SHGAPE Blog

Minding the GAPE – September 2026

October 1, 2026

Minding the GAPE – September 2026

By Andrew Varsanyi and Dr. Laura Crossley

Photographing the afterlife of slavery, Industrial violence in Colorado, traveling women booksellers, cat-themed music recordings, an American library in Paris during WWI, the history of race in the census, and much more.

Field Notes: Marcus P. Smith and the Du Bois Freedom Center

September 10, 2026

Field Notes: Marcus P. Smith and the Du Bois Freedom Center

By Emily Parrow

In the fourth installment of “Field Notes: Public History in the GAPE,” Marcus P. Smith shares how the Du Bois Freedom Center interprets the life of author, scholar, and civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) in his hometown of Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The region, known as the Berkshires, is rich in history, culture, and natural beauty. As Smith explains, the Du Bois Freedom Center helps ground visitors of all ages in the Berkshires’ Black cultural heritage using the places that shaped Du Bois’s upbringing.

Field Notes: Leslie B. Jones and the Preservation Society of Newport County

August 11, 2026

Field Notes: Leslie B. Jones and the Preservation Society of Newport County

By Emily Parrow

In the third installment of “Field Notes: Public History in the GAPE,” Director of Museum Affairs and Chief Curator Leslie B. Jones speaks to her work at the Preservation Society of Newport County, also known as the Newport Mansions. Located in Rhode Island, the Preservation Society stewards eleven historic properties, including iconic Gilded Age properties like The Breakers and the oldest and northernmost topiary garden in the country. The Newport Mansions are among the top visited arts and cultural institutions in New England, educating hundreds of thousands of guests annually.