NEH Chair Shelly C. Lowe to Make Inaugural Visit to Illinois February 13-16, Hosted by Illinois Humanities

Highlights include a City Club Chicago panel on economic development and the humanities moderated by Executive Director Gabrielle Lyon, a Chicago bus tour led by Tonika Lewis Johnson (The Folded Map Project) and historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas, and a visit with Illinois Humanities grantee partner Mitchell Museum of the American Indian.

CHICAGO, FEBRUARY 12, 2024 — Illinois Humanities is pleased to welcome the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Chair Shelly C. Lowe on her inaugural visit to Chicago from February 13 -16, 2024. Over her four-day stay, Chair Lowe will tour the rich cultural landscape of Chicago, meet local leaders in the humanities, and speak at events covering the present and future state of the humanities. Lowe is a citizen of the Navajo Nation and grew up on the Navajo Reservation in Ganado, Arizona. From 2015 to 2022 she served as a member of the National Council on the Humanities, the 26-member advisory body to NEH, an appointment she received from President Obama. In 2022, she was confirmed as Chair, making her the first Native American to lead the agency. Lowe has served in a variety of leadership roles nationally. She has served on the board of the National Indian Education Association and as a trustee on the board of the National Museum of the American Indian.

“I am thrilled to be making my first visit as NEH Chair to the Windy City to meet with Illinois Humanities and the city’s educational and cultural leaders,” said NEH Chair Shelly C. Lowe (Navajo). “Chicago is home to so many excellent museums, libraries, colleges, historic sites, and research institutes of all sizes, many of which rely on NEH support to serve their communities. I look forward to strengthening our agency’s connections to these vibrant organizations and highlighting their important contributions to the nation’s cultural life and creative economy.”

The centerpiece of Chair Lowe’s visit will be a panel on The Humanities' Impact: Fostering Economic Development in Chicago and Beyond, February 14 at 12:00 p.m. CT, hosted by City Club Chicago. Chair Lowe will speak on a panel alongside experts at the intersection of culture and economic development including Build Bronzeville and Urban Juncture's Bernard Loyd and IFF’s O. Vickie Lakes-Battle, who spoke last year at Illinois Humanities’ panel discussing the findings in the landmark report History Is Happening: The State of Humanities Organizations in Illinois During COVID-19. Illinois Humanities Executive Director Gabrielle Lyon will moderate the conversation.

“The National Endowment for the Humanities is vital to the sustainability of our cultural community and identity statewide,” said Gabrielle Lyon. “The agency’s indelible support ensures that regardless of a community’s geography or demographic and economic makeup, they will be able to access the education, history, and culture that strengthens our state.”

On February 15, Chair Lowe will take a bus tour led by renowned local historian Shermann “Dilla” Thomas and 2021 Public Humanities Award winner Tonika Lewis Johnson of the Folded Map Project. Thomas’ history videos have become a viral sensation across social media platforms and his south and west side bus tours are a local gem that promote the preservation and celebration of Chicago’s cultural history. Johnson’s Folded Map Project is an ongoing art initiative that uses the humanities as an avenue for challenging conversations about segregation and economic inequities in Chicago. Together, Thomas and Johnson have collaborated with the City of Chicago for “Disrupting Segregation” bus tours and a free, Folded Map Project action kit. Chair Lowe will meet Illinois Humanities grantee partners while on the tour, including representatives from the Bronzeville Historical Society, The Chicago Torture Justice Memorials, and Honey Pot Performance.

On February 16, Chair Lowe will travel to Evanston to visit the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian (an Illinois Humanities grantee partner) and meet with Northwestern University’s Center for Native American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR) Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement Pamala M. Silas. Chair Lowe’s visit will coincide with the Museum and CNAIR’s kick-off of the Native Voices Cover-to-Cover Project at the second Native Book Fair.

Additional agenda items include a visit to the historic Hull House, meetings with humanities students and faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago, a conversation with members of the Chicago Cultural Alliance about cultural heritage, a visit with curators of the Newberry’s upcoming exhibition Indigenous Chicago, and more. 

“We are honored to host Chair Lowe in Illinois and showcase the extraordinary richness of our humanities community – the individuals and institutions who work to preserve Illinois and Chicago history, spark curious conversations, and keep us connected through the humanities,” said Gabrielle Lyon.

Seating is limited for The Humanities' Impact: Fostering Economic Development in Chicago and Beyond. Register for the panel today through City Club Chicago’s website. Illinois Humanities Executive Director Gabrielle Lyon is available for interviews, including sharing findings on the state of the humanities in Illinois.

For inquiries regarding Chair Lowe’s visit please contact Madeline Cruz at madeline.cruz@ilhumanities.org.