May 19, 2023
Thursday and Friday, November 2 and 3
The VETS, Providence, Rhode Island, and Livestream
INSPIRATION. IDEAS. SOLUTIONS. CONNECTIONS.
Inspiration is key! We agree and are thrilled to announce our programming for the 2023 Summit this November at The VETS in Providence, RI. The annual Historic New England Summit presents two days of exciting conversations that explore how 21st-century challenges and opportunities are transforming the fields of historic preservation, architecture, urban planning, conservation, arts and culture, museum studies, collections management, public history, and education. The program includes keynote presentations by regional and national leaders, panel discussions, provocations, networking opportunities, and more. See you in Providence!
Historic New England Summit 2023 Program
DAY ONE
Opening Keynote: Culture, Arts, and Livability
Conversation: Living Heritage
Leaders in arts and philanthropy discuss their work to dismantle systems of exclusion and broaden access to history, arts, and culture.
Panel: Inclusive Design: Disability, Culture, and Preservation
Incorporating the perspectives and experiences of the disability community is an essential aspect of preserving cultural heritage and developing sustainable, vibrant communities. Why is it time to move beyond regulatory compliance and how can we advance comprehensive access to historic places?
Keynote Conversation: Cultural Leadership
Cultural institutions, civic organizations, and preservationists play a powerful role in building healthy, thriving, informed communities. What is their responsibility to work together to engage broader audiences, expand access, and address the current issues facing the places they call home?
Panel: Placemaking in Action
Placemaking captures a broad range of collective efforts to preserve and share the histories and stories of how diverse communities throughout the region make a place their own. From community archives to public art and civic media, how are these projects serving as catalysts for local organizing and public engagement?
Conversation: Town, Gown, and the Future of Education
How are colleges and universities working in partnership with municipal leaders to bridge the town and gown divide and strengthen educational opportunities for everyone in their communities?
Conversation: Loud Libraries: Cultivating Community Through Shared Stories
Libraries serve as important repositories for community history, as well as centers of civic engagement and education. Library leaders discuss innovative methods for empowering diverse voices and sharing multi-dimensional experiences at their institutions.
DAY TWO
Opening Keynote: Built for Zero: Ending Homelessness
Panel: Inclusive Development and Housing Affordability
Is historic preservation a key component of affordability? How do historic places add value to affordable housing projects? And what can the preservation community do to combat narratives that pit preservation and affordability advocates against each other?
Keynote: Landscapes as Cultural Anchors
The Haverhill Hub: Planning a Cultural District in the Queen Slipper City
Explore Historic New England’s plans to bring increased livability and vitality to Haverhill’s urban downtown with housing, retail, and commercial activity and a nationally recognized cultural institution at its heart.
Keynote: Cultural Leadership in Climate Action
Panel: Embodied Carbon: The Sustainability Imperative of Preserving Places
How can we change the prevailing ideas of buildings as disposable commodities and reframe them as crucial tools in the fight against climate change and social inequality? It will take a multi-disciplinary approach to adaptive reuse, deconstruction, and new builds to reach net zero and zero-waste sustainability goals.
Lightning Talk: Keeping the Bugs at Bay
Pest infestation is one of the greatest threats to museum collections and a challenge compounded by climate change. Learn about cutting edge treatment methods from a nationally recognized leader in innovative solutions to integrated pest management.
Closing Conversation: Climate, Cultural Resources, and Public Lands
This in-depth conversation connects climate with cultural heritage and considers the important role of public parks, large and small, in sustainability, resiliency, and adaptation.