Illinois Humanities

Join Public Humanities Awards honoree Damon A. Williams on June 13 at It’s On Us: A Day of Art and Action at the DuSable Black History Museum & Education Center.

Damon, a movement builder, organizer, hip-hop performing artist, and co-founder of Respair Production & Media and AirGo, is part of the duo we’re proud to honor at this year’s PHA alongside Daniel Kisslinger.

Together, their work has helped reshape Chicago’s cultural landscape through storytelling, organizing, and movement journalism.

Join Damon for a festival that asks: What blooms when ICE melts?

Rather than turning away in times of repression, this gathering invites you to engage the senses and imagine how freedom might look, feel, sound, smell, and taste.

RSVP at the link in our bio or at go.uic.edu/iou

We’re proud to support this upcoming program with our partner, Walls Turned Sideways, Inside Audio: Vinyl Records Recorded in Midwest Jails and Prisons on June 12 from 6:30–8:30 PM

Join artists, archivists, and designers Josh MacPhee and Marc Fischer for a powerful listening session drawn from a rare collection of records created in Illinois jails and prisons, from the early 1970s to early 1980s.

This program offers a window into a little-known period when incarcerated musicians recorded and outside communities were welcomed in to collaborate.

Learn more at wallsturnedsideways.org

Education opens doors and everyone deserves a key🔑

The Odyssey Project is helping adult learners across Chicago restart their educational journeys in a supportive, community-centered space, all at no cost.

From literature to history to critical thinking, students gain up to 11 transferable college credits while building community and connection. Classes are available in both English and Spanish.

Applications are open through June 15, apply today at ilhumanities.org/odyssey

The Odyssey Project The Odyssey Project believes that education is liberatory and should be accessible to all. This free college program empowers adult learners to…

A record breaking 1,063 young people from across Illinois submitted poems to this year’s Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards.

Judging is now underway, but today we’re celebrating every student who took the step to write and submit. We’re glad you’re part of this community.

Read Program Manager of Teaching and Learning Margy LaFreniere’s reflection on this year’s awards and the history behind them. From Gwendolyn Brooks’ work with young writers decades ago to the vibrant community of poets across Illinois today.

Read more at: ilhumanities.org/news/lineage-and-legacies

Illinois Humanities is proud to present Damon Locks’ world-renowned, Black Monument Ensemble, live at Garfield Park Conservatory & Gardens on June 24, 2026🎶

2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, providing a unique opportunity to reflect on the complex legacy of our country’s founding.

In partnership with the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, Chicago Park District, Jane M. Saks/Project&, and Empty Bottle, join Damon Locks’ Black Monument Ensemble as it returns to Garfield Park Conservatory to deliver a timely and powerful performance that interweaves Black histories and speculative futures, prompting us all to contemplate where we are today.

Be part of the experience, get your tickets today at: ilhumanities.org/BME

Illinois Humanities is partnering with the Illinois America 250 and StoryCorps Studios to present Illinois Voices 250, a statewide time capsule capturing stories from all 102 Illinois counties in honor of America’s 250th anniversary.

From shared wisdom to hopes and concerns, this initiative documents our moment in time through a diverse, representative record of who Illinoisans are today, while inviting reflection on our past and aspirations for the future.

Submit your online recording today or learn more about our Community Recording Days at ilhumanities.org/programs/ilvoices250

The final People’s Salon of the season is almost here! RSVP today at: ilhumanities.org/history

Featuring performances and presentations by Zayd Ayers Dohrn, Sylvia Ewing, Reginald R. Robinson, and more.

Together, we’ll explore: When does history happen? Who shapes the stories that endure and how do those choices shape our dreams, our lives, and our communities?

The 2026 Public Humanities Awards are here and we’re celebrating the people bringing stories, history, and culture to life across Illinois.

Join us September 23, 2026 at Home Court at the Obama Presidential Center for an unforgettable evening of connection, recognition, and community.

To read full honoree bios or get your tickets today, visit: ilhumanities.org/news/you-are-invited-public-humanities-awards-2026

We’re inspired by grantee partner Anderson Taylor, recently recognized as the world’s youngest museum curator at just only 11!

His curiosity and drive are a powerful reminder that a passion for learning can grow into something extraordinary at any age.

Read the full story at: kewaneevoice.com/guinness-names-11-year-old-cambridge-resident-worlds-youngest-museum-curator/

Guinness names 11-year-old Cambridge resident world’s youngest museum curator | Kewanee Voice Anderson Taylor of Cambridge, Ill., has officially been recognized by Guinness World Records as the youngest museum curator in the world. Now 11, Taylor was just 9 years old when he opened the Cambridge Natural History Museum on August 10, 2024. The son of John and Stephanie Taylor, he has become a....

What happens when a small town makes space for everyone’s story? In Mendota, Illinois, a community of just over 7,000 is doing exactly that, honoring its past while embracing the voices that shape its present.

Through a project supported by an Illinois Humanities grant, the Mendota Museum & Historical Society brought to life Where Our Paths Meet: Journeys to Mendota, a documentary capturing the migration stories of residents who helped transform the town’s cultural landscape.

Click the link to read the full story: ilhumanities.org/news/gps-mmhs

Illinois Humanities Grantee Partner… The Mendota Museum & Historical Society in La Salle County is preserving local history through community‑centered storytelling and public humanities…