Share your reflections @RustBeltLab on Instagram and Twitter (#RustBeltLab)!

Learning Outcomes:

Deliver a brief narrative summary of the social, cultural, and economic history of the Rust Belt.

Describe Cleveland’s role as an exemplar of the Rust Belt’s challenges and opportunities.

Explain the importance of place-based, publicly-engaged teaching in the humanities.

List ways in which academics can connect with and serve Rust Belt neighborhoods.

Identify ways in which the humanities can contribute to the social and economic revival of the Rust Belt.

Construct pedagogical plans and assignment rubrics that integrate material from the institute into their teaching.

Daily Schedule

Coffee and tea will be available daily

Sunday, June 4, 2023



Morning

AfternoonCheck-in
Evening Dinner: 5:00-6:00 p.m. Conversation: 6:00-7:00 p.m. Pilla Dining HallDinner and community discussion: What does it mean to work, live, study, and teach in the region? What do mean by the term “Rust Belt”? Activity: Community introductions and exercises aimed at moving towards a collective definition of the term “Rust Belt.” Demo of Trello Board and Rocket Books



Each participant has been gifted the following titles, and we encourage you to read through them at your own pace throughout the institute:

  • Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit by Eliese Colette Goldbach (Flatiron Books, 2020)
  • Goldbach will join us on June 6th.
  • Rust Belt Femme by Rachael Anne Jolie (Belt Publishing, 2020)
  • Jolie will join us on June 7th.
  • Cleveland in 50 Maps edited by Dan Crissman and cartography by Evan Tachovsky & David Wilson(Belt Publishing, 2019)
  • Crissman and Tachovsky will join us on June 8th.
  • Rust Belt Vegan Kitchen: Recipes, Resources, and Stories edited by Meredith Pangrace (Belt Publishing, 2021)
  • Pangrace will join us for an author talk and cooking demo on June 15th.
  • The Family Chao: A Novel by Lan Samantha Chang (W. W. Norton & Company, 2022)
  • This book was awarded the 2023 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for fiction. We will have a chance to speak with Chang (virtually) on June 16th.
  • The Cleveland Neighborhood Guidebook: The Least Practical, Most Literary Guide to Cleveland edited by the staff of Belt Magazine (2016)
  • Of particular interest based on our field trip schedule:
  • “Introduction”
  • “Best Deservedly Spendy Restaurants”
  • “The Paris of Cleveland”
  • “The West Side Market”
  • “Best Museums”
  • “Best Places to Go If You Only Have One Day”
  • “Excitement Sprouts in Hough”

Defining the region: To read before our first gathering

Linked materials:

“Where is the Rust Belt?”: Belt Magazine

Mapping the Great Lakes: Defining the region … with three maps: Great Lakes Now

“Thomas Jefferson’s Midwest Map Was Better Than Ours”: Chicago Magazine

“Tracy K. Smith’s Civic Vision”: Belt Magazine

“Grounding the Humanities”: Public Books

PDFs available on the Trello:

Rust Belt materials:

Midwest Futures by Phil Christman (Belt Publishing, 2020)

  • “Row 1: The Fund”
  • “Row 2: Making Futures in the Midwest”

Rust Belt Chic: The Cleveland Anthology; Second Edition edited by Richey Piiparinen and Anne Trubek (Belt Publishing, 2014)

  • Introductions (1&2) and “Midst of a Burning Fiery Furnace”
  • “Randall Tiedman: Genius Loci”

Wade in the Water by Tracy K. Smith (Penguin Books, 2018)

  • Selected Poems (Anisfield-Wolf Book Award-Winner for poetry in 2019)

On the public humanities:

Badgett, MV Lee. The Public Professor: How to Use Your Research to Change the World. NYU Press, 2016.

  • “Speaking Truth to Empower,” pp. 1-18.

Klinenberg, Eric. Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life. Crown, 2018.

  • “Introduction: The Social Infrastructure.”

Nussbaum, Martha C. Not for Profit: Why Democracy Needs the Humanities. Princeton University Press, 2016.

  • Chapters 1-3

Smulyan, Susan, ed. Doing public humanities. Routledge, 2020.

  • Schroeder, Robyn. “The Rise of the Public Humanists,” pp. 5-27.

Key questions

  • What do we mean by the emplaced humanities? How does this lens inform our pedagogical practices?
  • What does it mean to be a public humanist?
  • What is the Rust Belt? How do you identify with this region (if at all?) Do you connect with a particular region and how has this identity informed your humanities practices? (Both as a teacher-scholar and as a citizen?)

Activities

What is the Rust Belt? (interactive map on rustbeltlab.org)

Word cloud activity

Erasure poems

Pre-institute survey (assessment of learning outcomes)

Introduction to working groups

Monday, June 5, 2023

Topic #1: Community-Based Storytelling; Co-creating a Rust Belt Narrative

Key Questions & Takeaways

  • What is the role of literature (and the imagination) in understanding the physical environment and our place in the world?
  • We will discuss:
  • How to create or revitalize a place-based reading series at your current institution.
  • Ideas for incorporating reading series into syllabi.
  • How and why we might interpret texts collectively rather than atomistically.



Morning Breakfast: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Pilla Dining Hall Session 1: 10:00-11:30 a.m. Pilla Dining HallCommunity-Based Storytelling: Syllabi Salon Ursuline faculty will share out syllabi that form a part of our Rust Belt pathway curriculum. Bring a syllabus of your own or an idea that you’d like to workshop for a morning of collaboration on community-based storytelling courses.
Afternoon Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Session 2: 1:30-3:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall“Community-Based Journalism: Storytelling Ecosystems in the Rust Belt” A roundtable with local journalist from non-profit newsrooms across the city and Rust Belt region: Raechel Anne Jolie (Belt Magazine) Lawrence Caswell (Signal and Cleveland Documenters) Rachel Dissel (The Marshall Project) Christopher Johnston (Solutions Journalism)
Evening 6:00 p.m.

Field trip to EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute offers a unique approach at giving formerly incarcerated adults a foundation in the hospitality industry while providing a support network necessary for a successful reentry. EDWINS’ goal is to enhance Cleveland’s most vulnerable neighborhoods by helping to cultivate its future leaders.



Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Topic #1: Community-Based Storytelling; Co-creating a Rust Belt Narrative



Morning Breakfast: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Pilla Dining Hall Session 1: 9:30-11:00 a.m. Pilla Dining Hall Panel: 11:00-12:00 p.m. Pilla Dining HallDefining the Canon: Rust Belt Literature Lytton Smith, SUNY Geneseo, will discuss community approaches to reading series. We’ll start Tuesday deepening our sense of what a reading series is: more than just a selection of great books and writers, a reading series offers a chance to understand one’s own regional context and the symbiotic role of literature and place in informing one another. Drawing on Rust Belt reading series, and on examples you as participants are familiar with, we’ll create innovative ideas for ways we might want to involve reading series in the classroom and other contexts and we’ll hear from those who run their own Rust Belt series. Takeaways: key points on how to create or revitalize a place-based reading series at your current institution; ideas for incorporating reading series into syllabi; reflection on how and why we might interpret texts collectively rather than atomistically.
Afternoon Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Session 2: 1:00-3:30 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall“The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards” Activities: Karen Long, manager of the Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards at the Cleveland Foundation, will speak about their importance–both locally and nationally: “The Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards recognize books that have made important contributions to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures.” Anisfield-Wolf 2023 winner activity and reflection. This year’s winners include: Geraldine Brooks (fiction), Lan Samantha Chang (fiction), Matthew F. Delmont (non-fiction), Charlayne Hunter-Gault (lifetime achievement), and Saeed Jones (poetry).
Evening Author Talk: 4:00-5:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Dinner: 5:00-6:00 p.m. Pilla Dining HallEliese Colette Goldbach will discuss Rust: A Memoir of Steel and Grit (Flatiron, 2020)



Wednesday, June 7, 2023

Topic #2: Race, Place, and Rooted Solutions

Key Questions & Takeaways

  • How do we build regional humanities ecosystems?
  • What does it mean to read, teach, write, and learn from rooted positionalities?
  • What does it look like to be a public humanist in the Rust Belt?
  • We will discuss:
  • Potential future projects and collaborations.
  • The role of the public humanities in shaping civic fabric.



Morning Breakfast: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Pilla Dining Hall Presentation: 10:00-11:00 a.m. Pilla Dining HallEd Simon, Editor-in-Chief of Belt Magazine, will discuss the publication, regional reporting, and rooted storytelling. He’ll outline possibilities for future collaborations.
Afternoon Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Working Groups (session 1): 1:30-2:30 p.m. Besse Library: meeting spaces include an outdoor patio, the Besse Cafe, the first-floor “Green Space”, an outdoor deck, or the second-floor Sands Lounge. Session 2: 2:30-4:30 p.m. Pilla Dining HallWorking groups: Guided conversation. “Divided by Design: Curriculum Development” In this conversation with Raechel Anne Jolie, she’ll discuss the importance of regional publications in documenting place and how these articles could be used in classroom and community contexts.
Evening Author Talk: 5:00-6:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Dinner: 6:00-7:00 p.m. Pilla Dining HallRaechel Anne Jolie will discuss Rust Belt Femme (Belt, 2020).



Thursday, June 8, 2023

Topic #2: Race, Place, and Rooted Solutions



Morning Breakfast: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Pilla Dining Hall Presentation: 10:00-11:00 a.m. Pilla Dining Hall“Narratives of Redlining and Structural Inequity.” Dr. Jacob Waldenmaier demonstrates his digital mapping project in the context of bio-ethics. Invitation to other faculty in the working-group to share out related projects and methods.
Afternoon Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Presentation: 1:00-2:30 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Working Groups (session 2): 3:00-4:00 p.m. Besse Library: meeting spaces include an outdoor patio, the Besse Cafe, the first-floor “Green Space”, an outdoor deck, or the second-floor Sands Lounge.In 2019, Cleveland was ranked the worst place in America for Black Women. In response to these findings, a local think tank, Enlightened Solutions, put together a research project that sought to understand the experiences of Black Women in our region. This project aimed at identifying the behaviors, bottlenecks, and barriers that have led to our inadequate ranking. Attend our program to gain insights about the survey plan, prominent demographic and economic transformations on the horizon, and how our region can become a significant magnet for diverse, innovative talent. Working groups: Guided conversation.
Evening Author Talk: 5:00-6:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Dinner: 6:00-7:00 p.m. Pilla Dining HallEditor Dan Crissman and cartographer Evan Tachovsky will discuss Cleveland in 50 Maps (Belt, 2019).



Friday, June 9, 2023

Topic #2: Race, Place, and Rooted Solutions



Morning Breakfast: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Pilla Dining Hall Presentation: 10:00-11:30 a.m. Pilla Dining HallDr. Bari Stith and historic preservation alumni working in the Cleveland area will discuss how the field of historic preservation can serve as a tool of economic revitalization. They will focus on the case study of the Cleveland Trust Building which became a local grocery store, Heinen’s, among others. Invited guests include Karl Brunjes, Senior Planner, Cleveland Landmarks Commission and Jamie Miles, Preservation Programs Associate, Cleveland Restoration Society.
Afternoon Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Showcase: 1:30-3:00 p.m. Besse LibraryDuring lunch, participants will engage in an informal conversation with Hannah Schell of the NEH who will be conducting a site visit to Ursuline’s campus. Participants will be invited to showcase their respective work from their home campuses in a symposium-style event so that we can learn from one another.
Evening Tour of Chateau Hough (& boxed dinner): 5:00-7:00 p.m. Film Screening: 8:30-10:00 p.m. The Little Theater (Mullen)Participants will tour Chateau Hough, another innovative example of urban land reclamation and farming. Training incarcerated and at-risk individuals to farm and stay in the workforce is at the heart of the non-profit. Film: American Splendor (2003) with optional pre-reading (Harvey Pekar’s posthumously published graphic novel, Cleveland).



Saturday, June 10, 2023



Morning Breakfast: 8:00-8:30 a.m. Pilla Dining Hall (boxed breakfasts to be taken on the bus) Field trip: Historic preservation and food culture in Cleveland9:30-10:30: Participants will tour the locally owned Heinen’s grocery store in the Historic Cleveland Trust. Tour and discussion will be led by Dr. Bari Stith and Karl Brunjes, Senior Planner, Cleveland Landmarks Commission/Cleveland Planning Commission. 11:00-12:00: Participants tour the historic West Side Market and purchase lunch. A per diem will be given to participants to choose from the myriad food options from vendors at the market stalls.
Afternoon Lunch: 11:00-12:00 p.m. Pick up food at the West Side Market Field trip continued





12:30-2:00: Travel to the Carnegie West branch of the Cleveland Public Library. Hema Steele, of the Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority, will lead a discussion of the current state of food security, housing security, employment, and small business startups. 3:00-5:00 (boards at 2:30): Good Time Cruise. Please take photographs of your travels throughout the city for the evening cartooning workshop!
Evening Dinner: 6:00-7:00 p.m. Pilla Dining HallDr. Valentino Zullo will lead a cartooning workshop based on our experiences moving throughout the city by bus, foot, and boat.



Sunday, June 11, 2023



Morning Breakfast: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Pilla Dining Hall Field trip Environmental justice and community health (Farmer Jones and Rid-all Green Ghetto Farms.)Participants will tour Farmer Jones Farmers Market, recently revitalized by the Rid-all Green Ghetto farms. Lacking fresh, nutritious food in her city, the mayor of Maple Heights requested the aid of Rid-all to take over the market.
Afternoon Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Farmer Jones Fieldtrip continuedParticipants will tour the Rid-all Green Ghetto farms. Aside from revitalizing a forgotten urban landscape to make it profitable and nourishing to the community, the non-profit is committed to training youth as well as incarcerated individuals to farm and to become entrepreneurs. (10:30 a.m.) Meet to tour Farmer Jones Market with a Rid-all representative. Members of the group will have time to purchase items from the store. (11:45 a.m.) Head to the farm on Otter Road to have lunch at the restaurant from 12pm-1pm. (2pm-3pm) The group will tour the farm with a Rid-all representative.
Evening Dinner: 6:00-7:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall



Monday, June 12, 2023

Topic #3: Environmental Justice and Community Health

Key Questions & Takeaways

  • How do we build an environmental humanities curriculum for the Rust Belt region?
  • We will discuss:
  • Food culture; food waste; food apartheid
  • Key questions for the environmental humanities in the Rust Belt region
  • Using data in the humanities classroom

Key questions and Takeaways:



Morning Breakfast: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Pilla Dining Hall Presentation: 10:00-11:30 a.m. Pilla Dining Hall“Disparities in the City: Making Connections with Public Data”: Dr. Lynn Ulatowski and Dr. Jenise Snyder will discuss projects from their classes, including those developed as part of the Rust Belt Pathway at Ursuline. Emphasis will be placed on using public data to make evidence-based assessments of environmental and health disparities in Cleveland. “Using public data to make evidence-based assessments of environmental and health disparities in Cleveland.” Lead poisoning will be used as an example to survey various public databases and to assess environmental injustices that contribute to health outcomes, followed by participants creating an individualized appraisal of a desired location, environmental injustice, and health disparity. Learning outcomes: After this session, participants will: Describe the connection between environmental injustice and health disparities Apply data management skills Analyze various public databases to assess characteristics that impact health Develop an evaluation of a desired location utilizing a database Discussion questions: What contributes to environmental and health disparities? How are data represented? Do you use data in your humanities class?
Afternoon Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Presentation: 1:30-3:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Working Groups (session 3): 3:00-4:30 p.m. Besse Library: meeting spaces include an outdoor patio, the Besse Cafe, the first-floor “Green Space”, an outdoor deck, or the second-floor Sands Lounge.Lecture by the Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition on food deserts and nutrition in the Rust Belt: “This session will highlight the effect of lending practices and the resulting redlining on neighborhood changes that resulted in our current disparities in health outcomes related to inadequate access to healthy food options in urban areas.” Questions to ponder include: What steps are needed to provide access to healthy nutritious foods in Urban America? Can urban agriculture or food policy solve the issue of food deserts in urban areas? Working Groups: Guided conversation.
Evening (Dinner with the Ursuline Sisters for four guests) Dinner: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Rust Belt Screenings: 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Suggested activity: See our list of Rust Belt themed television and films available via streaming services. Pick up a snack kit and watch together in your residential suites.



Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Topic #3: Environmental Justice and Community Health



Morning Breakfast: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Pilla Dining Hall Presentation: 9:30-12:00 p.m. Pilla Dining HallCongress for a New Urbanism Midwest: Katy Shackelford, AICP, PTP and Dan Baisden, M.P.S. Community & Economic Development Katy is an award-winning urban planning professional and funding specialist with more than ten years of experience. She specializes in transportation planning, economic development, and public policy. She has a talent for creating catalytic community impacts using infrastructure investment. As a member of Stantec’s North American Funding Program, Katy helps clients navigate complex funding opportunities and position their projects for maximum community benefits. Skilled in project management and policy analysis, she ensures impactful and meaningful community-driven outcomes in all her work. Katy is passionate about building places people love and has helped communities and clients secure over $180M in federal, state, and private funding to bring their ideas to life. Dan Baisden is Administrator of Neighborhood Planning and Activation for the City of Fort Wayne Indiana and serves as the past chair for CNU Midwest. Prior to his current position, Dan spent several years as a neighborhood planner/public art manager for the City of Fort Wayne and was the Executive Director of Main Street Van Wert. Growing up near Akron Ohio, Dan is passionate about the Legacy Cities of the Midwest and has dedicated years of research toward community development and engagement strategies for these communities with limited resources. Dan is a graduate of Arizona State University with degrees in Urban Planning and Urban Sociology, and received his Masters in Community Development from Penn State University, Dan won the Edison Research award in 2011 and was named one of Fort Wayne’s 40 Under 40 in 2015.
Afternoon Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Presentation: 1:00-12:15 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Working Groups (session 4): 3:00-4:30 p.m. Besse Library: meeting spaces include an outdoor patio, the Besse Cafe, the first-floor “Green Space”, an outdoor deck, or the second-floor Sands Lounge.Dan Brown from Rust Belt Riders will discuss their role as environmental and food stewards who have changed the landscape of food waste in Cleveland. “Rust Belt Riders provides businesses, organizations, and individuals with a clean, timely, and community-benefiting alternative to landfills for their wasted food. Our mission is to feed people, not landfills. The services Rust Belt Riders provides to our community result in Tilth Soil, a line of certified organic composts and soils that improve our food system and advance nature-based solutions to the climate crisis.” Services: www.RustBeltRiders.com; @rustbeltriders Products: www.TilthSoil.com; @Tilth.Soil Participants will meet in working groups to discuss how to incorporate seminar materials into classroom teaching, curriculum development, and experiential learning. Begin thinking through “next steps”–What do we hope to continue working towards as a group?
Evening Dinner: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Author Talk: 7:00-8:30 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall

Derf Backderf, comics creator, will discuss comics as documentation and acts of witness. Independent booksellers, Mac’s Backs, will be on site selling copies of his work. (Introduced by Jeff Karem, CSU)



Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Topic #3: Environmental Justice and Community Health



Morning Breakfast: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Pilla Dining Hall Presentation: 10:00-11:30 a.m. Pilla Dining HallTowards an environmental humanities in the Rust Belt: Dr. Jenise Snyder and Dr. Lynn Ulatowski will speak about ways to address environmental issues in the humanities classroom and potential moments and opportunities for cross-disciplinary work in a specifically Rust Belt context.
Afternoon Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Presentation: 1:30-3:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Working Groups (session 5): 3:00-4:30 p.m. Besse Library: meeting spaces include an outdoor patio, the Besse Cafe, the first-floor “Green Space”, an outdoor deck, or the second-floor Sands Lounge.Lecture from The Black Health Coalition on environmental racism: “This session will highlight the impact of education, advocacy and community empowerment in taking our freedom back and fighting legislative terrorism and environmental racism in order to address the cumulative impact in our efforts to promote health equity in all policies.”
Questions to ponder include: Why is a health impact assessment important? What questions need to be asked of communities during the scoping process? How do you get communities to believe in the work? Participants will meet in working groups to discuss how to incorporate seminar materials into classroom teaching, curriculum development, and experiential learning. Begin thinking through “next steps”–What do we hope to continue working towards as a group?
Evening Dinner: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Film Screening: 7:00-9:00 p.m. The Little Theater (Mullen)Knife Skills (2017)



Thursday, June 15, 2023

Topic #3: Environmental Justice and Community Health



Morning Breakfast: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Pilla Dining Hall Presentation: 10:00-11:30 a.m. Pilla Dining HallAllison Lukacsy-Love of Give Box Cleveland: “Give Box Cleveland consists of multiple always ‘open’, weatherproof, wood boxes filled with non-perishables, toiletries and notes of positivity that sit on a post in the lawns of generous stewards. Neighbors come and give anonymously–giving what they can and taking what they need without the barriers that come with food assistance programs. Give Box Cleveland brings the LFP concept to Cleveland neighborhoods, activating community engagement to fill an immediate and local need and increase charity and neighborliness.” Lukacsy-Love will discuss ways for students to incorporate these types of projects into the humanities classroom.
Afternoon Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Presentation: 1:00-2:30 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Author Talk: 4:00-5:30 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall“Towards Nutrition Equity: System Approach to Transforming Healthy Food Access.” The food system is a social determinant of health and a leverage point for reducing diet-related racial inequities. Current food system continues to produce worse outcomes including food apartheid, food insecurity, and negative health outcomes. This session will highlight the complexities and underlying mechanisms that structure current food systems. We will also discuss “menu of actions” for achieving nutrition equity identified through engagements with hundreds of stakeholders from across Greater Cleveland. Participants will spend time discussing culturally responsive teaching that reduces neighborhood level inequities. Bio: Owusua Yamoah, PhD, M.A, Research Scientist and Community Engaged Research Lead at the Maryann Swetland Center for Environmental Health, Case Western Reserve University Dr. Yamoah is a Research Scientist and the Community Engaged Research Lead at Case Western Reserve University. She holds a PhD in Spatially Integrated Social Sciences from the University of Toledo (UT), a Master of Art in Urban Studies from Minnesota State University (MSU) and a Bachelor of Science in Development Planning from the University of Science and Technology in Ghana. As a socio-spatial scientist, Owusua’s research focuses on leveraging the experiences of low resource communities to inform policy, system and environmental changes resulting in health equity. Her research interests include food security among food pantry patrons and grandfamilies, community-engaged systems-level interventions that address food insecurity. She is currently the co-investigator for the Nourishing Neighborhoods Empowering Communities Study. Meredith Pangrace will discuss her book, Rust Belt Vegan Kitchen (and provide us with a live cooking demo).
Evening Dinner: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall



Friday, June 16, 2023

Topic #3: Environmental Justice and Community Health



Morning Breakfast: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Pilla Dining Hall Presentation: 10:00-11:30 a.m. Pilla Dining HallVirtual author talk with Lan Samantha Chang, an Anisfield-Wolf winner from the 2023 cycle, on her novel, The Family Chao.
Afternoon Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Pilla Dining Hall Presentation and field trip: 2:30-4:30 p.m.Noel Rivera of the Cleveland Food Bank will meet with participants for a presentation, tour, and interactive activity.

Evening Dinner: 5:00-6:30 p.m. (boxed) Euclid BeachParticipants will eat boxed dinners at Euclid Beach.



Saturday, June 17, 2023



Morning Breakfast: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Pilla Dining Hall Field trip: Cleveland’s Pre-Rustbelt EraJoin us to explore the Cleveland Public Library/Downtown and Cleveland Museum of Art in University Circle, two of many of our nationally recognized institutions dedicated to public education that resulted from the fortunes made in transportation (particularly shipping), trade, and steel in Cleveland’s pre-rustbelt eras. 10:00 a.m. Cleveland Public Library

Afternoon Lunch: 12:00-1:00 p.m. Field trip: 2:30-4:30 p.m.12:00-1:00 p.m. lunch at the Cleveland Museum of Art (atrium) 1:00-2:00 p.m. tour of the Cleveland Museum of Art Participants will visit the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve where they will view a collection of pieces created by the local Cleveland artist Randall Tiedman. In viewing Tiedman’s artworks, the group will discuss the aesthetic decisions made by the artist while relating them to our collective perception of how and why we attempt to interpret rustbelts through the use of various compositional tropes. 2:00-4:00 p.m. Artists of the Western Reserve
Evening Dinner: 5:00-6:00 p.m. Pilla Dining HallClosing reception TBD



Sunday, June 18, 2023



Morning Breakfast: 8:30-9:30 a.m. Pilla Dining HallParticipants Depart



(Please note that this schedule is subject to minor changes.)

Sunday June 4th
What does it mean to work, live, study, and teach in the region?
What do we mean by the term “Rust Belt”?
Introductions and Definitions

I. Community-Based Storytelling

Monday June 5th
Solutions Journalism, Community Journalism, and Hyper-Local Journalism
Dr. Katharine Trostel introduces the institute and discusses community-centered journalism

Community-Based Journalism: Storytelling Ecosystems in the Rust Belt
Community Based Journalism Panel

EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute
Tuesday June 6th
Defining the Canon: Rust Belt Literature

The Edith Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Karen Long of The Cleveland Foundation

II. Race, Place, and Rooted Solutions

Wednesday June 7th
Divided by Design: A Teaching Resource

Belt Magazine with Raechel Anne Jolie

Raechel Anne Jolie discusses her memoir, Rust Belt Femme
Thursday June 8th
Narratives of Redlining and Structural Inequity

Project Noir
Chinenye Nkemere & Bethany Studenic of Enlightened Solutions

Cleveland in 50 Maps
Dan Crissman (editor) and cartographers Evan Tachovsky and David Wilson
Friday June 9th
Historic Preservation: Revitalizing the Rust Belt

Symposium and Working Groups
Institute members showcase their work and discuss the week.

Film Screening and Discussion
Saturday June 10th
Historic Preservation and Food Culture in Cleveland
West Side Market

Historic Preservation and Eliminating a Food Desert
Heinen’s grocery store in the Historic Cleveland Trust
Boat tour of the Cuyahoga River
Chateau Hough
Sunday June 11th
Environmental Justice and Community Health
Farmer Jones Farmers Market

Community Health and Recreation
Rid-All Green Ghetto farms
Cleveland Food Bank
Euclid Beach Metropark
Karamu House

III. Environmental Humanities and Community Health

Monday June 12th
Disparities in the City: Making Connections with Public Data
Dr. Lynn Ulatowski and Dr. Jenise Snyder on using public data to make evidence-based assessments of environmental and health disparities in Cleveland

Public Health and Distributive Justice
A discussion with Dr. Jacob Waldenmaier on data-driven bioethical assessments and solutions

Unpacking Environmental Racism
The Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition

Film Screening and Discussion
Tuesday June 13th
Working Groups

Community Health
Presentation and Q&A with Rust Belt Riders, environmental and food stewards who have changed the landscape of food waste in Cleveland

Film Screening and Discussion
Project Drawdown; ReFED; “The Soil Will Save Us” (Kristin Ohlson); “The Third Plate” (Dan Barber)
Wednesday June 14th
Towards an Environmental Humanities in the Rust Belt
Dr. Lynn Ulatowski and Dr. Jenise Snyder on ways to address environmental issues in the humanities classroom and opportunities for cross-disciplinary work

Community Health Disparities
The Northeast Ohio Black Health Coalition

Film Screening and Discussion
Thursday June 15th
Community Solutions I
Allison Lukacsy-Love of Give Box Cleveland

Community Solutions II
Owusua Yamoah on innovation in social, cultural, and public health

Rust Belt Literature
Rust Belt Vegan Kitchen
Friday June 16th
Next Steps
Working Groups

Community Solutions III
Virtual author talk with an Anisfield-Wolf winner from the 2023 cycle

Working Groups, Discussions, Screenings, Networking
Saturday June 17th
Knowledge and Culture in Cleveland
The Cleveland Public Library
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Historic Cleveland Orchestra
Sunday June 18th
Depart
Field Map

Rust Belt Humanities Lab uses Accessibility Checker to monitor our website's accessibility.