The Avon Library will be hosting an ALA Traveling Exhibit in the community room on the first floor, from December 1, 2024-Jan. 15, 2025, on the origins of humanity. We’
Our partners for this project include: Avon Congregational Church, Avon Land Trust, Avon Historical Society, Avon Senior Center, Farmington River Watershed Association, Farmington Valley American Muslim Center, Friends of the Avon Library, West Avon Congregational Church
The Avon Library’s Art Gallery will feature a companion exhibit from December 1, 2024-January 31, 2025. The exhibit will be open during regular library hours:
Sunday, 1-5pm/Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 10-8:30/Friday, Saturday, 10-5
Admission is free; please register for any programs you want to attend so we may arrange the seating appropriately.
This webpage will be updated regularly with event details as they are confirmed!
View a pdf of the programs here!
Join our virtual film series, Humans in History: Mondays at 7pm, from 11/18-12/9. Listings and details here
Wednesday 12/4/24, 6:30-8:00 pm: Smithsonian Science Lecture/Grand Opening of the Exhibit!
Grand Opening of the exhibit!
Dr. Rick Potts, the exhibition curator and director of the Smithsonian NMNH Origins Program, will give a lecture for the general public about the latest research in human evolution and an overview of exhibition themes and messages. Details here.
Thursday 12/5/24, 11:00-12:30 pm : Clergy Tour
Event for clergy and community leaders. This is a focused event for clergy and community leaders to explore the exhibit with NMNH Human Origins Program scientific and education staff and BSIC members. The agenda for discussion following the tour will be coordinated with input from the local consultation panel. Ideally, one or two local, respected clergy and community leaders will work with the BSIC co-chairs to invite their local colleagues to this event. Check out this link to the BSIC’s Primer on Science, Religion, Evolution, and Creationism ahead of time. Details here.
Thursday 12/5/24, 3:30-6:00 pm: Educator Workshop!
The workshop is for classroom teachers, science and nature center and museum educators, homeschoolers and other local educators. It will feature exploration and hands-on practice in presenting the Human Origins Program resources provided for each community. These resources include a set of five early human skull casts; classroom-tested, high-school biology teaching supplements on “What does it mean to be human?,” and a teacher resource on cultural and religious sensitivity strategies. Details here
Thursday 12/5/24, 6:30 -8:00 pm: Community Conversation: “What Does it Mean to Be Human?,” led by BSIC co-chairs Drs. Connie Bertka and Jim Miller. Join with other members of your community to explore together a variety of answers to the question “What does it mean to be human?” in small group discussions led by Drs. Connie Bertka and Jim Miller (co-chairs of the Smithsonian Broader Social Impacts Committee – BSIC). As part of these conversations we will consider how answers to this question might intersect with a scientific understanding of human origins as displayed in the exhibit.Details here
Tuesday, 12/10/24, 6:30 pm: New England’s Stone Walls: Stories and Conservation Priorities (virtual)
New England stone walls are the signature landform of rural New England. The vast majority are artifacts of a vanished agricultural civilization that are freighted with stories that can be interpreted. During his presentation, Professor Thorson will provide an overview of the subject with an emphasis on their symbolism, and will end with suggestions for conservation. Details and register here.
Saturday, 12/14/24, 2:00 pm: What Darwin Really Said (and what he didn’t).
Charles Darwin has been one of the most misunderstood, misinterpreted, misquoted, and even misused of scientists. Join us for a lecture that will address these issues, with special reference to human origins and evolution.This lecture and discussion will be presented by Michael Alan Park, Ph.D. Details here
Tuesday, 12/17/24: 6:30 pm: The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity/Author Event with Dr. Timothy C. Winegard (in-person)
From New York Times bestselling author of The Mosquito, the incredible story of how the horse shaped human history. Dr. Timothy C. Winegard’s The Horse is an epic history unlike any other. Its story begins more than 5,500 years ago on the windswept grasslands of the Eurasian Steppe; when one human tamed one horse, an unbreakable bond was forged and the future of humanity was instantly rewritten, placing the reins of destiny firmly in human hands. Dr. Timothy C. Winegard is a New York Times bestselling author of five books including The Mosquito: A Human History of Our Deadliest Predator. He holds a PhD from the University of Oxford, served as an officer in the Canadian and British Armies, and has appeared on numerous documentaries, television programs, and podcasts. Winegard is an associate professor of history at Colorado Mesa University. Details here
Thursday, January 2, 2025, 2:00 pm: Interfaith Panel (in-person)
Join us for an in-person, interfaith discussion of what it means to be human. What does each faith believe? Where do we come from? What is the origin of belief? This panel discussion will answer those questions, and probably generate a few more! Our panelists include:
Leaders from the West Avon Community Church, Avon Congregational Church (Chris Solimene), and the Farmington Valley American Muslim Center (tbd), plus Rabbi Rebekah Goldman, Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation – Emek Shalom. Details here.
Sunday, January 5, 2025, 2:00 pm: How to be Perfect: Discussion with Dr. Agnes B. Curry (in-person)
Join us for an in-person discussion of How to be Perfect; we’ll explore the questions, themes, and ideas within the book. About How to be Perfect: From the creator of The Good Place and the cocreator of Parks and Recreation, a hilarious, thought-provoking guide to living an ethical life, drawing on 2,400 years of deep thinking from around the world.
Agnes B. Curry, Ph.D. is a Professor of philosophy and Director of the Core Curriculum. In all her teaching and research, Dr. Curry is concerned about drawing connections between philosophical ideas and our lives and individual experiences. She sees philosophical ideas embedded in all the things we do in everyday life, and she stresses how the first step in learning to think for oneself is to start recognizing how all the ideas around us are working to shape our experience without our realizing it. Dr. Curry came to philosophy through prior studies in music and science and she loves learning about all sorts of new things. She regularly teaches Discovering Philosophy, ethics courses including Food Ethics and Philosophy of Race, and Women Philosophers. Details here
Monday, January 6, 2026: 4:30 pm: Stories that ROCK: Geology for grades 4-6 (Session 1)
Learn about local geology with Howard Wright, middle school science teacher and Science Department Head at Renbrook School, located in West Hartford, CT, who will have lots of cool rocks to touch and see during the program.
Howard Wright is a life member of the Association of Lincoln Presenters, an organization dedicated to the serious interpretation of Abraham Lincoln, and has been performing as the 16th president since 2005. Mr. Wright is 6’3”, yielding only an inch to Mr. Lincoln, and his appearance – stovepipe hat, real beard, authentic period attire, Kentucky-style accent, and high tenor voice – creates a memorable impression on any audience. He has a Master’s Degree from Wesleyan, Bachelor’s from UCONN. Details here
Tuesday, January 7, 2026, 3pm and 6pm: Page to Stage: Hamlet
Page to Stage is a 45-minute adult enrichment presentation followed by a 15-minute Q&A session. We’ll utilize text from the Q1, Q2 and F versions of Hamlet to examine the publishing process during Shakespeare’s time, how that process influenced what is universally accepted today as the work of William Shakespeare, and the ongoing role of the modern editor.
This is a presentational lecture style of information interwoven with monologues designed to support the topic of lecture.
Shakespeare on the Sound is committed to producing affordable, professional open-air productions of the plays of William Shakespeare and related authors in Fairfield County. Working in collaboration with area civic, business and educational institutions, Shakespeare on the Sound presents an annual theatre festival, which brings great dramatic works to a broad audience, creating a forum for learning, appreciation and celebration. Our Educational programming goal is to build community through the arts, giving the works of Shakespeare a vibrant life beyond the summer festival with a variety of school, library, adult education, and art programs as a means to reach a diverse cross-section of people of all ages and economic backgrounds. Details on the 3pm event here; the 6pm event here.
Monday, January 9, 2026: 4:30 pm: Stories that ROCK: Geology for grades 4-6 (Session 2)
Learn about local geology with Howard Wright, middle school science teacher and Science Department Head at Renbrook School, located in West Hartford, CT, who will have lots of cool rocks to touch and see during the program.
Howard Wright is a life member of the Association of Lincoln Presenters, an organization dedicated to the serious interpretation of Abraham Lincoln, and has been performing as the 16th president since 2005. Mr. Wright is 6’3”, yielding only an inch to Mr. Lincoln, and his appearance – stovepipe hat, real beard, authentic period attire, Kentucky-style accent, and high tenor voice – creates a memorable impression on any audience. He has a Master’s Degree from Wesleyan, Bachelor’s from UCONN. Details here
~~~
We are proud that Avon Library was chosen as one of six public libraries nationwide to host this exhibition organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the American Library Association. Based on a popular exhibition at the museum in Washington, D.C., the exhibition explores the process of scientific investigation by communicating not only what we know about human origins but also how we know it. The touring schedule for this exhibit is:
- Yuma County Library District (Yuma, AZ): Friday, December 1, 2023 — Monday, January 15, 2024
- Broward County Libraries Division (Fort Lauderdale, FL): Wednesday, May 29 — Thursday, August 1, 2024
- Avon Free Public Library (Avon, CT): Sunday, December 1, 2024 — Wednesday, January 15, 2025
- Campbell County Public Library (Newport, KY): Thursday, May 29 — Friday, August 1, 2025
- Rio Rancho Library and Information Services (Rio Rancho, NM): Monday, December 1, 2025 — Thursday, January 15, 2026
- Host Period 6 – Spartanburg County Public Libraries (Spartanburg, SC): Friday, May 29 — Friday, July 31, 2026