Researching and Discussing Slavery in Massachusetts (22 January 2021)

by Matthew Friedman | Jan 25, 2021 | Conversations on the Commons Archive, Video

A conversation on researching and interpreting slavery and the slave trade in Massachusetts. We talk about opportunities for opening up discussion – both in schools and historical organizations – about Massachusetts’ role in the Atlantic world slave economy and will...

Baking with Historians (18 December 2020)

by Matthew Friedman | Dec 21, 2020 | Conversations on the Commons Archive, Video

Margo Shea and Noah Berman prepare global holiday specialties and offer tips for busy cooks during the festive season. Margo Shea, editor at Historians Cooking the Past,  whose philanthropic virtual bake sales have raised thousands of dollars in 2020, will offer...

Six Months and Counting of COVID: What Are You Doing? (13 November 2020)

by Matthew Friedman | Nov 19, 2020 | Conversations on the Commons Archive, Video

Six months into the COVID pandemic, we’re settling into new routines. Many organizations are implementing new versions of what it means to interpret and teach history as a public history organization. Where are you now? How do you see the coming year, the future? What...

History Funding from Local Cultural Councils: Talking Through and Workshopping LCC Grant Applications (6 November 2020)

by Matthew Friedman | Nov 17, 2020 | Conversations on the Commons Archive, Video

Outside of Boston, Local Cultural Councils are a good source of funding for programming for history organizations. Applications are due on November 16. What should you apply for? What makes an application likely to get funded? Join us for a conversation on cultural...

400 Years and Beyond: Commemorating historic events in the twenty-first century (23 October 2020)

by Matthew Friedman | Oct 26, 2020 | Conversations on the Commons Archive, Video

A Conversation with Linda Coombs, program director at the Aquinnah Cultural Center, Desiree Mobed, Director at the Alden House Historic Site, and Michelle Pecoraro, Executive Director of Plymouth 400 After 400 years of colonization of Massachusetts by Europeans, we...

Archiving Your Gigabytes: Preserving COVID-19 and Other Digital Collections (9 October 2020)

by Matthew Friedman | Oct 12, 2020 | Conversations on the Commons Archive, Video

Covid-diaries, Zoom events, oral histories, social media. Under the COVID regime, online activity is sending our digital footprints into the stratosphere. Not to mention everything else we already had and are developing. How do we archive and preserve it? How can we...