Programs for the Public | Newberry

Programs for the Public

The Newberry organizes and hosts programs illuminating topics in the humanities, through a variety of formats tailored to the subject at hand: lectures, staged readings, music and dance performances, panel discussions, workshops, and more. Some events are part of ongoing series, such as Conversations at the Newberry, Meet the Author talks, Programs for Genealogists, the weekly Newberry Colloquium, and exhibition-related programming; others are signature annual events, such as the Newberry Book Fair and the Bughouse Square Debates. Additional public programming may be sponsored by the Newberry’s Research Centers.

Most Newberry public programs are free. Seating is limited and registration in advance is required for many events; see the individual listings for details.

Many of our programs are recorded, and you can listen to them on our website.

Upcoming Public Programs

Saturday, February 23, 2019 – Thursday, November 14, 2019
Chicago 1919: Confronting the Race Riots
A series of public programs examining the legacy of the 1919 Chicago race riots
Held at locations across Chicago
Chicago’s 1919 race riots barely register in the city’s current consciousness, yet they were a significant turning point in shaping the racial divides we see today.
Saturday, April 27, 2019 – Saturday, July 6, 2019
Exhibitions
The Legacy of Chicago Dance
Free and open to the public
Chicago has long been a hub of the dance world, distinguished by the dizzying variety of traditions and styles that have flourished here. The Legacy of Chicago Dance surveys the history of the city’s dance community, showing how different dance styles not only co-existed but often converged in unexpected and creative ways.
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Spotlight on Gene Kelly: The Chicago Years
Patricia Ward Kelly
Free and open to the public; free tickets required.
Film historian Patricia Ward Kelly, Gene Kelly’s widow and the leading authority on the cinema and stage legend, will discuss the role Chicago played in the remarkable genesis of the legendary dancer, director and choreographer.
Thursday, June 13, 2019
Choreography and the Archives
Preservation, Tradition, and Innovation from Sybil Shearer through the Present
Free and open to the public; free tickets required.
Dance choreographers gain inspiration for new dances in a variety of ways: sometimes re-creating or re-imagining the work of a choreographer who has come before; other times shattering all norms and traditions to break new ground.
Friday, June 21, 2019
Make Music Chicago 2019 in Washington Square Park
Free and open to the public; no registration or tickets required
The Newberry Library and the Washington Square Park Advisory Council invite you to come out to the park for a celebration of music on the first day of summer!
Saturday, July 27, 2019
The 2019 Bughouse Square Debates
#Bughouse2019
Free and open to the public; no registration or tickets required
At a time when political polarization is intensified by the extremes of digital discourse, the Bughouse Square Debates are a public forum where people can encounter new ideas and share their own—in person!
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Roundtable: What Is the Midwest?
Opening Symposium
Free and open to the public; free tickets required.
How can we define “the Midwest”? Is it a delimited geographic region? Does a Midwestern identity exist? What can region tell us that urban/rural or state divides do not?
Saturday, October 26, 2019
The City-State of Boston: Refiguring Colonial American History
Colonial History Lecture Series: Mark Peterson
Free and open to the public; free tickets required.
Mark Peterson reframes Boston’s early history as the story of the development of an autonomous city-state in the colonial period.
Thursday, November 7, 2019 – Saturday, November 9, 2019
Center for the History of Cartography Programs
20th Nebenzahl Lectures: 1919 and the History of Cartography
Free and open to the public. Registration required.
1919 was a year of heightened map production around the world. These maps reflect the instability and the experimentation of a world attempting to solve the problems that had led to four years of devastating war. Some cartographers worked to preserve a lasting peace with their maps, while others redrew national boundaries, seeking what some maps had taught them was rightfully theirs.
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Holiday Performance: Christmas Comes But Once a Year
Free and open to the public; free tickets required.
Join us for a special holiday-themed morning, with traditional carols, a special holiday performance, and free hot chocolate and treats.