Useful Links
Picturing America Program Wiki
Scholl Center for American History and Culture
Professional Development Programs for Teachers
Club Quarters (Recommended Conference Accomodations)
Nearby Accomodations
and Restaurants
Contact Us
picturingamerica[at]
newberry[dot]org
Fax: (312) 255-3696
Daniel Greene
Director, Scholl Center for
American History and Culture
greened[at]newberry[dot]org
Rachel Rooney
Director, Professional Development Programs for Teachers
rooneyr[at]newberry[dot]org
Heather Radke
Program Assistant, Scholl Center
Tel:(312) 255-3524
radkeh[at]newberry[dot]org
We are no longer accepting applications for the Picturing America National Conferences. If you are looking for information about the upcoming Picturing America Regional Conference in August, please visit that conference's webpage
Program Information
The Newberry Library will host two Picturing America School Collaboration Conferences, on October 23-24, 2009, and April 16-17, 2010. These conferences will support teachers in the development of lessons using images from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Picturing America program.
Conferences will feature presentations by distinguished scholars and sharing of resources in workshop formats. We will use the Newberry Library’s collections as well as a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago and a walking tour of Chicago’s Loop to model ways for teachers to use local resources in their own communities.
The Newberry Library’s Picturing America School Collaboration Conferences are made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The NEH has designated these conferences a We the People project.
Eligibility
The application deadline for both conferences has passed.
Secondary-level (grades 9 - 12) history, language arts, and art teachers and secondary-level librarians whose schools already have received Picturing America grants are eligible to apply. No more than two participants per school will be accepted.
Between August 2009 and June 2010, a total of seven conferences for recipients of Picturing America will be held. For more information, contact Primary Source in Boston and Newark Museum in New Jersey. In the event multiple applications to individual conferences are made and accepted, participation is limited to ONE conference only.
Conference Theme
Our conference theme is “Interpreting the American Landscape.” Conference sessions will explore the role of landscape imagery in shaping national identity, tracing the shift from a nineteenth-century emphasis on visions of pristine wilderness and rural landscapes to the twentieth-century’s urban and industrial scenery. For more details on the content of the conferences, please look at our conference schedules: April 2010 and October 2009.
Stipends,Travel, and Lodging
The conference is open to participants free of charge. All participating teachers will receive a stipend of $400. Each participant also will receive $300 to help defray costs of travel and lodging. Conference participants must make their own travel arrangements. Breakfast and lunch will be provided at no charge each day of the conference.
The Newberry Library has arranged for a block of rooms to be held at Club Quarters, located 1.5 miles from the library. When making a reservation, mention that you are affiliated with the Newberry Library Picturing America conference to receive a discounted rate.
For a list of housing options and restaurants near the Newberry, click here.
Participating Scholars and Staff
These scholars will participate at each conference:
James Akerman, Newberry Library
Tamsen Andersen, DePaul University
Joshua Brown, City University of New York
Sarah Burns, Indiana University
Michael Conzen, University of Chicago (October conference)
Diane Dillon, Newberry Library
Daniel Greene, Newberry Library
Neil Harris, University of Chicago
William Hinchliff, Independent Scholar
H. Daniel Peck, Vassar College
Kymberly Pinder, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (April conference)
Rachel Rooney, Newberry Library
Martha Sandweiss, Princeton University
Andrew Walker, St. Louis Museum of Art
Optional Activities for the Sunday Following the Conference
Though the conference will conclude on Saturday afternoon, participants will have the option to join one of two Sunday tours that will deepen their understanding of landscape and provide additional models of incorporating site visits into their use of Picturing America images. Participants may visit either the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio and Historic District in nearby Oak Park, or a Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise on the Chicago River. Conference participants will be responsible for covering ticket costs for these optional tours.
The Art Institute of Chicago generously has agreed to provide free admission to participants on the Sunday following the conference.
All activities of the Scholl Center are supported in part by the Dr. Scholl Foundation.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed on this Web site do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.