Events

The Monuments Project: Expanding the American Story

DateDecember 9, 2020
Event Expanding the American Story Hero Image

With the recent launch of the Monuments Project— a significant multi-year commitment to rethinking our country’s commemorative landscape — the Mellon Foundation is broadening the national conversation about public monuments and memorials. Our second panel discussion on the topic addresses provocative questions about the making of our commemorative spaces, what a monument is, how myth-making has shaped the process of memorializing, and why new commemorations will expand the American story. How can we shape a more inclusive understanding of monuments and memorials?  

Speakers and guests at this event included: 

  • Elizabeth Alexander, president, Mellon Foundation
  • Dr. Paul Farber, director, Monument Lab
  • Viet Thanh Nguyen, professor, University of Southern California; Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist
  • Caroline Randall Williams, writer-in-residence, Vanderbilt University 

This event was originally livestreamed on December 9, 2020

Expanding the American Story

How can we shape a more inclusive understanding of monuments and memorials?