Past Events

Over the past thirty years, we’ve collectively seen a push for greater accessibility options in the arts such as (but not limited to) ASL interpreters, open captioning, audio descriptions, autism and sensory friendly performances, and veterans’ theater going programs.

Likewise, artists breaking the mold are getting their overdue spotlight. Not only have companies like Deaf West taken mainstream theater by storm and become household names, but last year’s Broadway shows showcased a more inclusive slate of talent: The Cost of Living starred Katy Sullivan, Paralympic athlete and amputee, and Gregg Mozgala, who is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy; Camelot featured Anthony Michael Lopez, who wears a prosthetic leg and Marilee Talkington who is legally blind; In A Doll's House, Michael Patrick Thornton, a wheelchair user, played Dr. Rank.

How do we continue to move the needle to ensure that everyone can access the show and that the material we enjoy reflects humanity as whole - with a wide variety of abilities and differences? In this conversation, we’ll explore both the content and function of representation and accessibility. What does inclusive performance look like, and how do we get there?

Director of Artistic Programming Ronee Penoi discusses with noted bassist and host of the podcast, “Blind? So What?” Ciara Moser, audio describer, performer, and leader in the Spina Bifida community Cori Couture, groundbreaking founder and Executive Director of Abilities Dance Ellice Patterson, and managing director of Open Door Arts, Nicole Agois Hurel.

Join "Under the Radar" host Callie Crossley for a conversation with poet Tiana Clark, author of "Scorched Earth," as a special in-person edition of Bookmarked: the "Under the Radar Book Club" honoring poetry in celebration of National Poetry Month. This segment will be recorded for air.

SOLD OUT

Did you know the scratch ticket was pioneered right here in Massachusetts? Did you know our lottery brings in more dollars per capita than any other state in the country? Join Ian Coss and the creative team behind “Scratch & Win” – plus surprise guests from the podcast – for an inside look at what makes MA the lottery capital of America.

“Scratch & Win” from GBH News is the true story of how the government got into the gambling business. It begins in 1970s Boston, with state bureaucrats going toe to toe with mafia bookmakers, but reaches all the way to the present moment, when legal gambling is more ubiquitous than ever. This event will feature behind the scenes insights from the team, stories from the cutting room floor, and a discussion of how state lotteries shaped the gambling industry of today.

Hear from:
Dawn Hayes, Former broadcaster for MA state lottery
David O’Reilly, Former Finance Director of MA state lottery
Paul Regan, Former Creative Director for Hill Holiday

“Scratch & Win” is made by the Peabody Award-winning team behind “The Big Dig,” and distributed by PRX. You can find the 8-part series wherever you get your podcasts.

Event registration is required. Seating is general admission.
The maximum capacity of this event is 200.

SOLD OUT

Bonnie Bennett, owner of Kakawa Chocolate House and an expert chocolatier, will guide participants through this one hour virtual class. Learn how to taste and pair different chocolates from around the globe. During the class, guests will have an opportunity to explore the distinctive looks, aromas, textures, and flavors that define different varietals and terroirs of chocolate-growing regions. In addition, Bonnie will share some of her extensive knowledge of the history of chocolate and expand upon some of the unique properties and unusual facts about cacao.


Each $75 ticket includes a chocolate kit that will be shipped directly to the postal address entered when you register. One interactive kit contains enough chocolate to serve two people, a sensory tasting wheel, and a note sheet to record your observations. Purchase multiple kits for an amazing Chocolate celebration with family and friends!


Space is limited for this tantalizing virtual adventure. Registration for this event ends on Friday, March 7, 2025 at 5pm EST, to provide ample time to ship the chocolate kits to your preferred shipping address.

Join the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation for a captivating Mill Talk on the history of Levi Strauss, the man behind one of the most enduring names in American fashion, and the brand he built. Tracey Panek, Historian and Director of Archives at Levi Strauss & Co., will explore how a Bavarian immigrant in the 19th century built a brand that revolutionized workwear and became a global icon in fashion, culture, and everyday utilitarian clothing.

This talk is especially fitting at the Charles River Museum, the site of Francis Cabot Lowell’s first cotton textile mill, where America’s industrial revolution transformed fabric production and laid the foundation for the mass manufacturing of textiles—including the denim that would later become synonymous with Levi’s. Discover how industrial ingenuity, from early denim to Strauss’s patented riveted jeans, shaped the way we produce and wear clothing today – and how it continues to shape fashion worldwide.

Anger and fear are anchoring our political and religious life. This anger fear has warped our sense of how to be national and religious community that is moral community. Political discourse is uncivil; religious discourse is confrontational. Whether members of Congress are holding their party’s line or members of denominations are holding a doctrinal line, there is partisan polarization. At the heart of this polarization is absolutist morality. Womanist moral imagination helps us to answer this question: How do we generate and facilitate authentic moral community?

The Guerrilla Girls are anonymous artist activists who use disruptive headlines, outrageous visuals and killer statistics to expose gender and ethnic bias and corruption in art, film, politics, and pop culture. One of them spoke for the BPL's series on Revolutionary Art in 2025.

Alberto Vasallo, III, the CEO of El Mundo Boston, brings together Latino professionals who are philanthropic leaders in Boston. They share how Latinos are stepping into the gaps where traditional giving does not reach their communities. Learn more about where they recognize the opportunities to invest in positive growth.

With:
Elias Torres - Founder and CEO of Agency AI

Mary Skelton Roberts - CEO, Philanthropy MA

Aixa Beauchamp - Co-Founder of The Latino Equity Fund

Nora Moreno Cargie - President, Point32Health Foundation  

Join GBH for community conversations that amplify local voices from Boston and beyond. Recorded in front of the cafe audience at GBH’s studio in the Boston Public Library, GBH Amplifies features a rotating cast of well-known hosts from local media, community organizations, and more.

Last year, Boston drivers spent an average of 79 hours sitting in traffic. Those hours could have been spent going to the gym, visiting a library, or having lunch with a friend. How different would our lives be if everything we needed was only 15 minutes away on foot?

The 15-Minute City is an urban planning framework in which people live within 15 minutes of the essentials they need by walking or biking. Cities around the world - Barcelona, Paris, Singapore, and Bogota - have adopted this concept for sustainability and to improve general quality of life. As this concept gains popularity, we explore how our cities might leverage this global movement.

For decades, urban planning in the United States has advanced and prioritized automobile use, which led to the destruction and splintering of Black and brown neighborhoods. What resulted was the unprecedented surge of suburbia, which designated for generations of Americans separate spaces for living, working, etc. Now more than ever, the US is confronted with a physical and political landscape demonstrating the importance of connection and community.

In this talk, we explore the principles of the 15-Minute City, how it works, and how urban planning impacts our way of life and shapes how we live and move in our communities.

Christian MilNeil, editor-in-chief at StreetsblogMASS is moderating the discussion.

GBH welcomes CEO of El Mundo Boston, Alberto Vasallo, III back to the stage at our studio in the Boston Public Library.

This week he is joined by four women leading the way for Boston in fashion, modeling and events.

Marlena Garcia is the founder of Nouveau Networking, a group focused on helping young talent enter the modeling industry safely and with eyes wide open.

Sabrina Ortega Lopez is a fashion designer working with patterns, mediums and colors that highlight her own style and heritage. She is determined to make Boston better known for its fashion talent.

Keyla Williams is the co-founder of Bogosplit Boutique, a shop in Boston's Copley Place Mall dedicated to empowering emerging designers and creative entrepreneurs, providing them with a global stage to showcase their talents.

Juliana Hernández is the founder of DEZ Collective. She uses her opportunities to create glamours events as a way to build community and support others in the fashion and entertainment industry.