What does the U.S. semiquincentennial mean to the Smithsonian? What role do its researchers, educators, archivists, security staff, and others play in advancing the country’s ideals and aspirations? A captivating answer can be found in the Smithsonian’s major initiative Our Shared Future: 250, a national invitation to reflect on the past, engage with the present, and imagine the future together.

Join Lisa Sasaki, Smithsonian Deputy Under Secretary for Special Projects, and Julissa Marenco, Assistant Secretary for Communications and External Affairs and Chief Marketing Officer, in a wide-ranging conversation about the process of organizing a large-scale effort, what this work says about the Smithsonian’s own aspirations and connections to community, and what the next 250 years of outreach, education, and engagement at the Smithsonian might bring. Smithsonian Folklife Festival director Sabrina Lynn Motley will moderate.