Edition No. 3
Inspired Thoughts is a collection of highly curated content that embraces the spirit and purpose of The War Memorial: arts and culture, community enrichment, leadership, and patriotism.
Derived from the notion that learning from others is the key to success, Inspired Thoughts is meant to shine a light on those making a difference in the world around them. This collection features artists, poets, writers, architects, and every thought leader in-between. Inspired Thoughts is the strongest reflection of what The War Memorial stands for, and what we aim to be.
In our latest edition of Inspired Thoughts, we highlight the community-wide impact felt by the current pandemic and the various responses seen around the country. Featured is a new art gallery from our friends at Grosse Pointe Artists Association which highlights artists’ reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic; a gripping article from The Atlantic analyzing the long-term effects of working from home; and a fascinating conversation on the addition of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to The Constitution. The content featured on Inspired Thoughts is curated by War Memorial leadership — we also look forward to featuring special guest curators in the near future. If you are interested in providing content for Inspired Thoughts, please email our Community Engagement team at bhoste@warmemorial.org.
In this Edition
Arts and Culture
Grosse Pointe Artists Association opens their new exhibition, Soul Searching, an introspective look at the COVID-19 pandemic.
Community and Family
Amanda Mull shares a fascinating article in The Atlantic considering the long-term effects of our new work-from-home “normal.”
Our American Values
Eric Foner of Columbia University engages in a thoughtful conversation about the post-Civil War Amendments added to The Constitutuion.
Grosse Pointe Artists Association — Soul Searching
Opening Thursday, October 22 at The War Memorial
Grosse Pointe Artists Association’s latest exhibition, Soul Searching, will display 41 pieces of work from 35 artists. For the exhibition, artists were asked to share their work done during the COVID-19 pandemic. As anticipated, they were “Soul Searching,” savoring memories and preparing themselves for a bright future. Topics include racism, politics, and personal growth.
The exhibition will also serve as the first public programming to be held in the recently refurbished gallery space, once occupied by the former WMTV studio.
The show will be open to the public from 2—7pm on Thursdays, beginning October 22 and running through December 17. An online version of the gallery will be available as well. To learn more and register to attend, click here.
The First Four Months by Katie McNamee
A Job Without A Workplace
To have a job without a workplace, you must build an office of the mind…” Writing in The Atlantic, Amanda Mull considers the possible long-term impact of working from home on our future career paths and opportunities. She pays especially close attention to the situation facing early career professionals who may have not firmly established in-office careers before the onset of the current pandemic and work at home regime. Read more here.
Our Constitution: The Second Founding
In a November 2019 talk at Goldman Sachs, Columbia University DeWitt Clinton Professor Emeritus of History Eric Foner spoke about the post-Civil War Reconstruction Amendments (13, 14, and 15) and his recent book, The Second Founding (W.W. Norton: 2019). At one level, these three amendments remade America by fundamentally altering our idea of citizenship and empowering the federal government to protect the rights of individual citizens. At another level, Foner argues that “the issues of Reconstruction are on the front page of our newspapers… Who is a citizen? Who should have the right to vote? I mean that’s on the front page of the New York Times today.” This talk runs 26 minutes.
Suggested Reading
From The Desk of Charles Burke, President and CEO
The resurrection of the Vanity Ballroom (seen above), is a direct result of the innovation leadership and forward thinking from the minds at the Jefferson Development Corp., a for-profit subsidary of the not-for-profit Jefferson East Inc. Chad Livengood details the revialization of the ballroom as well as the Jefferson-Chalmers neighborhood in a recent Crain’s Detroit Business article. Read more here.
Virtual Lecture and Q&A: Recording
A.J. Baime, an old friend of The War Memorial, joined us last Thursday for a riveting conversation about his new book, Dewey Defeats Truman: The Election of 1948 and the Battle for America’s Soul. If you were unable to join, no worries! The entire virtual conversation was recorded. Click here to view. Be sure to use the password 6rvXRF%1 to gain access.