Midwestern Stories 

Faculty Recipients: Andrea Wolfe and Kathryn Ludwig (English) 

Partner: Minnetrista Cultural Center

 "As a culture, we become the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves," stated nominator Cathy Day. In this award application, she went on to say that the Midwestern Stories project challenged ingrained cultural myths that promote a nostalgic view of "the way things used to be" and provided a more complete history of the Midwest and a more authentic representation of Midwestern identity. This two-course, two-semester project was led by two professors from the Department of English, Andrea Wolfe and Kathryn Ludwig. Together with their students they investigated the representations of Midwestern identity. 

Utilizing multiple media platforms, students developed museum-quality representations that illustrated the unique characteristics of the land, the contributions of the native and immigrant people, and how historical events helped shape this identity and culture. The final products included an oral history collection and films based on these stories, a nine-episode podcast, a website, and museum-quality artifacts, including a physical installation featured at Minnetrista Cultural Center (April 23-July 12, 2021) and a traveling kiosk that provided audio excerpts from the podcast episodes. Unfortunately, this ambitious project faced numerous challenges due to the COVID pandemic, including changes in teaching modality, the inability to have in-person meetings, and other hindrances. Still, Drs. Wolfe and Ludwig’s superb project management and perseverance helped the students deliver exceptional products and develop career-ready skills in communication, storytelling, and professional writing.  

This project was made possible through a Provost Immersive Learning Pilot Grant. Additional funds were received from the Indiana Humanities Campus Read Grant program.