Steering Committee visits Chautauqua Institution
During the week of July 13th, members of the Catalyzing Newport steering committee traveled to the scenic historic town of Chautauqua in the Finger Lakes region of upstate NY for a site visit to the renowned Chautauqua Institution.
The Institution, formed in 1874, is a learning center, intentional community and resource that features a 9-week season engaging the intellectual community in open discussions of public issues, international relations, literature and science. We visited during the Institute’s fourth week of its summer institute programming.
The theme for the week was “Emerging Citizenship” and featured lectures and presentations by Colonial Williamsburg’s master interpreters, Egyptian scholars on the Arab Spring, and fellow Rhode Islander Dr. Gordon Wood, Professor of History Emeritus at Brown University. The Chautauqua Institution leverages its rich geography and history with a visiting learning program which offers an array of educational opportunities for vacationers, academics and professionals.
During the week, we served as “anthropologists” studying both the “Chautauqua experience” and its vacation learning model.