Together in Providence: The 2024 National Humanities Conference
By George Tsz-Kwan Lam
Last week, Nevada Humanities staff traveled to Providence, Rhode Island to attend the 2024 National Humanities Conference, which took place from November 13 to November 17. This annual gathering was jointly produced by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the National Humanities Alliance. Rhode Island Humanities served as this year’s conference host.
The week began with a pre-conference convening of staff members from humanities councils across the nation. We toured two historic houses in Providence and learned about their missions and related programs. The Lippitt House Museum, run by Preserve Rhode Island, showcased their innovative programming for English-language learners and new immigrants in the Providence area. The Dirt Palace is a feminist artist-run nonprofit organization who spent two years renovating The Wedding Cake House – an abandoned home that has now been transformed into a vibrant hub for local and visiting artists.
Detail of an interior wall at the Lippitt House Museum. Photo by George Tsz-Kwan Lam.
Exterior of the Wedding Cake House. Photo by George Tsz-Kwan Lam.
Throughout the next three days of the conference, the Nevada Humanities team connected with colleagues who specialize in programs, grants, and operations. I was particularly struck by the way in which the city of Providence — along with its history, people, and culture — remained at the forefront of the gathering. One highlight for me was the opening plenary session, which featured a lecture by Marisa Angell Brown, executive director of the Providence Preservation Society, who provided detailed historical context for the exact location of the convention center where all of the events took place.
Kathleen Kuo preparing for her presentation. Photo by George Tsz-Kwan Lam
In addition, the conference included numerous sessions dedicated to the relationship between place and humanities programming, the upcoming America 250 celebration, and the latest public humanities projects across the country. Toward the end of the week, my colleague Kathleen Kuo presented her work with Humanities at Play in a session focusing on digital humanities programming that also featured projects from Florida Humanities and Missouri Humanities. The session was well-attended and the audience was eager to ask questions about all three innovative digital humanities programs as we concluded the conference.
This year’s National Humanities Conference was a time of renewal and inspiration, and I look forward to continuing our work in the public humanities throughout the Silver State.
George Tsz-Kwan Lam is the assistant director of Nevada Humanities and served as the program director for the 2024 Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl. In addition to his role with Nevada Humanities, George is also a composer who has recently collaborated with the Atlanta Opera, the Crane School of Music, and the Avaloch Farm Music Institute. George has served on the music faculty at the City University of New York and Hong Kong Baptist University.