We’re  submitting a planning grant to the NEH for a new program that will link Providence’s creative past with its creative future. Here’s a summary:

The Brown Center for Public Humanities seeks $34,100 to cover the costs of planning and testing a series of pop-up installations and events that tie Providence’s past as a locus of invention and entrepreneurship to its future as a “Creative Capital” of art- and science-based innovation. The project brings museums and humanists together with artists, makers, industrial firms and technology labs to consider the city’s history of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship; to help the public understand the nature of technological and artistic change; and to encourage a nuanced discussion about the city’s future. We want to connect old and new, encouraging the city to build on its past and move beyond it. How can Providence use its roots in creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation to create a prosperous and equitable future? We hope to help guide Providence through the tricky terrain of creative economic development and suggest models for museums of technology and art across the country.

And here’s the whole thing: