Public Humanities Symposium
2026 Public Humanities Symposium
May 29, 2026 (Friday)
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
All events are free and open to the public—drop in any time!
RSVP* here: https://centerforcivicengagement.wufoo.com/forms/p1ml4yj81horovo/
*While RSVPS are useful for catering purposes, we encourage, but do not require, advance registration.
Join the Kaplan Institute for the Humanities, the Public Humanities Practicum, and the Center for Civic Engagement for a day of celebration, discussion, and dreaming about the activity and state of the public humanities at Northwestern. Come to meet others interested in the public humanities, to think big thoughts about the place of public humanities in graduate education, and to absorb the variety of public humanities initiatives and projects on campus.
Location note: Kaplan Seminar Room is Kresge Hall #2351
Symposium events — join us for all or part of the day!
10:00am - 10:30am (Kaplan Seminar Room) — Breakfast
10:30am - 11:30am (Kaplan Seminar Room) — Opening Panel, Field Notes from the Public Humanities
With Jayme Collins, Josh Honn, Malia Haines-Stewart, Jojo Galvan Mora, Helen Cho, Ruth Martin Curry
11:30am - 12:00pm (Kaplan Seminar Room) — Coffee + Breakout Sessions
12:00pm - 1:30pm (Kaplan Seminar Room) — Lunch + Keynote Panel, Institutionalizing the Public Humanities
with Laura Brueck, Liz Son, Ivy Wilson, and Wendy Wall
1:30pm - 1:45pm — Break
1:45pm - 2:45pm — Realizing the Public Humanities (Embodied Experiences)
Public Humanities offer academics and artists a critical approach to bringing research into community spaces, but how does one take an idea and actually make it happen? In this session, Realizing the Public Humanities, participants have four unique options to choose from, ranging from a campus walk exploring Northwestern’s feminist legacies to experiencing research in public-facing formats, such as podcasting and documentary film. We invite you into this hour to learn from staff, students, and faculty that have worked to take their projects from concept to reality.
- Feminist Campus Walk with Sarah Brown (Outdoors)
- Moroccan Roll: documentary film work-in-progress screening and artist talk with Youssef Boucetta (Trienens Forum/Kresge 1-515)
- Archival Ecologies audio documentary/podcast with Jayme Collins (Crowe 1-132)
- Between Our Gaze: An Attention Workshop, an Invitation to Listen (Location TBA)
2:45pm - 3:00pm (Kaplan Seminar Room) — Break
3:00pm - 4:00pm (Kaplan Seminar Room) — Public Humanities Project Showcase
4:00pm - 5:30pm (Kaplan Seminar Room, plus expanded classroom) — Reception + Public Humanities Award