Curators in Conversation: Declarations Trail

Event

Location

Boston Athenaeum, 10 1/2 Beacon Street, Boston, MA, 02108, United States

Date

Wednesday, Jul 1, 2026

Time

6:00 PM EDT

Cost

See event details

Registration full, waitlist available

Cross-listed event

This event is organized by the Boston Athenaeum.

In 2026, as the nation marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, four Boston-area institutions have collaborated on the Declarations Trail, which features a dozen rare copies of the Declaration–different printings, created for different audiences– on public view in multiple exhibition settings.

This panel discussion brings together curators from the Boston Athenaeum, Leventhal Map and Education Center at the Boston Public Library, Houghton Library at Harvard University, and Massachusetts Historical Society to highlight objects and stories from each exhibition and to consider how we encourage contemporary audiences to reflect on American history.

Members of the Boston Athenaeum and their guests are at no cost. Visitor tickets are $20 and include first floor admission.

FEATURED SPEAKERS

  • Reed Gochberg, Curator at the Boston Athenaeum

  • Sara Martin, Editor in Chief of the Adams Papers at the Massachusetts Historical Society

  • Garrett Dash Nelson, President and Head Curator of the Leventhal Map and Education Center at the Boston Public Library

  • John Overholt, Curator of the Donald and Mary Hyde Collection of Dr. Samuel Johnson and Early Books and Manuscripts at Harvard University's Houghton Library

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