Public Humanities Fellowship Program
Wartburg’s long-standing partnership with Sarah Lawrence College received additional support in 2021 with funding from the Mellon Foundation that allowed Wartburg to offer collegiate-level courses and programs on site. Residents who participate in these programs gain lifelong learning opportunities while getting to know undergraduate students and sharing their wealth of experience with the next generation. Programs include academic seminars and lectures, reading groups, film screenings, visits to libraries and museums, and hands-on creative activities across Wartburg’s campus.
Come and See What Wartburg Has to Offer!
The Mellon grant brought Professor Emily Bloom to Wartburg as our resident Public Humanities Fellow working to connect undergraduates and seniors in a series of conversations about objects, memories, and the things that matter to us all.
Starting in the fall of 2021, Professor Bloom launched an intergenerational learning project that uses objects—whether historical, aesthetic, or personal—to help Wartburg residents share their stories with Sarah Lawrence students, family members, fellow residents, and Wartburg staff. The project focuses on identifying evocative objects that allow us to tap into memories, ideas, and beliefs and to communicate them with each other. Sarah Lawrence students interviewed Wartburg residents to create two podcast series: Object Lessons and Musical Memories. These podcasts can be found on Wartburg’s Soundcloud page: https://on.soundcloud.com/hpPt9.
Objects and Memory Podcast Series
CATHIE BEHREND, ZACHARIE LEDOUX, AND MELODY REUDIGER
In a conversation with students Zacharie Ledoux and Melody Reudiger, Wartburg resident Cathie Behrend describes how a small ornament that resembles a treadle sewing machine evokes a sense of family, work ethic, and generational connection.
HELEN BYRNES, ANNIE BINGHAM, AND SOPHIE HAMMOND
Wartburg resident Helen Byrnes flips through the pages of a photobook showcasing the home she lived in for nearly 60 years, sharing stories from each room of the house with students Annie Bingham and Sophie Hammond.
ROB BYRNES, LEE BROWN, AND CHRISTINE DUFUR
In a conversation with students Lee Brown and Christine DuFur, Wartburg resident Rob Byrnes is prompted by his Regis High School yearbook to tell a story of lifelong learning and friendship that began in his teens.
GLORIA MCGALAGLY, ADAM STOCKMAN, AND GWYNETH SAUVAGE
Gloria McGalagly shares with students Adam Stockman and Gwyneth Sauvage a record album—and memories—from the Choraleers, an all-female group she sang and traveled with during her college years.
MARY ALICE O’BRIEN AND ALEXANDRA MOORE
Wartburg resident Mary Alice O’Brien and student Alexandra Moore talk about the importance of photography when dealing with objects and memory while poring over photos from Mary Alice’s youth.
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