"When the sun within speaks, when lovereaches out its hand and places it uponanother,any power the stars and planets might have upon us,any fears you can muster can become sorightfully insignificant.What one heart can do for another heart,is there any beauty in the world that canmatch this?Brotherhood, sisterhood, humanity becomesthe joy and the emancipation."
As a creative species, we inspire each other in so many ways: though painting, music, sculpture, film, the sciences, literature, poetry, sport, architecture - the list goes on. The simple gift of awakening in one another the ability or willingness to create helps to make our world fascinating and dynamic. It also often spurs us to positive action. For this reason, THI seeks to celebrate the many sources of inspiration that encourage humanity to thrive, that urge us in often unpredictable and powerful ways to create, produce, contribute – strive to make things better.
THI is in the process of seeking a unique curator for each of our 37 initial categories of inspiration, asking her to follow her heart, to inspire you with any and all manner of presentation, analysis and exploration of mankind’s most exceptional achievements. Each section will be designed in any way its curator deems appropriate, to whatever length and with whatever linkages and alliances she recommends.
Perhaps she will concentrate on the work of a dozen or two individuals. Perhaps she will recommend a review of inspiring work across the centuries, from all continents. Perhaps she will investigate a particular issue such as love or nature or how her designated subject influences our personal identities: with self, community, country and culture. Perhaps she will want to tell stories. Indeed, though this is perhaps getting ahead of ourselves, it even might be fascinating to discover and discuss intellectual or historical or social intrigues among different arenas, such as among music, dance, art, architecture and poetry.
We will not attempt to present an objective list of inspiring work. We are, in fact, not seeking objectivity at all. Rather we want to create, in each wing of this museum, a compelling and highly creative invitation for visitors to learn and be inspired by what ultimately should unite us as a species and by how we can do it better over the next generation – be it the unique power and passion of poetry, the achievement of athletic excellence, or bringing new heights to the rendering of classical music.
The categories (alphabetical order) are:
Adornment (clothing, jewelry, etc…)
Architecture
Art/Painting
Art/Sculpture
Art/Illustration
Art/Digital
Astrobiology
Business
Culinary Arts (cooking, farming, agriculture)
Dance
Film
Government/Politics
Humor
Industrial Design
Landscape Design
Literature/Fiction
Literature/Non-fiction
Literature/Children’s
Literature/Poetry
Literature/Essays
Literature/Autobiography
Medicine
Music/Classical
Music/The Animal Kingdom (e.g. Indonesian gibbons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxuC622-8fI&feature=related)
Music/Folk
Music/Hip Hop
Music/Nature
Music/Rock
Music/Jazz
Music/Indigenous
Nature/Landscapes
Nature/Wildlife
Photography
Technology
Science
Speeches
Sport
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P.S. Four your continued reflection, here’s a suggestion (from our board member Jackie Wigglesworth) to investigate who might be your most inspirational positive change artists. Jackie took a close look at Nobel Prize winners:
Why do we need Nobel Prize winners? I believe they are invaluable because the world needs to be inspired by examples of individuals who achieve levels of greatness in their field and make a positive difference in the world. One definition of inspiration reads: ‘Divine guidance or influence exerted directly on the mind and soul of humankind.’ We need to be inspired by such people. Here’s my list of Nobel prize winners that have inspired me most and why. JW
1) Aung San Suu Kyi - Peace Prize
Aung San Suu Kyi has maintained her vision for her country with grace and integrity despite spending the majority of her life under house arrest.
Born: 19 June 1945, Rangoon (now Yangon), Burma (now Myanmar) Residence at the time of the award: Burma
Prize motivation: “for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights.”
Field: Human rights
2) Winston Churchill - Literature Prize
Churchill was an inspiring and powerful leader who is just as famous for his wise and witty quotes as he is for running a country and successfully leading England through the war years, encouraging people to ‘never give in.’
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill Born: 30 November 1874, Woodstock, United Kingdom Died: 24 January 1965, London
Residence at the time of the award: United Kingdom
Prize motivation: “for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values”
3) The International Committee of The Red Cross - Peace Prize
Three time recipient; The International Committee of the Red Cross was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1917, 1944 and 1963 – on the third occasion jointly with the League of Red Cross Societies. This makes the Red Cross unique: no recipient has been awarded the Peace Prize as often as this organization. The very first time the Peace Prize was awarded, in 1901, the Norwegian Nobel Committee chose to pay tribute to the founder of the Red Cross, Henry Dunant from Switzerland. Thus his story is a natural point of departure when examining the role of the Red Cross in the history of the Peace Prize.
4) Albert Einstein - Physics Prize
Voted Time magazine’s ‘man of the century’ Einstein is probably the most famous scientist in the world. In addition to that he was a gentle philosopher and vegetarian man who believed that “imagination is more important than knowledge.” This award came before his world renowned theory of relativity.
Born: 14 March 1879, Ulm, Germany Died: 18 April 1955, Princeton, NJ, USA
Affiliation at the time of the award: Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut (now Max-Planck-Institut) für Physik, Berlin, Germany Prize motivation: “for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.” Field: Theoretical physics.
5) Marie Curie - Physics and Chemistry prizes
She became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in 1903 when she was recognized, along with her husband Pierre and Antoine Henri Becquerel, with the Physics award for their research into radiation. Marie was the leading light in a family that between them amassed a remarkable five Nobel Prizes in the fields of Chemistry and Physics. She later became the first person to receive two Nobel Prizes when she was given the Chemistry Prize in 1911 for her discovery of radium and polonium, and her further research into radium. She is among a select group of people to have won prizes in two different fields.
Born: 7 November 1867, Warsaw, Russian Empire (now Poland.) Died: 4 July 1934, Sallanches, France
Prize motivation: “in recognition of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their joint researches on the radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel.”
Field: Nuclear physics
6) Martin Luther King - Peace Prize
The American civil rights activist was the youngest person to be recognized by the Nobel foundation when he won the Peace Prize in 1964, at the age of 35, for his work to end racial discrimination through non-violent means. Even after his death in 1968 King’s legacy lived on, and his image is still used today as a symbol by human rights groups around the world. His ‘dream’ that people: “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” remains timelessly significant.
Born: 15 January 1929, Atlanta, GA, USA Died: 4 April 1968, Memphis, TN, USA
Residence at the time of the award: USA
Role: Leader of “Southern Christian Leadership Conference.”
Field: Human rights
7) Herman Hesse - Literature Prize
The book I return to again and again throughout life is ‘Siddartha’ by Herman Hesse. It is a spiritual classic and follows the universal themes of life of which Hesse masterfully writes.
Born: July 2, 1877 Died: August 9, 1962
Prize motivation: explores an individual’s search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality.
Field: “for his inspired writings which, while growing in boldness and penetration, exemplify the classical humanitarian ideals and high qualities of style”.
The book I return to again and again throughout life is ‘Siddartha’ by Herman Hesse. It is a spiritual classic and follows the universal themes of life of which Hesse masterfully writes.
8) Mother Teresa - Peace prize
Mother Teresa worked ceaselessly and selflessly to improve the lives of the poor and neglected in Calcutta-India and worldwide. Her example shines as a beacon for all the world to follow. “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
Born: 26 August 1910, Uskup (now Skopje), Ottoman Empire (now Republic of Macedonia) Died: 5 September 1997, Calcutta, India Residence at the time of the award: India
Role: Leader of Missionaries of Charity, Calcutta
Field: Humanitarian work
9) Albert Schweitzer - Peace Prize
Albert Schweitzer received his Nobel Prize one year later, in 1953. Despite having doctorates in theology, music and medicine, Schweitzer dropped everything to attend to the health needs of people in Gabon, Africa.
Born: 14 January 1875, Kaysersberg, Germany (now France.) Died: 4 September 1965, Lambaréné, Gabon
Residence at the time of the award: France
Role: Founder of Lambaréné (République de Gabon), Missionary surgeon.
Field: Humanitarian work
10) Nelson Mandela – Peace Prize
Mandela suffered 27 years imprisonment for his ideals and yet emerged full of forgiveness, integrity intact and ready to lead South Africa as their next elected president. He remains one of the most respected and admired icons of our times.
Born: 18 July 1918, Qunu, South Africa
Residence at the time of the award: South Africa
Prize motivation: “for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa.” Field: Negotiation, human rights
11) Pablo Neruda - Literature Prize (or Octavio Paz)
Born: 12 July 1904, Parral, Chile Died: 23 September 1973, Santiago, Chile
Residence at the time of the award: Chile
Prize motivation: “for a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continent’s destiny and dreams.”