Three Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College instructors have been chosen to receive the 2012 Mississippi Humanities Council (MHC) Humanities Teacher Awards. Dr. Alessandra Feris, Jackson County Campus; Dr. Trevor Smith, Jefferson Davis Campus; and Daniel Calcote, Perkinston Campus, will each receive a cash prize for the honor.
Honorees are required to give presentations of their work. The events are free and open to the public.
· Daniel Calcote – Perkinston Campus: “From the Creek to the Classroom” was presented on October 18. Calcote’s presentation included pottery and other art made from Red Creek clay and driftwood. His work is on exhibit at the Visual Arts Center as part of a joint project with Sandra Cassibry, art instructor at the Perkinston Campus. The center is open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and from 8 a.m. until noon on Friday.
· Dr. Trevor Smith – Jefferson Davis Campus: “The United Fruit Company, Bananas and American Imperialism,” was presented on November 1, 12:30 p.m. This presentation examined the consolidation of the fruit business in the 1890s and the methods used by the United Fruit Company to become America’s first large international corporation. It will also examine the merger of business interests, politics and foreign policy in the United States during the gilded age.
· Dr. Alessandra Feris – Jackson County Campus: “La Pasión of Latin-American Women Composers Chiquinha Gonzaga and Teresa Carreño,” a piano lecture recital, November 15, 12:25 p.m. in the Fine Arts Auditorium. The presentation will honor the two passionate Latin-American women composers, who continued to strive for recognition as musicians despite the criticism of the society of their time. The presentation will include information about the composers and a performance of their music.
October is Arts and Humanities Month, proclaimed annually by the president and governor. MHC selects honorees annually from each of Mississippi’s colleges and universities in the fields of English, history, music, art and philosophy.