Community Conversations: Bicentennial Ephemera, 1976

Join us at the Schuyler Jail Museum for the final session of the Community Conversations: History Belongs to All of Us, a free, facilitated program series brought to you by The Hub – Arts & Cultural Center in partnership with Illinois Humanities!

For this conversation, we will be reflecting on the bicentennial, or 200th birthday, of the Declaration of Independence, which took place in 1976. We will look at an array of ephemera from Illinois’s participation in the bicentennial and analyze the narrative, message, and relative success of each item in meeting its goal of marking the monumental occasion. We will also imagine the artifacts and events we might employ to express our current understanding of American history and values in 2026. 

Bring your curiosity, your opinions, and your appetite, because The Bread Basket is bringing the snacks!

This isn't a lecture. It's a conversation. Come ready to listen, share, and see history in a whole new way.

This event is free and open to the public. Conversations will be facilitated by Moe Billingsley and Xochi Anderson.