Gabriel Weber
Staff Writer
During the 2026 season, the Chautauqua Lecture Series will devote a full week to “The Importance of Gathering” in collaboration with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and another week devoted to the National Constitution Center and The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to celebrate the United States’ semiquincentennial. At 10:45 a.m. Thursday in the Amphitheater, Chautauqua got a preview of these weeks and a taste of why storytelling matters and how lifelong learning keeps democracy alive.
On Thursday morning in the Amphitheater, director of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival Sabrina Lynn Motley and president and chief executive officer of the National Constitution Center Jeffrey Rosen discussed putting history into context, keeping in theme with Week Nine’s Chautauqua Lecture Series “Past Informs Present: How to Harness History.”
Motley dove into what the Smithsonian is doing to prepare for America’s semiquincentennial in 2026, the 250th year since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“We understand in a clearer light now why the work of the Smithsonian is so important to the fabric of this country, to its future and how we think about this moment together,” Motley said. “I also want to quickly — as I do with any moment that I am fortunate enough to speak with a large group of people — take a moment to acknowledge the ancestors that brought us here and to recognize that we do this work for generations of people that we will never meet but whose lives we will impact.”
Secretary of the Smithsonian Lonnie G. Bunch III oversees 21 museums, 21 libraries, the National Zoo, numerous research centers and several education units and centers. In reflecting on the nation’s history, Motley referenced his breaking it down into three separate parts: commemorating 250 years as a historic event, celebrating the nation’s successes along with contemplating the consequences of our history, and recognizing the sacrifices of those who have worked to uphold the country’s ideals while committing to advancing democracy.
This coming year, the Smithsonian will have an exhibition on state fairs and the National Mall will host the Folklife Festival; alongside many of their 200 affiliate museums across the country, they’ll join various institutions and host activities.
“So there’s a lot going on. But again, it is grounded in this moment of reflection and hope. Under Secretary Bunch’s guidance — he is a historian — and he has reminded us of the importance of unpacking history with a critical eye in all the work we do, so that will be the Smithsonian next year,” Motley said. “I do invite you to join us whenever and wherever you can to be part of this moment in our shared history.”
In celebration of America’s semiquincentennial, the National Constitution Center is releasing a free civic tool kit on Constitution Day, Sept. 17, and Rosen — named earlier this summer as the 2025-26 Chautauqua Perry Fellow in Democracy — has written extensively about the founders’ vision, the pursuit of happiness, and the idea of one nation.
“It’s the idea that Jefferson embraced at the beginning of the Declaration, declaring independence in the name of one nation and one people, then sparking a debate about which people were sovereign. Was that the people of the United States as a whole, as Alexander Hamilton would come to say, or the people of each state as Jefferson would come to say — leading ultimately to the Civil War?” Rosen said. “Agreement about the basic principles of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were never part of the original plan. Debate and disagreement is not a bug: it’s a feature of the American experiment.”
Considering the role that cultural institutions play in fostering healthy civic dialogue, Rosen believes that the National Constitution Center should feature only constitutional debate, rather than political debate.
“History is about storytelling. That is what that great Ken Burns teaches, and I’ve learned from him as we all have, the riveting power of storytelling and its complexity — there are no simple answers in history. By honestly following the story and letting the narrative unfold, you both rivet and engage, and also can spread truth,” Rosen said. “We are inviting all Americans to be lifelong learners, to engage in this rigorous project of self-education, to hear the arguments on both sides of liberals and conservatives, historians and scholars, and make up their own mind. With that basic principle in mind, we feel like there’s nothing we can’t talk about, and there is so much light we can spread.”
In opening up dialogue, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival balances the difficult aspects of history with the celebration of what America has accomplished. Motley finds that, while it may sound “soft” to some, the arts are what keep us going, and the embracing of difficult moments is what ultimately allows for triumph.
“It’s yin and yang — they belong together. These moments, our most difficult moments in our history, are also the ones we really need to unpack, so we do see the things that move us, that make us better and call us to our truer and higher selves,” Motley said. “There has not been a time when this festival has not been created, curated and presented that’s not fraught — that’s part of the work. We lose our way when we don’t take every opportunity to demonstrate the best of us; that comes through the work of weavers, potters or a song.”
Having brought a bound copy of the program from the 1976 Festival of American Folklife, Motley referenced an article by Margaret Mead from a time when the commemoration of America’s bicentennial aroused criticisms amidst an economic recession, a presidential resignation and the tragedy of the Vietnam War.
“(Mead) goes on to say that life does not stop for difficult times. The celebration of our 100th anniversary as a nation also took place in times of trouble. It’s a good reminder that we come to this moment again carrying weight but also paving the way for opportunity through the work that we do,” Motley said. “It’s certainly the thing that gets me out of bed every day and makes me remember why this work is important. Not only now but for the future.”
Rosen aims for a solid equilibrium in looking back at history while moving through everyday life. When he visited Chautauqua last year, Rosen discussed his book The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America and how it changed the way he thought about happiness as being good over feeling good.
“When I wake up, before I can make a hash out of the day and bungle everything up, I deep read or listen for half an hour or an hour. That is something we can all do on our own and we have the duty, a responsibility to use our day as well as we can for lifelong learning. At the same time, artifacts and encounters with history in physical places are crucial,” Rosen said. “It is such a privilege to lead the Constitution Center in Philadelphia because every street you walk down there is a plaque or place where Benjamin Franklin founded the fire department or the Junto or the University of Pennsylvania; he founded something on almost every block and you can see it.”
As Rosen discusses the importance of sources like texts and artifacts, Motley finds that human encounters to be particularly enriching. At its conception, the Folklife Festival was all about discovery; now, they’re settling into the age of encounter.
“Our primary texts are actually people at the Folklife Festival,” Motley said. “With that encounter, you have said so beautifully, comes a responsibility to be present and to do the deep thinking and the listening to be present and in community with one another. Those are our primary sources — our people, our stories — they allow us to do that deep work that comes with encounter and carry the responsibility of being with one another in that deep exchange. Those primary sources anchor us but they also lift us and allow us to go deeper, both into our own worlds and communities, and into each other’s.”
Deciding which stories to tell can seem inherently political, noted Deborah Sunya Moore, Chautauqua’s chief program officer who served as moderator for the discussion. Neutrality is a stance that more often than not benefits those in power – does that mean it’s something to strive for?
“You said the ‘n’ word which I dread — that ‘neutral’ word. I look at the Smithsonian as a whole and It’s a word that I struggle with. I am not sure honestly if our role is to be neutral or to be expensive, and we get perhaps to something more meaningful when we are expansive. Now again, the hard part about being expensive is it requires nuance,” Motley said. “Those histories bump up against each other and make people uncomfortable as we know, but it is critical that we tell them.”
Rosen thinks about expansiveness in terms of knowledge and devouring all the sources one can. He references Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s idea of an embracive Constitution with open arms to show there is always more history to learn.
“The more history you learn, the more you know how little you learn. It is so urgently important to keep digging in deep to the primary sources and learning the stories that you haven’t yet heard before,” Rosen said. “It’s a great time to study history, many voices are being resurrected but it’s so important to let them speak in their own voices and for all of us to actually read them. When you read the text, you see the same questions we’re having now: did the Declaration extend to all human beings or not?”
Studying history is not only a duty of citizenship, it is a pleasure and privilege.
“The founders think that the whole experiment will collapse if we go the way of Rome and Greece and surrender our liberties in exchange for cheap entertainments and cheap luxuries, unless you have the virtuous self-mastery to learn about history,” Rosen said. “It’s impossible to learn too much history but you have to take the time to do it, recognize that it’s complicated and recognize that almost every question has been a matter for debate then make up your own mind.”
Considering the complications of remaining in service to something bigger than the institution, Smithsonian Folklife Festival has evolved since their conception in 1967. Defining the themes for next year’s Folklife Festival, Motley said they will be centered around “remembering together, harmonizing together, moving together and growing together,” and will be opening around Juneteenth.
“Who gets to shape the American promise? Who is it for and why does it matter? How does culture play a role in our understanding of what it means to be an American? Those questions have shifted a bit,” Motley said. “We would have a much more global approach into how we do our work. We are making links between source countries and diaspora communities. We are asking what is going to become of us. And again, how does cultural production both inform what that would be and reflect our values — the things that bring us together. So the mission of the center that produces the festival really is to think about issues of belonging, connection and the importance of gathering, of face-to-face interaction.”
The Smithsonian was created to be a part of developing American national identity, so Motley had a question about Rosen’s book that detailed how classic writers on virtue inspired the lives of the founders and defined America.
“It is crucial also to realize that the debate itself — that defined America. We cannot say what the future will hold, that’s in the hands of fortune and fate and providence,” Rosen said. “But we can do our part, which is to learn about history and participate in the debate; by participating in the debate, we can define America.”
