Join artist and educator Jen Berger for a presentation that places monuments within the broader field of public art, examining how objects in shared space shape memory, belonging, and power, and how monuments, often permanent and officially sanctioned, are mistaken for neutral history. Moving from participatory public artworks to the political histories and social impacts of monuments, including Confederate memorials and their removal after 2020, we look towards Vermont to ask what our monuments say about public history and whose stories are centered or missing.
The Vermont Monument Project is a three-year, humanities-based initiative that combines research, analysis, and artistic practice to expand and complicate public memory through dialogue, care, and inclusion.
Mileage
Projector and connections for laptop
First, contact the speaker by clicking on their biography below to confirm their availability and discuss any special arrangements.
Then, click this “Book this Talk!” button to send a request form to Vermont Humanities. We’ll respond within one week.
Contact Jacob Pelletier at jpelletier@vermonthumanities.org.
Jen Berger (she/her) is a socially engaged artist and educator based in Vermont. Her interdisciplinary practice—spanning printmaking, performance, installation, and mixed media—explores the intersections of art, care, and justice, with a focus on collective grief, participation, and belonging. Grounded in decades of social movement experience, her artwork connects research, making, and community engagement into public and shared spaces.
Join artist and educator Jen Berger for a presentation that places monuments within the broader field of public art, examining how objects in shared space shape memory, belonging, and power, and how monuments, often permanent and officially sanctioned, are mistaken for neutral history.
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.
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