The Humanities Action Lab (HAL) is a coalition of universities, issue organizations, and public spaces in 40 cities, and growing, led by Rutgers University-Newark, that collaborate to produce community-curated public humanities projects on urgent social issues.
Through project-based courses, in which students collaborate with local organizations, students and stakeholders in each city develop local chapters of international traveling exhibits, web projects, public programs, and other platforms for civic engagement. Projects travel internationally to museums, public libraries, cultural centers, and other spaces in each of the communities that helped create them. Past projects include the Guantánamo Public Memory Project and States of Incarceration , in which students worked with returning citizens and others impacted by incarceration in 20 cities around the US to create a traveling exhibit, web platform, and series of public dialogues on the roots of mass incarceration in each of their communities, drawing from the past to understand current debates about incarceration. HAL’s current project explores climate and environmental justice in 23 localities around the world. We always welcome new institutions to join our projects, so please get involved , or reach out if you have any questions.
Nancy Cantor, Chancellor, Rutgers University-Newark“HAL epitomizes a ‘community of experts’ that brings together scholars from across disciplines, experienced leaders from across professions, and committed community members all bringing diverse perspectives to the table to work on tough, complex issues–such as the carceral state–that are place-based and at the same time resonate across communities nationally and globally.”
Learn more about the Humanities Action Lab by visiting their website at humantiesactionlab.org or by exploring their events, exhibitions, and stories below:
