Dr. Nashid Madyun
Florida Humanities is pleased to announce our new Executive Director, Dr. Nashid Madyun. We know you will all enjoy getting to know him as much as we have and we look forward to implementing some exciting new programs and initiatives under his leadership. Nashid first realized the importance of museums when he learned more about the history of his hometown of Helena, Arkansas. "The town has a really rich cross-section
Return of Smithsonian’s “Water/Ways”
Exploring the endless motion of water with Smithsonian Florida Humanities brings the wonder of the Smithsonian to local communities in 2021–22 This year, explore the endless motion of the water cycle — from water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, to its impact on culture and spirituality — with Smithsonian Institution through Museum on Main Street. The exhibition will be on tour from June 2021–August 2022. Visitors will have the
Voices of the Bay
“When you’ve seen a million beautiful sunsets or sunrises, how do you pick one out?” Voices of the Florida Bay Project: Captain Eddie Wightman, fishing guide Interview by Emma Haydocy When it comes to telling the story of an endangered waterway, who better to call upon than those who have spent their lives upon its waters? That’s how Captain Eddie Wightman came to sit down with Emma Haydocy, executive director
A magical place, revisited
A return to the Sound, and the source On a journey with his daughter to his boyhood home, this writer rediscovers the waterways that sparked a life’s passion. By Jack Davis I paddled the kayak. Nine-year-old Willa sat behind and above me on the hull with her legs dangling in the cockpit. She was the beauty queen on top of a convertible’s rear seat in the hometown parade. I was
The Sewing Box and the Great Blue
By Hannah Gorski A classmate tells me she’s paddling up Salt Creek to retrieve the dead heron our class found on the last trip. My eyes shift from the paper I’m reading to squint over the harbor. I remember the bird, a Great Blue, the largest heron in North America. I had not expected that blue, tangled mass strangled by skeins of fishing line. The bird’s sodden feathers spread with
The Florida I have inside me….
A literary remembrance of Bill Belleville, whose storytelling celebrates the mystery and glory of our state’s waterways, and beckons us to go outside. By Cynthia Barnett This winter on a sunny weekday, I jostled my kayak into the warm waters of the Wekiva River in honor of Bill Belleville, one of the great chroniclers of what he called vernacular Florida—“the luxuriant particulars of nature, of culture, and of place.” Belleville,
Water: The elemental link to Florida’s identity
By Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee Surrounded by more than 1,300 miles of coastline containing a myriad of freshwater lakes and springs, and with more than 11,000 miles of rivers, water is perhaps Florida’s most defining element. We are fortunate to live in a state where almost anywhere you go, you can find a body of water within close proximity providing inspiration, adventure and a way of life for
How children cope, when Dad is on the frontlines
One mother writes about teaching her young daughter lessons in caring to help her understand what Daddy’s doing when he can’t come home. By Nila Do Simon.
Virtual Programming 101: Nine Tips for Hosting a Great Virtual Program
When history took an unprecedented turn in 2020 and a global pandemic pushed society to its limits, doors closed, windows shuttered, and the world retreated to safety in isolation. The result was a rapid decline in revenue for many of Florida’s vital cultural institutions.
Healing the Humanities during a Global Pandemic
When history took an unprecedented turn in 2020 and a global pandemic pushed society to its limits, doors closed, windows shuttered, and the world retreated to safety in isolation. The result was a rapid decline in revenue for many of Florida’s vital cultural institutions.