TEDxMichiganAvenue: Bringing the Arts Back Home by Scott Walters

Back in May, I made a trip to Chicago to deliver a TEDx talk organized by David Zoltan. I was only able to stay briefly, because my stepson Jake was graduating that same day from Illinois St…

Learning from 9-11 by Scott Walters

As we get ready to commemorate the attacks of September 11, 2001, I'd like to remind everybody about a video message that Osama bin Laden released just before the 2004 presidential election.…

Great New Blog by Scott Walters

My stepson, Jake Olbert, who now lives in Chicago, has started a blog called Something Less Pretentious, and I think he is a helluva a writer. His latest post, discussing the film L. A. Conf…

Note to Self: Remember Denny Mays by Scott Walters

A colleague of mine from my Illinois State University days, Dennis Mays, passed away a few days ago at the age of 68. He didn't design sets, he wasn't the technical director, but he supervis…

On "Excellence" by Scott Walters

Let's start with the legislation that brought the NEA into existence, which I mentioned at the end of my previous post -- that the NEA should dedicate itself  "to supporting excellence …

Analyzing the NEA 'Our Town' Grants (Part 2) by Scott Walters

When I published my post "Analyzing the NEA 'Our Town' Grants," several people wanted to know about whether the awards reflected the applicant pool, and I said I didn't know. Last week, I wa…

Wendell Berry: 10 Hopes (Commencement Address) by Scott Walters

In 1989, Wendell Berry delivered a Commencement Address at the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine that included not Ten Commandments but ten hopes. They are as follows (I highlight…

Vindicated -- Proof Positive by Scott Walters

Analyzing the NEA "Our Town" Grants by Scott Walters

So yesterday, the NEA announced the recipients of the "Our Town" grants. As you may or may not know, the "Our Town" grants were created to support "creative placemaking projects that contrib…