Background
About The Big Read
The Big Read was started by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to restore reading to the center of American culture. The program was parked by a 2004 study that showed literary reading in America declining rapidly, at an accelerated rate, among all groups, especially among the young. Working in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest, by 2009, NEA will have brought The Big Read to over 400 communities since the program's 2007 national launch. For more information about the national program, visit please visit The Big Read's website.
How Did Wichita Get Involved?
Nearly a year ago, National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia visited Wichita to participate in a grants workshop for arts agencies. In his remarks, he talked about this new project -- The Big Read -- and encouraged those present to create a Big Read program in Wichita. When it became clear that the Kansas Book Festival would not return to Wichita in 2008, the decision was clear: Wichita readers, as well as its lapsed and reluctant readers, deserved an opportunity to continue to participate in a community literary event.
A statement from Honorary Chair Vicki Tiahrt
Congressional spouse Vicki Tiahrt, pictured right at a June 24 press conference, says, “Todd and I are thrilled to announce the NEA grant for The Big Read and to encourage everyone to participate in the reading of ‘My Ántonia’ this fall. While reading is often an individual activity, The Big Read brings together a community of readers sharing a chosen classic. I am pleased to serve as honorary chair of The Big Read and look forward to the discussions, exhibits, and field trips to enrich our reading experience. This will powerfully model to Kansas children the pleasure and importance of reading. It’s exciting and encouraging to realize that we are joining Americans in 45 states and on military bases all around the world, reading and sharing great American books.”
About Willa Cather and "My Ántonia"
For information on Willa Cather and "My Ántonia," including discussion questions and the teacher's guide, please visit The Big Read's website.
About The Homesteader
The painting by N.C. Wyeth, the father of Andrew Wyeth, is not an illustration of Cather's novel, but the way Wyeth shows a young woman isolated on the open prairie, clutching the one tree around her, is representative of the way the Bohemian immigrant Ántonia clings to the family’s Nebraska farm through tragedy. It is on display at the Wichita Art Museum during their exhibit "The Plains Landscape of 'My Ántonia.'" Posters are available, free of charge, while supplies last, at the Wichita Art Museum's Museum Store.