"The tongue-in-cheek motto of the North Dakota Humanities Council is, 'We have ways of making you think,'" quips Brenna Daugherty, the organization's executive director. "What better time to reflect than New Year's?"

The Humanities Council and the North Dakota Council on the Arts are promoting statewide 2009 opportunities that give life to the art of living.

Daugherty explains that the Humanities Council has partnered with the Smithsonian Institution to bring exhibits to five communities in 2009.

"The theme of the exhibit, Journey Stories, perfectly captures the essence of the new year from a humanities perspective: Where have we come from, and where are we going?" she says.

Daugherty believes 2009 has an urgency about it. "In many ways the problems we are facing are new to us, but if the humanities tell us anything it is that key insight comes from our collective past," she says.

Humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson will help communities consider that past through Humanities Council talks about "The Odyssey" by Homer. "Western literature's first great journey story can serve as a sort of metaphor for the journey of North Dakota's history," Jenkinson says.

He suggests that the structure of Odysseus' journey, its epic elements, can inform our collective North Dakota journey. Meeting with monsters, confronting temptations, and making a bargain with a wind god all provide a cultural lens through which we can view our past.

Daugherty adds that classic literature can illuminate the present, as well. "Like Odysseus' journey, the voyage into 2009 will be fraught with perils: economic crisis, environmental integrity, and national security. As his journey progressed, Odysseus became ever more insightful and introspective. If North Dakotans take a genuine interest in the future of our state, they will find this approach will serve them well."

Jenkinson also offers that, while North Dakota rarely has been a destination, it is a location through which many remarkable travelers have passed. For example, Lewis and Clark, Prince Maximillian of Germany and artist Karl Bodmer all provide beautifully descriptive reflections of what would eventually become North Dakota. More contemporary authors who have written accounts of the state are Robert Pirsig in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance," William Least Heat-Moon in his "Blue Highways" and John Steinbeck in "Travels with Charlie."

"This (the Journey Stories series) is a way to raise our state's own remarkable stories above the radar," according to Jenkinson. "North Dakotans have self-doubt about their identity, yet it's so rich and complex."

Jan Webb, executive director of the state Council on the Arts, is pleasantly surprised by the high aspirations and spirits as she, too, focuses on stories … of artists and arts organizations across the state.

"Too often people think North Dakota doesn't have many cultural events," she says. "Personally, I find it difficult to keep up with everything that goes on."

Webb cites how an ever greater number of organizations are including performing groups and artists throughout the state in their programming. For instance, since 1994, First Night Greater Grand Forks has offered a festival that transforms downtown into a spectacle of light, sound and imagery, providing cultural experiences for thousands. The New Year's celebration includes performance stages, intricately carved ice sculptures and kids' art activities topped off with fireworks at midnight.

A sweeping glance across the state exhibits a vibrant palette of culture: From Fargo-Moorhead Opera celebrating a 40th anniversary, to Jamestown developing a new Arts Center Complex, to Minot's Artspace project, to Bismarck-Mandan's renewing of the Presbyterian Art Show, expanding programming at High Prairie Arts & Science Complex, and opening a new Mandan Art Association gallery.

"There is an understanding of how important the arts are, how it makes our students well-rounded citizens, how it contributes to a quality life," Webb says.