How does a 17th century philosopher continue to shape our daily lives, our political discourse, and the pressing disputes of our social contract? John Locke,…

Join Director of Membership & External Relations Robin Wetherill and Reference & Special Collections Librarian Stephanie Ovoian for a virtual journey through the Athenæum. We’ll…

Developing his expertise from within his community and through three decades of experience in the culinary arts, Sean Sherman has set a new standard for engagement and…

This program is reserved for members of the Athenæum. Board President and architect Jonathan Bell explores the architecture of the library’s Benefit Street home, including the…

This program is reserved for members of the Athenæum. Attendees are invited to participate in a guided discussion on selected films. Cinephile Steve Coon explores the neo-noir Chinatown (1974;…

Peter Brooks’ Balzac’s Lives is a vivid and searching portrait of a great novelist as revealed through the fictional lives he imagined. Balzac, more than anyone, invented…

The Providence Athenæum is the home of a unique work of Egyptomania: a massive cabinet designed to hold the elephant folio volumes of the Description de…

Rita Dove served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 1993-1995, the youngest person and first African American to be appointed. She won the Pulitzer…

This program is reserved for members of the Athenæum. This spring, the Athenæum is embarking on an exciting master planning project with an array of…

Profanity has always been a deliciously vibrant part of our lexicon, an integral part of being human. In fact, our ability to curse comes from…