This session examines how creative practice and public history can transform the ways communities encounter difficult and contested histories. Panelists will share projects that reframe historic sites and cultural narratives through art, research, and collaboration, centering the voices of those most impacted. The conversation will focus on how community memory can guide more accountable forms of interpretation, engagement, and preservation.

Featuring:
Diana Hernandez Program Director, Monuments Toolkit, ICOMOS-USA & World Heritage USA – Moderator
Paul Farber Director and Co-Founder of Monument Lab
Kerry Sautner President and CEO, Eastern State Penitentiary
Christina Vassallo Executive Director, The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage

This event is part of the ICOMOS-USA 2026 Symposium, which will bring together leading voices in preservation, policy, and cultural heritage July 8–10, 2026, in Philadelphia at a pivotal moment for the field. Grounded in the theme Shared Heritage, Shared Future, the program will explore how heritage is defined, interpreted, and protected across communities, across generations, and across borders. 

From the growing recognition of intangible heritage to the evolving role of the United States on the global stage, the symposium offers a timely opportunity to engage with the ideas and people shaping what comes next. Learn more and register >