The Newberry honored Drew Gilpin Faust for her contributions to the humanities during the library’s annual Award Celebration on Friday, April 19.
Faust is the Arthur Kingsley Porter University Research Professor at Harvard University, where she also served as president from 2007 to 2018. She previously served as founding dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and is the author of seven books, including most recently, Necessary Trouble: Growing Up at Midcentury, published in August 2023.
Several hundred guests gathered to hear Faust and Newberry President Astrida Orle Tantillo in a far-ranging conversation, covering topics as diverse as Faust’s personal involvement in the mid-century Civil Rights movement and the critical role archives like the Newberry’s have played in her research and her academic career.
“It was an enormous pleasure to honor Drew Gilpin Faust with the Newberry Library Award,” said Tantillo. “Our conversation was a reminder of the important role the humanities play in telling stories, whether a personal coming of age tale or the larger stories of a society and a nation. Drew’s writing does both, in a powerful way, and we were delighted to have the chance to welcome her to the Newberry.”
The Newberry Library Award is presented annually to recognize achievement in the humanities in the tradition of the Newberry, which has fostered a deeper understanding of our world by inspiring research and learning in the humanities since its founding in 1887. Past recipients include Ken Burns; Ira Glass and This American Life; and Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
All proceeds from the event support the Newberry’s collection and programs.