Signature Programs
Dawn Tyler Watson performs at John Brown Day 2018.
John Brown Lives! uses the history of freedom and human rights in the Adirondacks as a prism to inform and inspire civic action, addressing some of the most pressing issues of our time.
The legacy of civil rights in the Adirondacks runs deep: When John Brown lived here, he helped administer Gerrit Smith’s “scheme of justice and benevolence” to give land to free blacks so they could move from cities, begin lives as farmers and vote. This region was also an important route on the Underground Railroad, a last leg before fugitive slaves could reach Québec and Ontario, Canada.
Today, John Brown Lives! continues that legacy in several ways: We host discussions and lectures, sponsor cultural events and serve as the official Friends Group of the John Brown Farm State Historic Site.
Collaborations with Artists
Nine conversations on equity and justice fostered trust and transformation at John Brown Farm, exploring privilege, allyship, and systemic change.
The Long Table Dinner
The Long Table Dinner is an annual event to celebrate and support the programs of JBL!
The Fellowship Program
Launched in partnership with Craigardan, the John Brown Lives! Fellows Program is dedicated to nurturing and empowering artists, scholars, and activists who are guided by a compassionate sense of history and its contemporary reverberations. We are grateful to Craigardan for teaming up with us to host and welcome our inaugural Fellows into their vibrant creative community.
Hands-On History
Hands on History Hands-On History is designed to support educators and develop, deliver, and inspire meaningful learning experiences for local students that promote curiosity, empathy, and a connection to the freedom history of the region.Over time, we aim to develop...
Adirondack Family Book Festival
The Adirondack Family Book Festival is an exciting event that showcases celebrated authors from all around the world in beautiful Lake Placid, NY.
A Memorial Field
A Memorial Field mourns the violence that permeates the Black experience in America. It sheds light on criminal justice failures. Ren Davidson Seward, the artist and author, writes factual epitaphs to commemorate the unjustly fallen in the uncivil war that has existed between Americans since the slave liberation movement began.
Blues at Timbuctoo
The first Blues at Timbuctoo concert was held in 2016 against the backdrop of the “Timbutoo” story of Black families homesteading in the Adirondacks in the 1840s.
John Brown Day
John Brown Day is an annual event held on the first or second Saturday of May each year. It is a day that celebrates John Brown’s legacy and honors those that carry his spirit forward. The day focuses on the Spirit of John Brown Awardees and moving performances by poets, authors, and musical guests that inspire attendees to continue to work for a more just society.
Friends in the Adirondacks
Friends in the Adirondacks (Friends) is a partnership between John Brown Lives! and the Harlem-based Alliance of Families for Justice (AFJ) that seeks to ease the burden carried by families and individuals with loved ones incarcerated in North Country prisons.
Harriet Was Here
“Harriet Was Here” is a unique exploration of Harriet Tubman’s remarkable life of activism and service.
Dreaming of Timbuctoo
Dreaming of Timbuctoo “Dreaming of Timbuctoo,” an exhibit on permanent display in the Upper Barn at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Lake Placid, chronicles the evolution of this unlikely dream. Smith enlisted Frederick Douglass to help attract families to...