Calendar of Events
Humanities for Everyone
Events Calendar
Events Search and Views Navigation
October 2021
*DIGITAL* The Zone is Us: Sacrifice in the Space-Time of Climate Change
While some have sheltered themselves from the effects of climate change so far, others are already traumatized by wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, rising seas, and wars over land and water. And for Indigenous groups, climate change follows centuries of world-destroying, identity-rupturing trauma. Gleaning from classical mythology, UVM professor Adrian Ivakhiv suggests three paths for navigating climate-related trauma: those of Chronos (science), of Aion (arts and humanities), and of Kairos (action without guarantee). (Registration required.) Read More »
*DIGITAL* Discussion: Are “We the People” Up to the Task?
Join constitutional scholar Meg Mott for a lively discussion based on her October 6 First Wednesdays talk at the St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, which will be recorded and offered in advance of this event. Ask your questions of Meg and add to the conversation! (Registration required.) Read More »
Justin Morgan’s Horse: Making an American Myth
All Morgan horses today trace their lineage back to a single horse: a mystery stallion named Figure, owned by singing teacher Justin Morgan in the late 18th century. But who was Figure, really? Amanda Gustin of the Vermont Historical Society explores the story of the first Morgan horse. Read More »
*DIGITAL* Vermont Teen Shakespeareans Save the Planet
In 2020 the Get Thee to the Funnery Shakespeare camp for teenagers studied Merchant of Venice to frame a discussion of prejudice and hate speech. And in 2021, the group discussed global warming and climate justice through Midsummer Night’s Dream. Funnery founder Peter Gould and a panel of informed, passionate, articulate, and wise campers describe their experience. (Registration required.) Read More »
*DIGITAL* NPR’s Eric Westervelt on Bigger Fires, Hotter Days, and Drier Lands
Mega fires, excessive heat and widening drought all underscore how climate change is fueling the routinization of extreme weather, with consequences for all of us. (Registration required.) Read More »
*DIGITAL* Of Wheelmen, the New Woman, and Good Roads: Bicycling in Vermont, 1880-1920
In this lecture, UVM professor Luis Vivanco explores the fascinating early history of the bicycle in Vermont, a new invention that generated widespread curiosity when it arrived here in the 1880s. Read More »
November 2021
*DIGITAL* Philanthropy and Civil Society in Challenging Times
The pandemic year of 2020 challenged every aspect of modern community, including our visions of equality, civility, health, and democracy. Stuart Comstock-Gay, former president of the Vermont Community Foundation, discusses how civic engagement can help us rebuild our communities and reclaim our dreams. (Registration required.) Read More »
*DIGITAL* Why We Eat What We Eat at Thanksgiving
How did America’s most iconic food holiday come to include green bean casserole? What did the Wampanoag people and the Pilgrims really eat in 1621? Susan Evans McClure, executive director of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, serves up the story of Thanksgiving foods and how they help us understand our American identity. (Registration required.) Read More »
*DIGITAL* Global Food Sovereignty, from Resilience to Reclamation
The global food system is marked by Black land loss, the dispossession of Indigenous territory, and violence against land defenders. But grassroots movements around the world are building communities of care against these harmful systems. Foodways researcher Veronica Limeberry describes how these communities honor the sovereignty of their peoples and ecologies. (Registration required.) Read More »
*DIGITAL* We are the Land: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Abenaki Sovereignty
Although four bands of the Abenaki were recognized by the state of Vermont ten years ago, the bands continue to face challenges. Bryan Blanchette and Melody Walker Mackin discuss the historical ramifications of colonialism, contrast the traditional Abenaki connection to the land with contemporary ideas, and consider ideas on reciprocity and reconciliation. Read More »