Boston Athenaeum, a remnant of the city’s Brahmin past, looks to engage an increasingly diverse population
Published in The Boston Globe, November 14, 2022
By Brian MacQuarrie Globe Staff, Updated November 14, 2022, 7:39 pm
Excerpt: Sitting catty-corner from the State House, the landmark Boston Athenaeum can resemble a grand survivor of a bygone era, a remnant of the Brahmin past amid the shiny high-rises and sweeping demographic changes that mark the 21st-century city.
Busts of stolid, studied men cast an inanimate gaze upon members of the private library as they read in absolute silence. Row upon row of books from a 500,000-volume circulating collection — as well as 100,000 rare books, maps, and manuscripts, and 100,000 works of art — offer a vast well of options for research and reflection.
But behind the walls of this 215-year-old institution, something else is afoot, and it’s not limited to the Athenaeum’s renovation and expansion into an adjacent building. The venerable institution is looking to broaden its programming, engage more of the city’s increasingly diverse population, and even be more transparent about its own history.
Read the full article in The Boston Globe.