Videos and Recorded Programs

On May 31, 2023, Ford Foundation President Darren Walker joined Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence in a conversation about the shifting landscape of charitable giving, the role of art in the pursuit of social justice, and the importance of hope to civic engagement.  

In sitting down with Ford Foundation President Darren Walker for the May 31 “Why It Matters” event, Huntington President Karen R. Lawrence set the stage for a lively conversation.

Author Lisa See has donated over 300 valuable glass plate negatives and photographs to The Huntington, depicting the vibrant daily life of Los Angeles' Old Chinatown dating back to the late 19th century, and discusses the collection with curator Li Wei Yang.

Five works by Nigerian-born, Los Angeles–based artist Njideka Akunyili Crosby are spotlighted in a series curated by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author and New Yorker magazine critic Hilton Als, in collaboration with the Yale Center for British Art and each artist.

Stephen Blackmore, renowned botanist and chair of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, emphasizes the pivotal role of plants and botanical gardens in addressing the world's environmental challenges, offering practical solutions and highlighting the significant contributions of institutions like The Huntington.

R. Isabela Morales, the 2023 Shapiro Book Prize winner, discusses the significance of writing family history, the challenges of tracing the lives of enslaved people, and the incredible cache of unpublished letters and legal documents that forms the archival core of her book “Happy Dreams of Liberty.”

Andrés Reséndez, professor of history at the University of California, Davis, and the Robert C. Ritchie Distinguished Fellow, discusses how America and China have gone from enthusiastic trading partners to strategic rivals in only a decade, the latest twist in a much deeper history spanning half a millennium.

This symposium brings together scholars, public intellectuals, and community leaders to reflect on Asian American histories and experiences in California.

In honor of Founders’ Day 2023, The Huntington and The Huntington-USC Institute on California and the West present a mix of serious and quirky stories demonstrating the broad range of The Huntington's collections.

Highlights from "Stories We Tell: Founders’ Day At The Huntington 2023"

Dr. Lei Xue, Oregon State University, discussed shutiaoshi, stone slabs with engraved calligraphy that are commonly found in Chinese gardens.

The artist explains how he wove together the stories of California highways, migratory birds, T.S. Eliot’s “Four Quartets,” and a searing self-portrait into a sprawling but cohesive work.