Vermont Humanities will examine the most human of quests – the search for home – at its 46th annual fall conference, which will be held on November 15-16 at the University of Vermont’s Dudley H. Davis Center.
Many different groups of people, from many different continents, have helped build our state. But from the 19th century through 2019, the stories of immigrants have largely been excluded from the popular image of Vermont.
It’s a shame that some of the things we record get edited out of our stories. So here’s an episode of lost clips: bike whistles, pewter purists, halfway houses on the border, needlework, and the grave of “Vermont’s Donald Trump.”
Vermont Humanities recently gave a $2,000 grant to Historic New England to support the “More than a Market” project, which will explore the experiences of new Americans through the stories of past and present-day food markets owned by immigrants.
Queer lives and queer histories in Vermont were often kept private for good reason: the fear of losing one’s job, home, or family. The fear of violence. But it’s important to know that LGBTQ people are here, have always been here, and are part of the state’s history.
It can seem like every town in Vermont once had a pharmacist brewing their own special blend of medicine. Some of these cures were derived from herbal folk remedies. Others were created from a lot of alcohol, some food coloring, and a pinch of carefully honed hokum.
The Waterbury Public Library’s Vermont Reads events have included a field trip to the Flynn Center, a cartooning workshop, a book discussion, and two Speakers Bureau talks from the Vermont Humanities catalogue.
This series starts with the 1893 Columbian Exposition and continues through the Gilded Age. Three novels and a narrative history illustrate that spectacular time period in ways that in turn illuminate our own era.
Longtime Vermont Humanities supporter Lisa Schamberg and board member Liz Fenton discussed the importance of the humanities during an afternoon chat at Lisa’s home.
Vermont Humanities was founded 45 years ago in 1974. We recently sat down with Victor R. Swenson, the organization’s first Executive Director, to hear his recollections of our early years.