Public Lectures

What does it mean to be a maker, artist, or artisan in the twenty-first century? In her new book, Almost Lost Arts (Chronicle Books, 2019), Emily Freidenrich explores the work of twenty artisans from points worldwide who practice their craft using...

Food is an indispensable part of culture and a symbol of profound socialand political realities. Using Virginia Woolf’s essay A Room of One’s Own as a jumping point, Barbara Haber and Lydia Shire will discuss the connections among culinary history, women...

Diving with a Purpose is an organization dedicated to the documentation and protection of African slave trade shipwrecks and the maritime history and culture of African Americans. Jay Haigler, Albert José Jones, and Erik Denson share the organization’s...

Responding to keen interest in last fall’s Reimagining Museums event, we have invited the speakers to return and continue the conversation. (Watch Discussion 1) As museums acknowledge their legacy as colonial institutions, many are reimagining their...

As museums have acknowledged their legacy as colonial institutions, many have reimagined their mission as agents of decolonization and social justice. The pandemic disruption, the Black Lives Matter movement, and other community issues are driving still...

In the late nineteenth century, Charles Darwin proposed that all humans share a common ancestor and that evolution likely began in Africa. He expected controversy over his revolutionary idea, even suggesting that Harvard professor Louis Agassiz might...