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Backyard Immersion 2014: Vernacular Inventions FORUM

Friday, November 14, 2014 (All day)

As the common saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. And in South Louisiana, numerous little necessities have generated curious and ingenious inventions and contraptions. The Backyard Immersion program will explore the environment that leads to such random—yet effective—creations, as well as examine the process of taking eclectic ideas and solutions and applying them to everyday inconveniences.

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Center for Louisiana Studies has reworked its successful In Your Own Backyard series concept into a two-day program designed to accommodate the student and the curious, the academic and the adventurous. Backyard Immersion consists of a full day Backyard Forum on Friday, November 14, 2014, at the Lafayette Science Museum and a Backyard Field Trip on the following Friday, November 21. The program focuses on Vernacular Inventions of South Louisiana, and each component provides insight into those one-off, oddball creations that have made life easier and given rise to some of the state's favorite industries.

The Backyard Forum focuses on developing a definition of “vernacular inventions” and identifying them as well as the process that generates such objects. Demonstrations and hands-on exercises complement the discussions and provide an interactive framework for understanding vernacular inventions and their impact on our daily lives. The Backyard Forum is 8:30-5:30pm on Friday, November 14, 2014, at the Lafayette Science Museum. Registration is $45 for the day and includes lunch.

The following Friday, discover vernacular inventions in the field by visiting small museums and archives. The McIlhenny Archives is the primary destination, with stops at other locations in the area and a lunch break. The Backyard Field Trip bus departs campus at 8:30am on Friday, November 21, 2014, and returns at 3:30pm. Registration is $65 for the day and includes lunch.

For more information about the Backyard Immersion program call 337.482.6871 or email clspresents@louisiana.edu.

The cost for the full program is $100, or you may pay individually for each event: $45 for the Backyard Forum and $65 for the Backyard Field Trip. Student registration is discounted to $35 for each event. Register online at Eventbrite [http://backyardimmersion2014.eventbrite.com/] or in person at the Center for Louisiana Studies. You may also register at the beginning of the day on November 14.

Program Details

Backyard Forum
Friday, November 14, 2014
Lafayette Science Museum Auditorium
Registration $45
8:30-9 Registration and Coffee
9-9:30 Welcome and Introductions
9:30-11 An Overview of Inventive Thought
11-12:30 Improvisational Creation
12:30-1:30 Lunch on your own
1:30-3:00 Basin Ingenuity
3-3:15 Coffee Break
3:15-5 The Contemporary Vernacular and Coastal Erosion and Potential Remedies to the Disappearing Coastline breakout sessions

Backyard Field Trip
Friday, November 21, 2014
Registration $65
8-8:30 Meet at UL Lafayette Alumni Center
8:30 Depart campus
Destinations include McIlhenny Archives, Avery Island, Begnaud Manufacturing
Lunch (TBD)
3:30 Return to campus

- See more at: http://louisianastudies.louisiana.edu/programming-special-projects/event...

Room name/number: 
Lafayette Science Museum
Event contact email: 
Event contact address: 
Lafayette, LA 70503
United States
Ticket information: 

Register at backyardimmersion.eventbrite.com.

Student discounts available.

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