First Historic New England Summit Oct. 13-14 at Mechanics Hall

WORCESTER — Historic New England is convening a major multidisciplinary conference that will include 60 speakers Oct. 13-14 at Mechanics Hall.

The first Historic New England Summit will bring together "professionals, volunteers, philanthropists, thought leaders, students, and individuals interested in preservation issues to explore how 21st-century challenges and opportunities are being collectively addressed to create livable, resilient communities," according to an announcement.

Among issues to be discussed will be climate change impact, remaking cities in post-industrial New England, sharing inclusive histories, technology and globalizing cultural heritage, culture as catalyst, agricultural preservation, collections management, and inherited bias.

Mechanics Hall will host the Historic New England summit.
Mechanics Hall will host the Historic New England summit.

"We designed the summit to bring together outstanding, innovative thinkers to encourage nontraditional, yet practical ideas about what sustainability could look like in the future,” said Vin Cipolla, president and CEO of Historic New England. “At this critical time, Historic New England is committed to using the power and knowledge learned from our shared history to grapple with the challenges of ensuring vibrant, vital communities — economically, environmentally, culturally, and socially.

“As a longtime leader in the preservation field, we also hope that the Summit will result in partnerships and initiatives that will help strengthen livability and resilience for our region and beyond.”

Five awards and grants recognizing exceptional preservation work across the region will be presented during the summit: The Historic New England Preservation Leadership Award; The Historic New England Book Prize; The Historic New England Prize for Collecting Works on Paper; The Herbert and Louise Whitney Fund Community Preservation Grants; and The Edward F. Gerber Urban Preservation Grant.

Education will play a significant role at the summit, with scholarships to the conference being offered to undergraduate, graduate, and trades students chosen from all six New England states.

Historic New England, founded as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities in 1910, is the largest and most comprehensive independent preservation organization in the United States, and welcomes the public to 38 exceptional museums and landscapes, including several coastal farms. The organization operates a major collections and archives center in Haverhill.

For more information on the summit go to summit.historicNewEngland.org.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: First Historic New England Summit Oct. 13 and 14 at Mechanics Hall