By the People: Conversations Beyond 250
By the People: Conversations Beyond 250 is 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.
Photo: Cinco de Mayo parade in Mount Vernon, WA. Photo courtesy of Humanities Washington/WACultures.
The By the People initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.
Programs from 51 participating humanities councils will take place from January to August 2026. More information will be added to this page in 2026.
Upcoming By the People Events
Maryland – Revolution, Reaction, and Reform: From Maryland’s Past to Our Shared Future
By the People: All Program Descriptions by Location
Programs will be added to this list as they are confirmed.
Alaska | Alaska Humanities Forum
“The FORUM Storytelling Fellowship”
A cohort of emerging Alaskan writers will produce non-fiction stories that explore defining moments in Alaska. What are stories from the last 250 years that have shaped this place? How are communities learning from the past and growing into the future? At the conclusion of the program, Fellows’ stories will be published in FORUM Magazine. We will also host a free public reading and storytelling event in August 2026.
Arizona | Arizona Humanities
“Blue Corn Festival”
Event will take place in February and early March 2026, with a final event on March 7.
The second annual Blue Corn Festival will serve as a celebration of varied local cultural traditions, with particular focus placed on blue corn as an integral crop to Indigenous foodways in Arizona and the American Southwest. Programming will strive to be economically and geographically accessible and promote Indigenous literature, foodways, arts, and storytelling. This year’s series of events begins with virtual and in-person programs throughout the month and culminates in the main festival on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at the historic Ellis-Shackelford House in downtown Phoenix.
Arkansas | HumanitiesAR
“By the People: Conversations Beyond 250”
Statewide cultural documentation, storytelling, and oral histories will be expressed through public events like panels and workshops, promoting shared dialogues and lived traditions. Example events include a songwriting event aimed at young people, a panel discussion on the evolution of slave spirituals to Civil Rights Era anthems, and July 4th music performances.
California | California Humanities
“Reclaiming Our Stories: Voices from the Indigenous Peoples of California”
California Humanities will launch “Reclaiming Our Stories,” a six-part, Indigenous-led podcast series centering California Native voices to explore history, culture, and contemporary life across the state. As the country approaches the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the series broadens public understanding by foregrounding Indigenous perspectives that have long been excluded from dominant historical narratives.
Through intergenerational conversations, artistic interludes, and place-based reflection, Reclaiming Our Stories highlights the lived experiences and cultural continuity of Native peoples across California—home to more than 200 tribes.
Colorado | Colorado Humanities
“Harlem of the West: Echoes of Black Denver in Five Points”
“Harlem of the West: Echoes of Black Denver in Five Points” is a community-centered documentation project highlighting the living cultural legacy of Denver’s historic Five Points neighborhood. In partnership with local cultural institutions, the project engages Black culture bearers, elders, musicians, and historians in reflective and intergenerational conversations, alongside focused documentation during the Juneteenth Festival. Through conversations, photography, and festival footage, the project captures stories of place, memory, and continuity.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands | Northern Marianas Humanities Council
“A250 Community Talks & My Marianas Writing Contest”
A250 Community Talks is a series of civic reflection conversations designed to engage youth and cultural practitioners in exploring various perspectives on the 50-year political union between the people of the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S., as well as its future. The A250 My Marianas Writing Contest invites high school students to craft personal narrative essays describing experiences that have made them feel connected to or separate from the U.S.
Connecticut | CT Humanities
“By the People: Telling Connecticut Stories”
Connecticut will host various performances led by storytellers, artists, and culture bearers modeled on Book Voyagers, CT Humanities’ literature program. These performances will elevate African American and Indigenous voices and histories, bringing diverse voices to tell the stories of Connecticut’s history and identity.
Delaware | Delaware Humanities
“Voices of the First Peoples”
Voices of the First Peoples celebrates Indigenous cultural traditions from pre-colonization to today. Explore traditional storytelling, native foods, agriculture, musical traditions, and more at two events: one hosted by the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware in partnership with the Kalmar Nyckel, and one hosted by the Nanticoke Indian Tribe in partnership with the Nanticoke Indian Museum. Both events are in collaboration with the Delaware Teacher’s Institute, encouraging community learning and dialogue in classrooms and beyond.
District of Columbia | Humanities DC
“Hometown DC”
Hometown DC celebrates Washingtonians for the nation’s 250th anniversary through installations highlighting residents’ stories at eight local libraries. This community-driven project showcases unique experiences and perspectives through interview excerpts, photography and artwork. The initiative also features free public events by Verbal Gymnastics, using Playback Theater to bring collected stories to life. All together this project offers an intimate look at DC’s neighborhoods and what it means to call the nation’s capital a hometown.
Florida | Florida Humanities
“Florida 250: Everlasting Florida’ Conversation Series”
Online and in-person programming to engage Floridians in communication with one another, especially in regard to democracy and dissent. One facet will be a multi-part online series with scholars, journalists, and leaders, accompanied by curated digital materials and audience interaction, and the other facet will be 10 live scholar-led talks exploring the foundation of America and encouraging dialogue amongst audience members.
Georgia | Georgia Humanities
“Porch Songs, Public Voices: Music, Folklife, and the Public Square”
Porch Songs, Public Voices is a traveling series that visits three Georgia towns, using music, movement, and local traditions to bring people together for shared experience and conversation. Inspired by the front porch as a welcoming space where songs and stories are passed from one generation to the next, each event highlights distinctive regional cultural traditions and invites reflection on how everyday voices and actions shape community life.
Guam | Humanities Guåhan
“By the People: Wayfinding Beyond 250“
“By the People: Wayfinding Beyond 250” will engage the Guam community to explore the stories, sounds, and ideas that have shaped and sustained the islands and communities in the Micronesian region through a series of cultural workshops and community conversations. Each event is an opportunity to reflect on our history, shared values and collective resilience, while deepening an understanding and appreciation of indigenous knowledge and practices, including weaving, storytelling, music traditions, and seafaring.
Hawaii | Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities
“Still Talking Story”
Event Date: January 22-24, 2026
Two interconnected events encouraging engagement with oral traditions and histories and intergenerational exchange on Molokaʻi. One session will feature a moderated panel of hula teachers and practitioners, and archived recordings of community elders sharing their stories about place. The second session will be a workshop highlighting ways all of us can continue to preserve and activate oral histories in our families and communities.
Idaho | Idaho Humanities Council
“By the People Idaho”
At a North Idaho community gathering, a two day film festival with scholar panels will also feature engagement stations for hands-on crafting, Native foods, musical traditions, storytelling, and other local traditions relating to how people have expressed themselves and passed down cultural knowledge. On the other side of the state, the Bringing War Home Project will collect generations together by documenting souvenirs from military service.
Indiana | Indiana Humanities
“The Pekin Parade: A Documentary and Discussion on Tradition, Community, and Place”
Indiana Humanities will document and commemorate the oldest consecutive Independence Day celebration in the country held annually in Pekin, Indiana. In collaboration with the Pekin Community Betterment Organization and Traditional Arts Indiana, Indiana Humanities will collect interviews and access local collections for the creation of a short documentary. After this year’s celebration, residents will be invited to a premiere screening and discussion exploring the making of community tradition and identity.
Illinois | Illinois Humanities
“Road Scholars Speakers Bureau”
Humanities experts such as artists, historians, storytellerhttps://ilhumanities.org/programs/road-scholarss, musicians, and folklorists will be travelling all over Illinois to present unique events focused on the 250th, encouraging local communities to engage with our nation’s revolutionary history and founding.
Iowa | Humanities Iowa
“Open Book & What Do We Stand For?: Dialogues on Democracy and Culture Across Iowa“
Humanities Iowa will present two statewide programs — What Do We Stand For?, a reflection series about the ideals behind the founding of the U.S. led by philosopher Scott Samuelson, and Open Book, a CultureALL partnership bringing Iowa culture bearers into classrooms. Together, these programs spark dialogue about democracy, identity, and lived experiences across Iowa. Through accessible, cross-cultural storytelling, these programs help Iowans explore shared values and engage meaningfully with the nation’s 250th anniversary.
Kanasas | Humanities Kansas
“Kansas Folklife: Celebrating Kansas Traditions”
Kansas Folklife: Celebrating Kansas Traditions is a catalog of dynamic presentations that connect Kansans with our state’s rich traditions through engaging storytelling, food, music, craft and dance demonstrations. Kansas nonprofits may book up to four Folklife presentations in 2026, choosing from a catalog of presentations.
Kentucky | Kentucky Humanities
“Our American Story: Kentucky’s Voices”
Selected cultural organizations across the state will be provided with a Kentucky Chautauqua, a Speakers Bureau, and a community conversation guide that asks, “What does 250 mean for your community?” Organizations will be encouraged to tie programming into existing festivals, celebrations, traditions, etc. that enrich community life. Each of the programs will fit into one of the four themes chosen by the organization to best fit their community.
Louisiana | Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities
“America the Beautiful: Celebrating Louisiana’s Vibrant Musical Heritage”
The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, in partnership with the Natchitoches-Northwestern State University Folk Festival, will host a pre-festival public program and two “informances” at the 2026 festival. In honor of America 250, the 2026 festival theme is “America the Beautiful,” and the festival will feature the traditional music of our nation – blues, gospel, Cajun, Celtic, country, bluegrass, and zydeco.
Maine | Maine Humanities Council
“Gather: Folklives and Folkways”
Gather will showcase how musical traditions and foodways connect Maine cultures, and explore what they can tell us about our past, present, and future. The event will include performances, a panel discussion, and a community meal, featuring the Arab Music Community Ensemble, musicians from various Middle Eastern communities; musician Samuel James, who performs in the Black American Folk Tradition; and Jasmine Tintor, Katahdin Kitchen chef and member of the Penobscot Nation.
Maryland | Maryland Humanities
“Revolution, Reaction, and Reform”
Revolution, Reaction, and Reform brings Marylanders together for six community gatherings from spring through summer 2026, marking Maryland’s 250th anniversary. Moving from remembering history to reimagining our future, three themes guide the series: Revolution explores transformative moments that changed Maryland; Reaction examines community responses to upheaval and persistent challenges; Reform envisions possibilities for change. These gatherings create space for voices, visions, and ideas about Maryland’s past, present, and future.
Michigan | Michigan Humanities
“Let’s Dish: Sharing Culture, Stories & Connection”
Let’s Dish: Sharing Culture, Stories & Connection is part of the 2025–26 Great Michigan Read, featuring Curtis Chin’s “Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant.” Across Michigan, four events held in collaboration with Chinese restaurants will foster conversations around Asian American identity and culture. Each gathering will highlight local visual artists and performers, and spark intergenerational reflection and discussion about the cultural power of foodways.
Minnesota | Minnesota Humanities Center
Minnesota Humanities Center’s first program celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, Voices Forward, is a poetry and public humanities initiative that invites emerging youth poets (ages 13-19) from across Minnesota to explore the Smithsonian Folklife Festival’s themes: remembering together, harmonizing together, moving together, and building together. With this program, we have the opportunity to build and support more mentorship and workshops with acclaimed Minnesota poets and community groups and invite youth poets to use their art to reflect and remember our past, mark our present, and imagine a shared future. The poets will showcase their original works in performances throughout the summer of 2026, and these gatherings will be a key part of MHC’s commemoration of the Semiquincentennial, as we engage communities to explore how remembrance, democracy, and identity intersect locally and nationally.
Mississippi | Mississippi Humanities Council
“Creative Traditions in Mississippi: Conversations Beyond 250”
Mississippi is home to rich creative and cultural traditions that have helped shape our nation, from our music and art forms to our cuisine and landscape. Through partnerships with cultural organizations across the state, Creative Traditions in Mississippi will celebrate Mississippi’s cultural contributions with a variety of public programs, including panel discussions, performances from local artists, and more.
Missouri | Missouri Humanities Council
“By the People Humanities Celebration”
Program Date: February 3, 2026
On February 3, 2026, join Missouri Humanities in the State Capitol for “By the People,” the 2026 Lieutenant Governor’s Humanities Celebration. The event will feature a short film showcasing Missouri Humanities folk art grantees and partners, including musicians, poets, and Native American dancers. Displays around the rotunda will explore Missouri’s cultural and historical impact. We will launch “The Story of US” a digital storytelling campaign celebrating Missouri’s role in the American story.
Montana | Humanities Montana
“Harmonizing Together at the Montana Folk Festival”
Humanities Montana will bolster humanities programming at the Montana Folk Festival in July. The festival’s programming centers on community interaction and the dynamic celebration of diverse Montanans throughout the state. Planned programming includes creating space for oral histories/storytelling, workshops, and panel discussions.
Nebraska | Humanities Nebraska
“Weaving a Nation: Nebraska Chautauqua”
June 26-27, 2026 in Hastings, NE
In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and United States’ evolving vision of democracy, “Weaving a Nation” will explore a cross-section of stories that have helped give our country its rich tapestry of backgrounds and perspectives and connect those historic events to our current day. Some of the stories will be relatively unknown and others will be a fresh look at familiar stories. Coming to Hastings, Nebraska – June 26-27, 2026.
Nevada | Nevada Humanities
“Around the Table”
Throughout 2026, Nevada Humanities invites Nevadans across the state to share and celebrate their diverse food traditions through its new program called Around the Table. Around the Table is a series of public events and creative reflections that explore Nevada foodways, food traditions, and expressive culture throughout the Silver State.
New Hampshire | New Hampshire Humanities
“US@250: Big Watch“
Program Dates TBD, but events will take place between March 1-August 31.
US@250: Big Watch consists of 10 different screenings of Ken Burns’ new film, The American Revolution, directly followed by a community conversation about the film, the history of the American Revolution, and “remembering together,” moderated by trained facilitators. Additionally, each site hosting a screening will also plan and implement a separate community event based around these themes.
New Jersey | New Jersey Council for the Humanities
“New Jersey Beyond the Turnpike”
We’re getting off New Jersey’s iconic highway and onto lesser-known byways to explore the Garden State’s rich cultural traditions. From sporting events in Jersey City to agricultural history in the Pinelands, from our very own “Music City” in Orange to the maritime folkways of Tuckerton, join partners across the state for a series of exhibitions, interviews, and performances as vibrant and diverse as New Jersey itself.
New York | Humanities New York
“Speaking of Revolution”
A four-part community conversation series exploring what “revolution” has meant historically and what it means in New York communities today, guided by trained nonpartisan facilitators and local culture bearers.
North Carolina | North Carolina Humanities
“By the People – Music from the Old North State”
Through this initiative North Carolina Humanities will curate three events exploring the musical traditions and heritage in each of North Carolina’s distinct geographic regions: the mountains, the piedmont, and the coastal plain. These events will be grounded by local partners and create space for community members to reflect and learn about impact of North Carolina’s music traditions, from traditional Appalachian bluegrass to funk and jazz on community and culture in the Old North State today.
Ohio | Ohio Humanities
“Beloved: Ohio Celebrates Toni Morrison “
February 2026-February 2027
Beloved: Ohio Celebrates Toni Morrison is a yearlong celebration from February 2026 through February 18, 2027, exploring the life, literature, and legacy of Toni Morrison, Lorain, Ohio, native and the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Led by Ohio Humanities and Literary Cleveland with support from Ohioana Library Association and the Toni Morrison Society, the program invites all Ohioans to learn about Toni Morrison, read her work, reflect on American history, discuss the themes of her writing, and build connections across the state. Morrison’s eleven novels trace American history through the Black experience—from A Mercy in the 1680s to God Help the Child in the early 2000s—offering readers a journey through time and truth. Her debut novel, The Bluest Eye, is set in her hometown of Lorain; Sula takes place in a fictional Ohio town; and Beloved is set in Cincinnati. The project builds on the state of Ohio’s declaration of February 18 as Toni Morrison Day and aligns with America250, a national effort commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Oklahoma | Oklahoma Humanities
“By the People: Conversations Beyond 250 in Oklahoma”
Up to ten living history programs featuring a Thomas Jefferson re-enactor, concerned with talking about remembering together, in communities. These programs will be followed by facilitated discussions to discuss the importance of the past for civic vitality in the modern age.
Oregon | Oregon Humanities
“Consider This and The Detour: Beyond 250”
As the centerpiece of our Beyond 250 initiative, Oregon Humanities will run four in-person and live-streamed onstage Consider This conversations. We will also adapt these conversations into episodes of our podcast, The Detour. Through these events and episodes, we will create opportunities for Oregonians to consider the cultural significance and impact of the 250th anniversary with particular attention to how the core values of the Declaration might shape our nation and state’s next 250 years.
Pennsylvania | PA Humanities
“Voices of History – Philadelphia”
PA Humanities brings its statewide program Voices of History to Philadelphia. Working with the historic houses and museums of noted Philadelphians (Paul Robseon, Marian Anderson) we will host community story circles in four neighborhoods, reflecting on family traditions and memories. Selected stories will be recorded and documented, and will be turned into publicly accessible mini-documentaries.
Rhode Island | Rhode Island Humanities
“Revolutionary Rhode Island”
A new Rhode Tour designed for the 250th features political, cultural, and economic stories about people, places, events and ideas connected to the American Revolution in the Ocean State. A gathering in Spring 2026 will spark conversation and engagement. Rhode Tour is a free app and website that is a joint initiative of Rhode Island Humanities and the Rhode Island Historical Society.
South Carolina | South Carolina Humanities
“Harvesting Heritage: Gathering Ground”
Program Date: February 21, 2026
An all-day event focused on the cultural and agricultural heritage of South Carolina, with an emphasis placed on Black foodways and Gullah Geechee communities. This event will promote inter-generational conversation and reflection on shared local traditions.
“Harvesting Heritage: Gathering Ground” will be held on February 21, 2026 at the Penn Center on St. Helena Island. It will include a full day of conversations, immersive experiences, workshops, and, of course, SC-grown and curated dishes. The day’s activities will be free of charge and feature Charleston poet laureate Asiah Mae, Tendaji Bailey from the Gullah Futures Project, Ed Atkins, a founding member of the Gullah Geechee Fishing Association, the Communal Pen, and more. The ticketed evening event will include a panel discussion and a carefully crafted menu, courtesy of the Chef Amethyst Ganaway.
Tennessee | Humanities Tennessee
“Then. Now. Next?“
First Program Date: February 28, 2026
Includes a podcast series with TN curators sharing local artifacts related to the story of our independence, culminating in a digital exhibition, “Curating Tennessee, 1776-2076.” We’re hosting a discussion with crafters & growers about their role in shaping our democracy, and a speculative design lab for crafters & growers to workshop the future of their respective practices, resulting in a museum exhibition, “Designs from the Future of Crafting & Growing.”
The first By the People event in Tennessee is a “Growers and Crafters Panel” in Knoxville on February 28. Local practitioners and scholars will explore 250 years of the civic, social, and economic roles of craftspeople and growers in the creation and evolution of our nation. Panelists will also discuss how these groups stand to shape the next chapter of American democracy. What and how will Tennesseans be crafting and growing in the future?
Texas | Humanities Texas
“By the People in Texas”
Programming surrounding the life and legacy of Selena Quintanilla Perez, analyzing how her artistry brought Tejano music to a global stage. In the vein of music, there will also be another program focusing on the exploration of Japanese cultural influence in America through a mix of traditional Japanese and modern choreography.
Utah | Utah Humanities
“By the People: Utah”
Utah Humanities is proud to partner with the Utah Historical Society and the Salt Lake City Arts Council in celebrating Utah’s unique history and culture. Programming will include an Indigenous artwork commission for the new Museum of Utah, themed Utah Historical Quarterly editions, a digital archive, and community events throughout the state. Additionally, the Living Traditions Festival celebrates Utah’s culture through performing and craft artists, food vendors, workshops, and other special programming.
Vermont | Vermont Humanities
“Charity and Sylvia”
Vermont Cartoonist Laureate Tillie Walden’s graphic biography, Charity and Sylvia, is the 2026 Vermont Reads choice for our state-wide reading program. The book focuses on Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake, who were recognized as a same-sex married couple in the decades between the Revolution and the Civil War. We will hold an in-person panel discussion to gather the author and local cartoonists to discuss how stories from our collective history are discovered, re-interpreted, and shared.
Virginia | Virginia Humanities
“Dance Revolution”
How you shake, shimmy, and strut is a story about who you are. For Dance Revolution, the Virginia Folklife Program of Virginia Humanities will partner with five dance groups rooted in community. By exploring the power of social dance, this project demonstrates how dance is a democratic of art form and consider how Virginians can step into the future, together. Moving together, with joy, might be just exactly the revolution we need now.
Washington | Humanities Washington
“By the People: Traditions in Dialogue”
Teams from the Heritage Arts Apprenticeship Program will deliver three different public programs to reflect on heritage arts and their communities. They will focus on musics from Mexico (mariachi and son jarocho), underrepresented Asian traditions (Iu-Mien dance and Mongolian folk music), and different styles of Coast Salish weaving (Tsimshian and Quileute). Each program will showcase demonstrations and invite the public to engage in conversations about the complexities and strengths of the diverse nature of America.
West Virginia | West Virginia Humanities Council
“Enhancing Folklife Materials on e-WV”
The West Virginia Humanities Council’s West Virginia Folklife Program will create educational content about expert practitioners of local music and craft traditions, utilizing filmed interviews and recordings of performances and demonstrations. This new content will enhance the West Virginia Humanities Council’s e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia Online.
Wisconsin | Wisconsin Humanities
“Wisconsin By the People”
This project will offer Wisconsin Humanities’ Community Powered training to participants in the Wisconsin Arts Board’s Folk & Traditional Arts Apprenticeship Program. The training will help artists facilitate conversations around their folk arts and cultures at dynamic local events. These conversations will be captured in episodes of Wisconsin Humanities’ “Human Powered” podcast featuring Wisconsin folklorists.
Wyoming | Wyoming Humanities
“Before Wyoming: The West in 1776”
In partnership with WYPBS, Wyoming Humanities will host a simulcast premiere screening and subsequent screenings of Before Wyoming: The West in 1776.
The American Revolution of 1776 remains a celebrated historic event, the “creation story” of the United States. In Before Wyoming: The West in 1776, we enlarge the map of the Revolutionary era in North America, to include the Northern Rockies and Great Plains, what we now think of as the American West. Scarcely told in the history books is this other drama of upheaval and change, just beyond the edges of European and Anglo-American exploration, in the heart of the continent, where Native American communities underwent radical change with newly arrived horses, guns, diseases and impending immigrants. In dramatic locations like Natural Corrals and the Vore Buffalo Jump, Before Wyoming: The West in 1776 enriches the story of our country’s origins.
Co-produced with WyomingPBS and Caldera Productions, Wyoming Humanities will host screenings of the film and panel discussions throughout the state in July and August of 2026. The premiere screening event will be in In partnership with WYPBS and in collaboration with Wyoming’s Semisequincentennial Celebration: Declaration of Imagination.
Premiere and screening dates to be announced soon!
