Uncommon Gifts

Spokane's Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (MAC), founded in 1916, has gone above and beyond when it comes to its duties of collecting historical artifacts and documents. Inspiring appreciation of all things historical, cultural, and downright fascinating, the MAC once again has delighted visitors with its new exhibit, Uncommon Gifts.

Showcasing seven internationally known artists with ties to the Inland Northwest, this exhibit proudly displays the Liberty Mutual/Safeco Insurance corporate collection. Artists include Jacob Lawrence, Fay Jones, Morris Graves, Barbara Thomas, and George Tsutakawa. Visitors can expect to see almost 500 works created on paper, 130 canvas and panel pieces, and more than 180 three-dimensional objects of glass, ceramic, bronze, and mixed media persuasion.

The Uncommon Gifts exhibit runs from June 25 to August 25. While you're there, check out the MAC's previously mentioned Dig It! The Secrets of Soil exhibit, or the Two to Tango: Artist and Viewer, Lasting Heritage. The MAC is a cultural showplace that strives to bring the past and present together with community events, rare pieces, and local artists. For more questions, visit the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture website, or call 509.456.3931.

Alexis Smith and Evan P. Shneider - Author Reading

Once again, Auntie's is featuring two fantastic up-and-coming authors. Sunday, May 20 will bring two Portland novelists, Alexis Smith and Evan P. Shneider.

Alexis Smith's Glaciers brings you into the memories of Isabel, the bookish protagonist who cherishes the history in things old and vintage. Tucked between the words of Smith's book are highlights into the life of a Portland bookkeeper who dreams about the glaciers of Alaska. Even while turning the pages, one can't help but visualize their own forgotten memories and trinkets, whether they were baseball cards shared with dad, or an old ring handed down generations of a maternal line.

Evan P. Schneider changes the mood with his book entitled A Simple Machine, Like the Lever. We can all relate in some way to Nicholas Allender, who's endeavoring to keep his head above water in all aspects of his life. Between trying to keep his job, bringing smiles to his girlfriend's face, and not getting lost in the ups and downs of life's trivialities, Schneider's novel offers a change of ordinary in the form of an extraordinary character.

Check out these two amazing authors Sunday, May 20 at 1 p.m. at Auntie's Bookstore.

Historic NYC Photos

There's something to be said about the simplicity of black and white imagery... It allows you to focus on the beauty of the actual image, rather than the added spectrum of color that can be distracting.

That being said, the following photographs were released by the New York City Municipal Archives. These pictures depict the ebb and flow of life in 20th-century New York City. Take a look at the soft light illuminating the Grand Central Terminal, or the brave workers suspended on cables above the Brooklyn Bridge, meticulously painting every inch of the cables without a safety line in sight.

Some of the images portray homicide scenes; others capture the "newsies" of New York at work, passing out their papers. Whatever image you come across, you can be sure to find yourself in awe, reveling at the monochromatic glimpse into the past.

A Festival Headliner Reveals a Serious Historical Error

Get Lit! Programs tries to bring to our festivals authors who have concern for the world and a desire to create a better future for underrepresented individuals. So we were pleased to find out that one of our nonfiction headliners for the 2011 festival is shedding light on a serious mistake in America's history.

Jack Hamann, a Seattle-based author, calls out for justice for a group of WWII soldiers in his 2005 book On American Soil, co-written with his wife Leslie. The book chronicles how 43 African-American soldiers stationed at Seattle’s Fort Lawton were wrongly accused and court-martialed for the lynching of Italian POW Guglielmo Olivotto in August 1944. Twenty-eight of those soldiers were dishonorably discharged.

Because of the book, in part, the U.S. Army reversed the verdict in 2007 and gave 14 of these soldiers honorable discharges; many, however, died in shame or haven’t been located. Hamann is still active in revealing the truth and pushing for the installation of educational markers at Fort Lawton so visitors will know what really happened.

At the festival, Hamann will read from and discuss On American Soil, as well as leading a workshop on writing journalistic nonfiction. Other authors, including Tim O’Brien and Brian Turner, will share their own perspectives on some of the important issues American soldiers face. We are pretty excited about it!