2022 Calumet Heritage Conference: Calumet Voices, National Stories in a Living Heritage Area

Register now! The Calumet Heritage Area and National Designation Initiative

Join us for the 23rd Annual Calumet Heritage Conference! This virtual conference, for one hour on each of three evenings, links the Calumet Voices, National Stories exhibit that opened at the Field Museum on November 11, 2022, with the themes of the living Calumet Heritage area. Each evening session takes its cue from one of the key themes: “Nature Re-worked: The Calumet’s Diverse Landscape,” “Innovation and Change for Industries and Workers,” and “Crucible of Working Class and Ethnic Cultures.” Each night, a historian, artist, or environmental professional on the board of the Calumet Heritage Partnership will make a short presentation connecting the exhibit and the Heritage Area. Attendees are then invited to join a discussion of compelling and actionable next steps that protect and celebrate the cultural and natural resources of the region.

If you have seen the exhibit, this is a wonderful opportunity to delve deeply into its themes. And if you haven’t, the conference should whet your appetite. Whether you have seen it or not, the exhibit’s website, calumetvoices.fieldmuseum.org, contains an overview of the unique partnership that created it; maps and images that look more deeply at its themes; and interactive opportunities to share your own perspective about this remarkable place. 

All sessions will be held virtually from 6:30 to 7:30 on Tuesday, December 6th, Wednesday, December 7th, and Thursday, December 8th. Registrants will recieve a Zoom link prior to the session. 

Register Now! 

Program

Each evening features:

• An introduction to the Exhibit and the Heritage Area, by Mark Bouman, Chicago Region Program Diretor, Keller Science Action Center, Field Museum
• A presentation by a regional expert
  
• An open discussion of potential projects in the Calumet Heritage Area

All speakers and presenters are volunteer board members of the Calumet Heritage Partnership or the Calumet Collaborative, which are bi-state non-profits managing the Calumet Heritage Area. The mission of the Calumet Heritage Partnership is to enrich lives through stewardship and interpretation of the Calumet Region’s heritage.

Tuesday December 6th, 6:30 – 7:30 pm,  “Crucible of Cultures”

Featured Presentation: Lauren Pacheco, Co-Creative Director, Chicago Humanities Festival

Discussion Leader: Gwen Stricker, Architectural Preservationist, Harboe Architects

Wednesday, December 7th, 6:30 – 7:30 pm, “Innovation and Change for Industries and Workers”

Featured Presentation and Discussion Leader: Emiliano Aguilar, Assistant Professor of HIstory, University of Notre Dame

Thursday, December 8th, 6:30 – 7:30 pm, “Nature Revisited: The Calumet’s Diverse Landscape”

Featured Presentation: Benjamin Cox, Executive Director, Friends of the Forest Preserves

Discussion Leader: Maggie Catania, Executive Director, Calumet Collaborative