“The series drew attendance that was 25-to-50% higher than our usual program attendance and reached an audience that we normally do not reach in our programming—male non-library-users. The response to the series was overwhelmingly positive and the participants are eager for more lectures.”
Karen LaRocca-FelsProject Director, Civil War Sesquicentennial Lecture Series
The mission of Humanities New York is to strengthen civil society and the bonds of community, using the humanities to foster engaged inquiry and dialogue around social and cultural concerns.
Five values inform the work of Humanities New York:
Participation: Participatory experiences foster active learning and meaningful engagement with issues and ideas.
Community: The humanities strengthen connections within and between communities, enriching the lives of New Yorkers.
Understanding: Drawing on the riches of the humanities, New Yorkers discover common values and build a more civil society through reading, listening, discussing, posing questions, and seeking answers.
Access: Providing the broadest access to the humanities requires reaching across real and perceived barriers wherever they are found.
Responsiveness: The humanities can be mobilized quickly, efficiently, and creatively in programs and activities that address emerging, urgent, and changing needs of New Yorkers.
To realize its mission, Humanities New York has identified three broad goals with attendant objectives to guide its work over the next three years.
Goal One: Expand the outreach and programming impact of Humanities New York so that all New Yorkers may access the tools and experiences of the humanities.
Goal Two: Maximize HNY’s influence and resources through concerted fundraising, advocacy, and communications efforts.
Goal Three: Ensure greater coordination and coherence across all facets of HNY’s work.