The West: its myths and its reality
Western Issues Conference draws nation’s top scholars of the
American West
By HANS IBOLD
Express Staff Writer
The Sun Valley Center for the Arts has set the stage for a revolutionary
meeting of authors, historians, politicians and laymen at its Western Issues Conference
scheduled for June 23 and 24 at Elkhorn Resort.
Some of the nation’s most respected and accomplished American studies
scholars will rekindle a dialogue on the American West that was started in the early 1970s
when a similar group converged here as part of the Institute of the American West.
The need to continue that dialogue about how the West was, what it is
today and what it can potentially become, is urgent, according to the Sun Valley
Center’s director of education and humanities, Heather Crocker.
"It’s our hope that the conference encourages our community and
surrounding communities to consider our place in the history, culture, economy and
landscape of the American West," she said in an interview.
The Wood River Valley, according to Crocker, is a microcosm of larger
places, all of which are struggling with issues of land use, development, increasingly
diverse populations, economic disparity and spiritual leadership.
Using the metaphor of the family reunion, the conference will look at ways
in which class, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, economy and environment have affected
the history of the West and of the Wood River Valley in particular. The conference will
focus on the themes of "Family Stories," "The Welcoming Committee,"
"Land Values" and "Inheritance."
The 16 speakers and panelists tackling those themes are leaders in their
fields. They include Richard White, professor of history at Stanford University and author
of "It’s Your Misfortune and None of My Own: A New History of the American
West"; Vicki Ruiz, chair of Chicana-Chicano studies at Arizona State University and
author of "From Out of the Shadows: Mexican Women in 20th Century
America"; Daniel Kemmis, director of the Center of the Rocky Mountain West and former
mayor of Missoula, Mont.; Patricia Albers, chair of American Indian Studies at the
University of Minnesota; and Jaune Quick-To-See Smith, a painter, teacher, activist and
spokesperson for contemporary American Indian art.
The conference is monumental not just for its impressive array of American
studies scholars but for the way those scholars will be interacting with conference
attendees.
A goal of the conference is to allow maximum exposure to the speakers and
panelists, according to Crocker. Panel discussions will follow each lecture. Small group
discussions led by the speakers and panelists will enable conference attendees to discuss
their own responses to the lectures.
"We’re trying to make the speakers and panelists as accessible
as possible," Crocker said.
The "spice of the conference," Crocker said, will come from the
interaction between the scholars and conference attendees.
Multidisciplinary projects will expand on conference themes. There will be
a reading with author Kim Barnes, who reads from her latest memoir, "Hungry for the
World"; a book signing with author Alvin Josephy, Jr. from his new memoir, "A
Walk Toward Oregon"; a concert with Idaho musician and folk singer Rosalie Sorrels;
an art exhibition at the Sun Valley Center; and a hands-on flag-making workshop for kids
and families.
The conference is open to the first 200 people who register. In order to
attract a diverse group of attendees, the Sun Valley Center is offering tickets on a
sliding scale. Tickets prices range from $15 for students, $45 for "citizens,"
$75 for educators, $150 for professionals to $300 for benefactors. Also, there are
volunteer and scholarship opportunities available.
For registration information, call the Sun Valley Center at 726-9491.
