Humanities New York Launches Speaking of Revolution
Exploring rupture, return and renewal in communities across New York
“The Consummation of the Empire” (1836)
by Thomas Cole
by Joseph Murphy, Director of Strategic Partnerships
As the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the idea of revolution is returning—not only as history, but as something people are trying to understand in the present.
What does meaningful change look like in a community?
When do we break from what we’ve inherited, and when do we return to it? What does it take to rebuild a shared sense of purpose after disruption?
This spring, Humanities New York (HNY) takes up these questions through Speaking of Revolution, a statewide series of Community Conversations hosted with partners across New York.
The series begins from a simple premise: change is something communities live through. It doesn’t arrive all at once. It unfolds unevenly. People argue about it, remember it differently, and return to it over time.
Across the state, each conversation takes shape in its own way. A discussion in Buffalo will not sound like one on Onondaga Nation territory, or on Staten Island. Local history, memory, and cultural life guide what gets said—and what matters.
At the center of each gathering is a small, facilitated conversation. A short text, an image, or a piece of music gives the group something to look at together. From there, the conversation unfolds with questions, pauses, disagreement, reflection.
Each program is developed in collaboration with a local culture bearer, someone whose knowledge comes from lived experience within a community or tradition. Their presence helps ground the discussion in place, while also carrying knowledge across generations.
This spring, HNY is working with four partners across New York:
In Corning, The Rockwell Museum uses American art to explore identity, landscape, and storytelling, with particular attention to the histories and creative traditions of the American West and Indigenous communities.
On Onondaga Nation territory, the Skä•noñh Great Law of Peace Center offers a space for learning shaped by Haudenosaunee knowledge, where governance, history, and cultural practice remain closely connected.
In Buffalo, Stitch Buffalo works with women from refugee and immigrant communities through textile arts that carry memory and skill, supporting both economic opportunity and community connection.
On Staten Island, Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden brings together art, performance, education, and green space in a setting designed for public encounter.
Speaking of Revolution is Humanities New York’s contribution to By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils across the United States, its territories, and the District of Columbia in collaboration with local partners. Together, these programs explore 250 years of the nation's cultural life and imagine its shared future. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage as a complement to the 2026 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.
These conversations create space to reflect, to exchange ideas, and to think together—slowly, and in good faith.
What does it mean to inherit a revolution?
What do we carry forward, and what do we change?
This spring, we invite you to join the conversation.
The series begins on April 10 at the Skä•noñh Great Law of Peace Center on Onondaga Nation territory, with a conversation centered on the Deer Hide Agreement—an opportunity to reflect on how agreements are made, sustained, and carried across generations.