Tuesday, March 20, 2012

the chautauqua assembly history

the original Boulder Chautauqua

I found it fascinating when I learned about the history of Chautauqua and the ironic significance of what we're doing ~ at one of the few remaining Chautauquas in the country! Although my husband is the history buff in our family, I did love learning about this and thought you might be interested in hearing what it was about too!

Started in the late 1870's, the Chautauqua was the greatest popular educational movement of its times. Hundreds of touring pop-up camps were set up across the nation presenting learning opportunities and cultural enrichment to everyday people. Wonderful orators and teachers of dance, music and the arts lectured and performed in tents and brought inspiration to thousands of people. It's a popular belief that this type of information exchange was the origin of the current popular adult education movement. The original ideals of the Chautauqua were lifelong learning, love of nature, voluntary simplicity and music, oration and the arts. (Yes! It's what we stand for too!) I do believe and feel proud to say that the Makerie is an exciting revival of the historical Chautauqua indeeed.

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