Princeton is home to a vibrant community of organizations dedicated to arts, culture, and the humanities, with events held throughout the year. While the library is just one part of this landscape, our programming team frequently partners with these groups on shared projects and initiatives. October, however, brings a special opportunity to celebrate and support this work. Every year, we join in celebrating National Arts & Humanities Month, an initiative originally launched by Americans for the Arts, first as National Arts Week and then since 1993 as National Arts & Humanities Month, “a collective recognition of the importance of culture in America.” Closer to home, New Jersey Assemblywoman Carol Murphy (Burlington County) has introduced a joint resolution to officially designate every October as “Humanities Month” in the state. While that resolution is currently pending review by the Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee, National Arts & Humanities Month already has a long tradition of presidential proclamations; most recently, one was issued by President Biden in 2024.
Americans for the Arts further defines National Arts & Humanities Month as “an opportunity for everyone to help change public perception and promote the crucial role of the arts and humanities in promoting individual wellbeing, addressing trauma, connecting cultures, highlighting inequities, and making our communities healthier and stronger.” This year, as they explain in their October newsletter, Americans for the Arts is encouraging the public to participate in a campaign organized around the theme “Stories Unite Us.” In association with that theme, they are hosting a virtual community conversation on Oct. 27 to explore the question, “Arts, Humanities & Civic Life: What Should a National Arts Policy Agenda Help Make Possible?”
If national advocacy isn’t your focus, supporting local events here at the library is another way to get involved. Our upcoming programs include the Catherine Project Book Discussion Series on revolution and “Celebrate Hispanic Heritage,” offered for Spanish-speaking visitors in partnership with People & Stories / Gente y Cuentos. You might also wish to join us for special author events, including an Oct. 20 panel discussion on Darley Newman’s “Revolutionary Road Trip” and, on Oct. 26, Juda Bennett’s dramatic interpretation of his “Qtopia: A Memoir of Love, Land, and Liberation.”
Still, the library’s support for the arts and humanities does not simply stop at the end of October. Each of the series mentioned above continues into next month and there’s more to come, including the launch of “US 1 Worksheets” on Nov. 1, a performance of “Room To Swing an Ax,” and author events for Laura McPhee’s “Silence So Deep It Rings,” Becky Libourel Diamond’s “City Tavern” and Isaac Butler’s “The Perfect Moment.” We invite you to come connect, learn, and celebrate the arts and humanities with us.