50 Years on the Planet / 50 Years of Music
50 Years on the Planet / 50 Years of Music

Last month, I turned 50. In the months leading up to my birthday, I thought that it would be fun to look back over the past 50 years in music, choosing a few albums that I love from each year that I have been alive. The logic behind these choices has nothing to do with the album's ostensible importance or popularity. These are just albums that I really like, right now, as I reach the half century mark. I thought I’d share them. Hopefully, there are a few that you’ve never heard and will grow to love as much as I have.

Read More
EphemeraJason Kellymusic, albumsComment
Radio Interview: The History and Current State of the Nation's Rivers
Radio Interview: The History and Current State of the Nation's Rivers

Talking about the history of the current epoch: the Anthropocene and why we should care about our rivers and streams. We will provide a starting point for a series of conversations about water and the ways in which humans have had an impact as well as ways they can restore, repair, and protect our rivers.

Read More
PodcastsJason KellyAnthropocene, rivers, Rivers of the Anthropocene, environment, environmental history, environmental humanities
Art Academies and Art Academy Schemes in Britain and Ireland, 1600-1770
Art Academies and Art Academy Schemes in Britain and Ireland, 1600-1770

Before (and after) the establishment of the Royal Academy in London in 1768, there were numerous individuals and associations that proposed or implemented plans to create academies for the arts in Britain and Ireland. Examples can be traced to at least the early seventeenth century. To date, there is no publication that pulls together a single list of academies and/or academy schemes in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Britain and Ireland. In the chart below, I bring together the manuscript and secondary literature to offer a timeline of schemes, proposals, recommendations, and attempts to establish academies for the arts in Britain and Ireland between 1600 and 1770.

Read More
Art, Architecture, Research, Blog PostsJason Kellyroyal academy, academies, history of art, eighteenth century, seventeenth century, british studies, irish studies, scottish studies, enlightenment, education, history of education
Exhibition: (New) Blueprints for Counter Education
Exhibition: (New) Blueprints for Counter Education

I am happy to announce the exhibition (New) Blueprints for Counter Education, which I have curated as part of my work for the IUPUI Arts & Humanities Institute. Featuring new work by Artur Silva, Lasana Kazembe, Jason M. Kelly, and Kara Taylor, the exhibition uses virtual reality, poster art, film, and music to consider our current moment—and the ways that the visual arts, philosophy, poetry, performance, and history equip us to both understand and respond to the challenges that we face.

Read More
Art, Exhibition, Research, TeachingJason Kellyexhibition, design, poster, music, poetry, vr, virtual reality, film, education, pedagogy, critical theoryComment
Locusts, Place-men, and Politics: A Satirical Print from 1748
Locusts, Place-men, and Politics: A Satirical Print from 1748

In 1748, swarms of locusts descended on central Europe. They made their way as far west as Britain prompting The General Evening Post, no. 225 from 13-16 August 1748 to state that "The Appearance of the LOCUSTS in this Nation [had] much alarmed both Town and Country." The locusts in Britain fortunately caused limited damage to British agriculture. Nevertheless, they generated enough of a sensation to become a cultural signifier for other concerns.

Read More
Jason KellyComment
Historiography (2): Taking Notes Using the "Historiography Worksheet"
Historiography (2): Taking Notes Using the "Historiography Worksheet"

There are many different ways to introduce students to historiography. One of my primary tools is a "Historiography Worksheet." The purpose of the Historiography Worksheet is threefold. First, it teaches students about the complexities of historiography--as both a practice and a field of study. Second, it provides a framework for classroom discussion. Third, it offers students a standardized note-taking format that helps students develop their skills analyzing and synthesizing historical arguments.

Read More
TeachingJason Kellyhistoriography, history, research methods, research, teaching, teaching resources, note-takingComment
A Multimedia Story of The “Bonus Army”: In 1932, the U.S. Government Used Tanks and Tear Gas on Its WWI Veterans
A Multimedia Story of The “Bonus Army”: In 1932, the U.S. Government Used Tanks and Tear Gas on Its WWI Veterans

In May 1932 in Washington, D.C., a group of WWI veterans and their family members began setting up Hoovervilles (and taking up residence in abandoned buildings) as organizing locations to press the government to release their service bonuses early—to support them in their deepest moment of need. This group and their fellow demonstrators became known as the “Bonus Army.”

Read More
Blog PostsJason KellyGreat Depression, Hoover, protest, popular Protest, veterans, rights, race, Jim Crow