Ph.D.: "History of Casper Mountain"

Rebecca Hunt's book "Casper Mountain Ski History: A Community of Skiers" (2022) details the 100-year saga of skiing on the mountain from early in the 1920s to the modern ski scene of 2022. It documents the large cast of characters who drew on the power of community to make Casper Mountain a special destination for those who love winter sports and the great Wyoming outdoors.

Noon-1:45 p.m.: "CommUNITY: A Roundtable Discussion"

Featuring: Casper City Council Member Amber Pollock, Casper Pride board member Ryan McConnaughey, Casper Assistant to the City Manager and City Clerk Fleur Tremel, Casper Children's Theatre's Audrey Egan, and Wyoming Rescue Mission Executive Director Brad Hopkins

February 23, 2023 at Wheeler Hall Music Building

9:30 a.m. - Lelani DeClue

Building Communities: An Anthropological Viewpoint
Anthropology is defined as the study of humankind in all places and at all times. At the core of anthropology is the study of culture, and culture is that which bonds humans to their communities. Anthropologists study the nuances of culture and how it is shared within communities of humans. Globalism, climate change, and migration have created a need for anthropologists to apply their unique holistic methods to aid community development worldwide.

10:45 a.m. - Women of the West, 'Most Dangerous Women'

"Most Dangerous Women" is a new film by award-winning director Janet Fitch that celebrates a century of powerful women's voices and highlights the often untold stories and voices of "dangerous women" fighting for equality, social justice, and peace over the past century. A screening of the 35-minute documentary will be followed by a conversation with Arielle Zibrak, Ph.D., a commentator featured in the film and associate professor at the University of Wyoming. The film is closed-captioned.

Noon: Kelli Mosteller, Ph.D. - "Tending the Seventh Fire: The Importance of Community-based History in Indian Country"

Kelli Mosteller, Ph.D., the executive director of the Harvard University Native American Program, will discuss the challenges and importance of embracing community-based approaches to history in local and academic settings. For over a decade, Mosteller was the executive director of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and a tribal historic preservation officer for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. In this role, she was a public historian and worked to preserve tribal sites of historical significance throughout the United States. She uses her years of experience advocating for Native communities in her current position at Harvard, where she works to support the needs of the Indigenous community at the university.

2 p.m.: Leith Davis, Ph.D. - Jacobite Communities After the Battle of Culloden

Leith Davis, Ph.D., is investigating Jacobite communities after the Battle of Culloden, investigating and doing a digital humanities project on Robert Forbes's manuscript, "The Lyon in Mourning," which recorded oral histories, poetry, narratives, and execution speeches of individuals involved in the 1745 Jacobite Rising. Many of these individuals were transported to North America and the Caribbean or pressed into service with the British army in North America. Davis, working with her University students in Canada, is using this remarkable document to shed light on the stories of women, Gaelic speakers, and lower-class individuals involved in the Jacobite Rising.

3 p.m.: Film - Casper Mountain Ski History

This documentary film offers footage of early skiing, select oral history interviews, commentary from historian Rebecca Hunt, Ph.D., as well as historic photographs.

5 p.m.:

Fort Caspar Museum Reception
Featured exhibition "A.J. Williamson Saddlery"

Casper College Barbara N. and Leland F. Scifers Dance Theatre
Gertrude Krampert Center for Theatre and Dance

7:30 p.m. - circlesWEshare

"circlesWEshare" is a production directed/choreographed and conceived by Jodi Youmans-Jones, and presented by the Casper College Department of Theatre and Dance. There will be a talk back with Casper College dancers immediately following the performance. Tickets are required for this portion of the Humanities Festival. Tickets can be purchased by calling 307-268-2500, toll-free at 800-442-2963, ext. 2500, in person at the box office, which is open Monday-Friday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., or online at casper.universitytickets.com. Tickets for each performance are $12 for adults and $10 for students aged 5 to 18.

February 24, 2023

Casper College Barbara N. and Leland F. Scifers Dance Theatre
Gertrude Krampert Center for Theatre and Dance

7:30 p.m.: circlesWEshare

"circlesWEshare" is a production directed/choreographed and conceived by Jodi Youmans-Jones, and presented by the Casper College Department of Theatre and Dance. Tickets are required for this portion of the Humanities Festival. Tickets can be purchased by calling 307-268-2500, toll-free at 800-442-2963, ext. 2500, in person at the box office, which is open Monday-Friday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., or online at casper.universitytickets.com. Tickets for each performance are $12 for adults and $10 for students aged 5 to 18.

February 25, 2023

NCL Family Afternoon: Pizza, Movie, and a Craft at Natrona County Library

Date: February 21-25, 2023

Locations:
Goodstein Foundation Library, 125 College Drive, Casper, WY 82601
Natrona County Public Library, 307 East Second Street, Casper, WY 82601
Gertrude Krampert Theatre, 1631 Campus Drive, Casper, WY 82601
Natrona County Public Library, 307 East Second Street, Casper, WY 82601

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