Using the humanities, we connect with people across Vermont to create just, vibrant, and resilient communities and to inspire a lifelong love of learning.
Dive into our two humanities podcasts to engage and learn about new perspectives.
Banner illustrations include a photo by Rory Stein and an illustration of Vermont’s Capital district by National Book Award Finalist Dan Nott.
October 7
This presentation is based on the research Michele Pagan has done into the Revolutionary War ancestors of the girls who made 19th century schoolgirl samplers. Needlework samplers are a visual record of the values that guided early female education in Vermont, including its focus on needlework as an essential skill for all girls and women. As artifacts of female education, they provide insight into family dynamics, local history, and community values.
October 7
In the years running up to the current 250th commemorations of 1776, the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum has focused its research activities on the American Revolution.
October 7
Explore the types of clothing worn and made by Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake in this interactive talk with dress historian and historical costumer Eliza West. Eliza will share her collection of reproduction early 19th century garments, from corsets to bonnets, while discussing the fashions of the day, and what it meant to make your living by your needle in early America.
October 8
Callie Raspuzzi, the Collections Manager at the Bennington Museum, will present on The Jane A. Stickle Quilt. Made in 1863, during the Civil War, this amazing quilt includes 169 five-inch blocks, each in different patterns and fabric, containing a total of 5,602 pieces surrounded by a unique scalloped border. This illustrated talk will explore the history of the quilt and its maker. It will also use the quilt as a jumping-off point to talk about diverse topics, including female education, the Civil War, country fairs, disability, textile manufacture, poverty, and museum collecting.
October 9
Join us for this special presentation from Tillie Walden about the creation of graphic novel Charity and Sylvia.
October 9
Starting from the text of Charity and Sylvia, we’ll look at the aesthetic choices available to Charity and Sylvia and explore how American LGBTQ+ artists have used fiber as a medium of expression, visibility and remembrance. Beyond the practical aspects of how a fabric functions, we’ll explore how fabric is designed for beauty and delight. We’ll peek into monumental twentieth-century craftivist projects, like the AIDS Memorial Quilt, highlight some under recognized queer figures in American fiber arts and explore how contemporary queer fiber artists use some of the techniques appearing in Charity and Sylvia in their own works.
October 10
Discover how timber crews cleared mountain forests and ran even a 16-mile logging railroad up Lye Brook to feed the raw materials for wood pulp, connecting our mountain valleys directly to the nation’s appetite for paper. Alongside the lecture, get hands-on with the papermaking process as we use cut fabric scraps prepared during October 3rd’s Taconic Music event to make paper pulp.
October 10
Join us for a book discussion of this year’s Vermont Reads selection, Charity & Sylvia. All are welcome!
October 10
This presentation is based on the research Michele Pagan has done into the Revolutionary War ancestors of the girls who made 19th century schoolgirl samplers. Needlework samplers are a visual record of the values that guided early female education in Vermont, including its focus on needlework as an essential skill for all girls and women. As artifacts of female education, they provide insight into family dynamics, local history, and community values.
October 10
This fall, The Lonely Days Are Gone: Community Square Dance Tour brings free concerts and square dances to historic town halls across Vermont! Inspired by the state’s long tradition of contra and square dancing, the tour welcomes neighbors of all ages to connect through live music, participatory dancing, and shared meals.
October 12
In the years running up to the current 250th commemorations of 1776, the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum has focused its research activities on the American Revolution.
October 12
Join us for light refreshments and stimulating discussion as Vermont State University students and faculty from the Castleton Hidden History Project present the early results of our archaeological and archival research on Granger House, as well as our plans for its future as a museum of local history and center for hands-on learning.
We recently supported the Heritage Winooski Mill Museum with two grants to help fund a new exhibit at the museum focusing on child labor. The grants will cover the design, layout, printing, and installation of the exhibit, which will include a global map showing how child labor remains an issue in the overseas textile industry.
Vermont Humanities has developed a broad range of programs that serves Vermonters of all ages and backgrounds. In 2025, over 51,778 people took part in our programs, and we held more than 1,048 activities, hosted by us or our partners.
The Anne Commire Fund for Women in the Humanities supports projects that focus on women writers. Anne (at far left) is shown with the cast of her play “Melody Sisters” in 1984.
The fund was created through a legacy gift of $125,000 from Anne’s estate, one of the largest individual gifts ever made to Vermont Humanities.
By giving to Vermont Humanities, you support education for people of all ages through early literacy programs, Humanities Camps for middle-school children, and programs held in libraries, community centers, schools, and correctional facilities.
Our seasonal “Words in the Woods” program allows Vermonters and visitors to enjoy our state’s natural beauty while listening to and reading literature in the outdoors.
Humanities Camps are filled with reading and writing projects, field trips, and outdoor activities.
We won a 2020 Schwartz Prize for best public humanities programming in the U.S. for Vermont Reads 2019: “March: Book One.”
We supported the Chandler Center for the Arts’ Global Connections Youth Outreach program, which highlights artists from around the world.
Our free public events help bring the power of the humanities to communities across Vermont.
