There are moments when an idea evolves into something greater, moments when an observation or a conversation sparks a big idea. These ideas have the potential to shift perspectives, spark action and inspire. Chautauqua Institution is embracing the power of such thoughts with the launch of a new video series called “Big Ideas.”  “Big Ideas” captures key insights from Chautauqua Institution’s collection of lectures and programs created during the nine-week Summer Assembly by CHQ Assembly, Chautauqua’s membership-based, streaming platform. Each video distills a single thought from a full-length program into a digestible 3 to 10-minute clip. Instead of watching an...

See what’s streaming on CHQ Assembly this February!  CHQ Assembly’s February 2024 Lineup  In February, we’re highlighting Chautauqua’s Forum on Democracy.   Chautauqua’s three-day forum on democracy featured authors, contemporary thinkers and scholars engaging in panel discussions, presentations and seminars. Topics were as varied as history, technology, voting rights, literature, and more.  Join Chautauqua’s lecturers Trevor Potter, Sayu Bhojwani, David Blight, Michael Waldman, and Christy Vines as they analyze and provide clear, diverse and action-oriented solutions to new paths for our democracy’s future. If you aren’t a member, visit assembly.chq.org to sign up today!  In the Spotlight Chautauqua’s Forum on Democracy ...

See what’s streaming on CHQ Assembly this January!  CHQ Assembly’s January 2024 Lineup  In January, we’re highlighting the 2023 Summer Assembly theme “Infrastructure: Building and Maintaining the Physical, Social and Civic Underpinnings of Society.”   Somewhere along the way, infrastructure becomes boring — the awe and joy with which a child greets the weekly garbage truck and hours spent on felt playmats of city streets give way to the “unsexy” business of routine maintenance and iterative improvements, of taxes and policy. Yet nothing remains more critical to our public lives than the evolution and safety of these systems. Join Chautauqua’s lecturers...

See what’s streaming on CHQ Assembly this December!  CHQ Assembly’s December 2023 Lineup  In December, we’re highlighting the 2023 Summer Assembly theme “The State of Believing.”   When we talk about the concept of “belief,” what do we mean? Some of our most deeply held beliefs aren’t just religious ones — they’re philosophical, political, intellectual, emotional. They can take the forms of faith and trust (or lack thereof) in institutions, or in each other. Join Chautauqua’s lecturers Almar Latour, Casper ter Kuile, Kate Bowler, Bishop Cynthia Moore-Koikoi, Brian Greene, Simran Jeet Singh, Rev. Dr. Gary V. Simpson, Setti D. Warren, Tyler...

See what’s streaming on CHQ Assembly this November!  CHQ Assembly’s November 2023 Lineup  In November, we’re highlighting the 2023 Summer Assembly theme “Can the Center Hold? – A Question for Our Moment.”   We can think of “the center” as the middle in political and economic terms: furthest from the edges of society and a place of status quo, moderation and balance. We also use center in reference to a physical space where a community comes together — to worship, to heal, to support one another. And “center” can mean the center of one’s being, the place one seeks in quiet...

See what’s streaming on CHQ Assembly this October!  CHQ Assembly’s October 2023 Lineup  In October, we’re highlighting the 2023 Summer Assembly theme “Games: A Celebration of Our Most Human Pastimes.” Games, in all their forms, share one common trait: Philosopher Bernard Suits once said that “playing a game is a voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.” Watch Chautauqua’s lecturers Will Shortz, Scott Simon, Tara VanDerveer, Kristopher Alexander, Rex Lyons, Rabbi Michael Shire, Jaycee Holmes, Joseph C. Cyrulik, Lakisha R. Lockhart, Percival Everett, and Vasudha Narayanan as they explore our capacity for self-created delight and how we rise to the surmountable...

See what’s streaming on CHQ Assembly this September!  CHQ Assembly’s September 2023 Lineup  In September, we’re highlighting the 2023 Summer Assembly theme “On Friendship.”   There’s an oft-invoked medieval proverb: “Blood is thicker than water.” We take it to mean that bonds of the family are stronger than any other — that, simply, family comes first. But some have argued that the “blood” in the phrase is not one of family, but one of covenant, of choosing. This places heightened importance on friendship and fellowship, and on the family of our own making. Join Chautauqua lecturers Robert P. George, Cornel West,...