SHEAR is pleased to announce and invite applications for its Inaugural Public History Workshop, to be held in advance of the annual meeting in July 2021.

The workshop will be held virtually on Tuesday, July 13, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT.

Early-career historians, along with their more established colleagues, are increasingly eager to develop skills in presenting history to the public, pursuing careers in public history, and building professional networks with historians working in a range of institutional settings. This workshop provides an opportunity for SHEARites to learn about issues shaping public history projects, including audience; methodology; format; and platform or venue. Participants will be asked to provide in advance examples of their own projects intended for a public audience, such as blog posts, small digital exhibits (for example, using the Smithsonian’s Learning Lab platform), or public programs, and will discuss and receive feedback on their work from mentors working in public history settings. Participants are encouraged to contact the organizers if they have questions about including their project.

In the morning, the workshop will meet as a whole and mentors will present some of their own public history projects, with time for Q&A. In the afternoon, participants will join breakout groups to discuss pre-circulated project materials, such as links to digital projects, exhibition or program scripts, PowerPoints, or drafted or published blog posts. Projects should be situated historically in the early American republic and may be in any stage of development. The relevant materials are due to fellow group members by June 21. The last hour of the workshop will be devoted to a discussion of career paths in public history.

All scholars are welcome to participate, with a limit of 15 participants. To apply, please submit via Dropbox at this link a single .pdf or Word file that contains a one-page CV and a one-page document describing your public history project. You can direct questions to the emails below. Applications to participate in the workshop should be submitted no later than April 16 and applicants can expect to hear back by April 30.

Organizers:

Amanda B. Moniz, Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History, moniza@si.edu

Sarah Jones Weicksel, American Historical Association, sweicksel@historians.org