Humankind Series Events in February

The intense Cuban Missile Crisis between the USSR and the US in 1962 is the subject of the movie “Thirteen Days,” showing at Manistee’s Vogue Theatre, on February 11, at 7 p.m. The movie is a part of West Shore Community College’s Humankind Series’ continuing focus on Cuba.

While fiction, the movie draws from considerable historical fact. “Thirteen Days,” starring Kevin Costner, shows the state of the Cold War at the time, and the tension that existed between the US and the USSR, resulting in considerable collateral damage for Cuba.

WSCC’s History Professor Mike Nagle will lead a discussion following the movie, including the creation of a direct line of communication between the Washington, D.C. and Moscow to avoid similar conflicts in the future.

Free transportation is available for Ludington area residents to and from the Vogue Theater. An LMTA shuttle bus will depart at 6:15 p.m. from the parking lot of the Ludington Public Library and will return there following the discussion.

Currently, “Inspired by Cuba: Student Works” is on exhibit at WSCC’s Manierre Dawson Gallery. Students created art while working last fall with two presenters in the Cuba series. Art-books are students’ responses to a book-making workshop with MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant” recipient, poet and anthropologist Ruth Behar.

Posters aimed to draw viewers’ attention to matters close to students’ hearts, whether climate change or a person they care about, were inspired by a workshop with journalist and researcher Elisa Schoenberger. The exhibit runs through February 14.

The Gallery is located in the Arts and Sciences Center. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Friday from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m., and during events held in the Center Stage Theater.

John Calvin College historian Dr. Dan Miller will present “Dreams and Reality: Cuba’s Economy Today,” on February 25, at 7 p.m., at the Ludington Library West Shore Bank meeting room.  Miller will examine the complicated mix of heavy state control and private initiatives as well as the Communist Party’s demand for control of the Cuban economy.

All humankind events are free and open to the public. For more information about these events or the rest of the series, see facebook.com/humankind Westshore or contract Brooke Portmann at 231-843-5866.