Sunday, October 16, 2-4PM

LYCEUM IV: New England Town Hall Meeting

In the spirit of a New England town hall meeting, the public is invited to share their thoughts about The Meeting House. After three lyceum events, it is time for the experts to quiet down and allow the public to speak. The artist and curator will be present, but will not make any formal presentations, they are there to listen and respond as needed. A moderator will lead the conversation.

Featuring: The Public, Sam Durant, Pedro Alonzo, moderated by Mary Jane Jacobs, curator and writer

Registration: https://events.thetrustees.org/tickets/ItemShow.aspx?Dep=dhNqDMANBPLpTL5RyGzaLw==&Cat=2o+hNVc4IdK2CugjgMEuMQ==&It=vkGuFudRWq8IoJZvlCx47A==&d=10-16-2016

The Meeting House is a platform for inspiring new ideas in relation to the intractable structures of racial discrimination and segregation. Based on houses constructed by the first free Africans in Concord (1770’s) the pavilion structure creates an open, transparent framework that points to the future. The Meeting House will host a series of public programs, entitled Lyceum 2016, inviting visitors to break out of the narratives that keep us from imaging and producing the equitable social relations that we seek.

Inside the Manse itself, Durant has installed artifacts related to the African presence in Concord. By adding these objects to the interior of this historic house, Durant aims to make the struggles, history, and culture of Africans in Concord more visible within the historic narrative of the Manse as the birthplace of American literature, philosophy, and theology. Or, in Durant’s words, the historic significance of the Manse, “would not have been possible without the labor of Africans in all its varieties.”

Come visit The Old Manse to experience The Meeting House – the questions it invites, story it tells, and the feeling it evokes – and add your voice to the dialogue. The exhibit is open through October 31.