Humanities in Action: Building a Better Future

Welcome to the final episode of our special series, Curating Tennessee: 1776-2076. In this episode, Humanities Tennessee's Paul McCoy & Melissa Davis turn the tables on series host Caroline Carrico to talk about the digital exhibit she curated from the objects discussed in the past 11 episodes.

Curating Tennessee: 1776 - 2076 , the digital exhibit, is available now. We invite you to explore the questions these objects raise about our country and our relationship to each other. Let us know what you think!

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This episode is part of By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils in collaboration with local partners. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

This project is also funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.

In this episode, which is part of our special series Curating Tennessee: 1776-2076, we're joined by Liza Blair, a curator and museum specialist at Chattanooga State Community College and the curator of Humanities Tennessee's upcoming exhibit What If? Exploring the Future of Crafting and Growing. The exhibit opens August 8, 2026, at the Museum and Cultural Center at 5ive Points in Cleveland, Tennessee.

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This episode is part of By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils in collaboration with local partners. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

This project is also funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.

In our previous episode, Madeline Greene, the Curator of Collections and Education at the Museum & Cultural Center at Five Points in Cleveland, Tennessee, talked about ways Americans have taken care of each other. In this short bonus episode, you’ll hear about an artifact she thinks America’s Founders couldn’t have envisioned.

This episode is part of By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils in collaboration with local partners. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. 

This project is also funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.

In this episode of our special series Curating Tennessee: 1776-2076, we're joined by Madeline Greene, the Curator of Collections and Education at the Museum & Cultural Center at Five Points in Cleveland, Tennessee.

This episode is part of By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils in collaboration with local partners. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

This project is also funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.

In our previous episode, Patrick Hollis, the executive director and curator at Mabry-Hazen House in Knoxville, Tennessee, talked about everyday objects that open discussions about the lived experiences of all the historic house’s past residents. In this short bonus episode, you’ll hear his ideas about what would flabbergast America’s revolutionaries.--

This episode is part of By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils in collaboration with local partners. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. 

This project is also funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.

In this episode of our special series Curating Tennessee: 1776-2076, we're joined by Patrick Hollis, the Executive Director and Curator at Mabry-Hazen House in Knoxville, Tennessee.

This episode is part of By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils in collaboration with local partners. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

This project is also funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.

In our previous episode, Erin Medley and Aubrey Michaels from Red Clay State Park in Cleveland, Tennessee, discussed how they utilize their park’s landscape and programming to create a more perfect union. In this short bonus episode, you’ll hear them discuss a museum interactive America’s founding fathers couldn’t have imagined.

This episode is part of By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils in collaboration with local partners. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. 

This project is also funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.

In this episode of our special series Curating Tennessee: 1776-2076, we're joined by Erin Medley, the Park Manager at Red Clay State Park in Cleveland, Tennessee, and Aubrey Michaels, one of the park’s interpretive rangers.

This episode is part of By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils in collaboration with local partners. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

This project is also funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.

In our previous episode, you heard Tonya Staggs, the Executive Director of Historic Castalian Springs in Sumner County, Tennessee, share objects from their historic house museum that speak to the process of creating a more perfect union. In this short bonus episode, you'll hear her discuss an artifact she believes the founding fathers couldn't have envisioned.This episode is part of By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils in collaboration with local partners. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

This project is also partially funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.

This episode continues our special series Curating Tennessee, 1776-2076. In this episode, Tonya Staggs, the Executive Director of Historic Castalian Springs in Sumner County, Tennessee, shares ways in which their historic house museum Cragfont represents the process of creating a more perfect union.

This episode is part of By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils in collaboration with local partners. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.This project is also partially funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial.