The Archaeology of the Center

The archaeology of a Center may sound strange. Archaeology is generally described as the study of human societies through the examination and interpretation of their material remains. Yet, because it addresses the cultural and social artifacts that direct, shape, and are the products of material change, archaeology overlaps both the humanities and the sciences. Intellectual excavation of a Center similarly overlaps both humanities and social sciences. My purpose here is not a comprehensive historical survey, but, without digging into issues of institutional change, we might be tempted to think the object in question is as it always was—but it is not.

In his article “The Soul of Science” (American Scientist, March-April 2005), Michael Shermer notes that, according to Greek legend, Poseidon’s son Theseus sailed to Crete to slay the monster Minotaur. After Theseus’s victorious return, his ship was preserved as a memorial by the people of Athens. As the ship aged, the decaying planks were faithfully replaced by new ones shaped exactly like the originals. Eventually all original timbers had been replaced. Shermer repeats the ancient philo-sophical question: is the memorial ship the same one in which Theseus sailed? What determines the true identity of the ship, its shape or the original wood from which it was made? Shermer uses this story to ask about human identity. The atoms in our brains and bodies are not the same as those we had at birth, yet the patterns of information coded in our DNA and neural memories are uniquely ours. What we are, then, is more than what we are made of—it is how we are put together.

I raise the issue of change and identity because of changes in the Center for the Humanities. In some ways it is the same as always, in other ways it is completely new. But is the Center its parts, or the pattern of their organization? Imagine an archaeologist digging through the intellectual stratigraphy of our Center a hundred years from now. Although the physical site has changed several times, this archaeologist could easily follow the pattern of intellectual activity to write a story about the earliest layers of intellectual and institutional evidence, then proceed to the present. Trained to excavate carefully, layer by layer, the archaeologist would note that the Center for the Humanities was built upon the intellectual foundations of the International Writers Center. There would be a decade’s worth of material, cultural, and intellectual remains of the International Writers Center to sift through and interpret. The thin layer separating that original edifice from the next layer of activity might be missed, but shifts in the pattern would show that a period of rapid change had taken place. New names appear in the institutional records, new publications, such as Belles Letters: A Literary Review, appear in the intellectual stratigraphy of the Center. Like Theseus’s ship, the planks of the earlier structure were replaced by new planks close in shape to those of the original vessel.

The intellectual ‘artifact’ you hold in your hands, The Figure in the Carpet, appears in the archaeological record at this time and the story behind its name and subsequent events might cause the archaeologist to infer an intellectual turning point in the evolution of the Center. The title refers to the last archaeological deposit of the International Writers Center and foreshadows the next change. The Figure in the Carpet is the title of one of Henry James’s (1843-1916) most famous short stories. As noted in the first issue of The Figure (December 2002), James tells of the life-long effort by a literary critic to identify the idea that inspires a particular author and stretches across his work from book to book. Gerald Early chose this name because it suggests what humanists often do: try to show readers patterns they might otherwise miss. Less than a year later, the Center was referred to by a new name. Institutional records show that the “International Writers Center” was replaced by “The Center for the Humanities, Dedicated to Letters and Humanistic research and Their Presence in Public Life.” As noted in The Figure at the time,

We hope our new name assures little change to our commitment to those we proudly serve in the St. Louis literary community and a lot of change for those who welcome opportunities to bring together the perspectives of diverse humanities disciplines under a
single synergistic roof.” (September 2003)

The “most recent” stratum revealed by this intellectual excavation is the present one. The future archaeologist would note that a new name appears: “The Center for Joint Projects in the Humanities and Social Sciences.” Intellectual stratigraphy within this component becomes denser and more varied. The over-worked archaeologist must move slowly through a larger deposit of intellectual artifacts. The site of the excavation has grown far beyond the foundations of the International Writers Center, and now includes other Centers with their own varied intellectual histories. Excavation of this uppermost horizon reveals the foundations of African and Afro-American Studies, American Culture Studies, International and Area Studies & Overseas Programs, Religious Studies, Social Thought and Analysis, Urban Initiatives, Environmental Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies. The “single synergistic roof” now covers a vessel much like an academic Ark where various fields and disciplines of the Humanities and Social Sciences collaborate to strengthen traditional academic research and knowledge dissemination, as well as to encourage and support new modes of inquiry and intellectual outreach.

If Theseus’s ship had become more like Noah’s Ark in the rebuilding, it would still be a memorial to Theseus—is our Center still the same now that it is part of a Center for the Centers? Yes, it is. The ‘essence’ of our Center is more than a pile of academic parts; it is a pattern of intellectual activity and of commitment to those we serve. Unlike patterns of information coded in human DNA and in neural memories that last only a handful of decades, the patterns and memories of an institution can last for centuries. And as noted when we announced The Center for the Humanities,

What’s next? The possibilities are nearly limitless, for the humanities offer as many avenues of inquiry as there are possibilities in life. As we cannot do everything, we must choose wisely. Now we begin. (September 2003)

And now as an expanded Center, we can accomplish a great deal more than could the separate units individually. But is it the same boat it was originally? Well, are you the same person you were when you started reading this? Yes, and no. But we sail on.

This is our last issue of The Figure in the Carpet until September 2005. We wish all our readers a peaceful summer, and look forward to seeing you in the fall.

Jian Leng, Assistant Director
The Center for the Humanities

St. Louis Literary Calendars

Check out the most recent literary events for adults and children in the St. Louis area.

St. Louis features a thriving arts community, and appreciation for the arts is a defining characteristic of our local culture. St. Louis also has a lot of lawyers, and stereotypes might suggest that the legal and artistic communities are unrelated, polarized segments of the local population. The arts and the law are closely connected, however, and artists must rely on sound legal advice in order to protect fully their rights and creations.

During our final semester at Washington University School of Law, we’ve been able to develop a strong understanding of this relationship between law and the arts through our experience with the Law School’s newest clinical program, the Intellectual Property and Business Formation Clinic. Founded this year by Professor Charles McManis with a generous donation from the Kaufman Foundation, the Clinic is one of only a handful of Intellectual Property Clinics in the country. The Clinic provides law students with the opportunity to provide legal advice to local innovators and artists, under the supervision of an experienced Intellectual Property attorney. According to supervising attorney David Deal, the Clinic’s primary mission is “to provide a capstone educational experience that allows the students to take the knowledge they’ve learned in their substantive legal classes and apply it to practical situations. In this Clinic, they actually get to work with clients on real legal problems.”

Students enrolled in the Clinic are assigned to teams that perform different functions, such as working with inventors and entrepreneurs, working with nonprofit organizations, and working with biotechnology research organizations such as the Missouri Botanical Garden and Donald Danforth Plants Sciences Center. As members of the “Pro Bono” team, we were assigned to work exclusively with St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and accountants for the Arts (VLAA), a non-profit organization that provides free legal and accounting assistance to local artists and arts organizations.

VLAA provides a wide variety of essential services that allow hundreds of low-income artists and emerging arts organizations to pursue their creative work, protect their rights, and develop solid business practices. For instance, VLAA often aids artists and arts organizations in obtaining tax exempt status, negotiating and drafting contracts, protecting intellectual property, and
developing bookkeeping systems. In addition, VLAA also produces and publishes a wide variety of educational materials that offer business and legal advice for local artists. For instance, VLAA publishes a free monthly
newsletter for Missouri and Southern Illinois arts organizations entitled Arts
Law Memo, and on the VLAA website, you’ll find several easy-to-understand guides on arts law and business topics such as intellectual property, financial
management, nonprofit operations, and leadership and personnel management. Recent publications include articles on the anatomy of a contract, copyright basics, artist-gallery contracts, leasing studio space, and the small claims court. As a result of these publication efforts, artists and arts organizations have access to critically important information that they
may not be able to afford or locate otherwise. In the literary community,
VLAA has made significant contributions Law and Art: Intellectual Property and Business Formation Clinic by working to help several literary organizations obtain tax-exempt status, such as 1,000 Books and Persian Poetry Circle of Northern America. In addition, VLAA has helped organizations such as First Civilizations with trademark and sales tax issues, and helped organizations such as River Styx to develop their websites.

During our semester in the Clinic, we’ve been assigned several interesting
projects from VLAA: we’ve written publications on moral rights and the
budgeting associated with independent music recordings, provided contract
advice for musicians, web developers, and other artists, and provided patent and copyright advice to local inventors and filmmakers. In one notable project, we assisted the Kennerly Church of God In Christ (located in North St. Louis), whose Reunion Choir had recorded a CD featuring several gospel songs and a spoken narrative of the Church’s history. The Church wanted to press and distribute copies of the CD, but first they had to pay for legal rights to use the songs, since many of the songs were copyrighted gospel standards.

Unable to pay the steep legal fees associated with tracking down copyright
owners and arranging for payment of the appropriate royalties, the Church turned to VLAA, and the matter was assigned to us in the Clinic. Tracking down the copyright owners of all of the songs on the CD proved to be an arduous task, and more than three weeks were spent identifying the proper arrangements of the songs, contacting copyright owners in the arrangements, and working with music licensing agencies such as Harry Fox and BMI. Without the free services from VLAA and the Clinic, the cost of their album would have probably doubled or tripled. The experience was rewarding for several reasons: in addition to helping the church, we learned a lot about a useful area of the law, and we developed a stronger appreciation for gospel music and traditions.

While the benefits the VLAA provides for artists are obvious, experiences like
the Kennerly Church project have given us a better understanding of how volunteer work can gratify the lawyer, as well. Volunteering and helping local
artists provides the lawyer with a refreshing change of pace from the typical routine, and it allows the lawyer to help others, strengthen the community,
and ensure that St. Louis remains a strong arts community with a unique local culture. Danica Mathes, a local intellectual property attorney at Blumenfeld, Kaplan, & Sandweiss, is a VLAA board member who volunteered with VLAA as a law student. According to Danica, by volunteering as a student, “I was able to get a feel for the local arts community and the professionals who were involved with it, as well. Not only did I get great practical experience that directly related to my career goals, but I was also prepared for my future contributions as a member of the board...an opportunity that I do not think I would have had so early in my career had I not been involved with the organization as a student.”

By establishing the Intellectual Property and Business Formation Clinic, Washington University School of Law will continue to provide students with the opportunity to volunteer and provide important services for local artists and arts organizations. Volunteering while in school allows the student to understand the close relationship between arts and the law, and through the Clinic students will continue to develop an appreciation not only for the arts, but for the value of volunteering and becoming a wellrounded, community-minded lawyer.

Andrew Scavotto and Toby Bulloff are
third-year students at Washington
University School of Law; both are
enrolled in the school’s Intellectual
Property and Business Formation Clinic.

The Center for the Humanities Advisory Board 2005-2006