The Civic Season

Join the History Center and more than 200 iconic museums across America for the Fourth Annual Civic Season, held in partnership with the Smithsonian and the History Made By Us coalition.

A new tradition co-created by Gen Z and America’s leading cultural institutions, the Civic Season kicks off on Flag Day (June 14) and spans from Juneteenth through the Fourth of July. For nearly three weeks, young Americans are encouraged to engage in civics through social media, live events, volunteering opportunities, and more.

Here in Pittsburgh, you can attend one of several History Center programs during Civic Season, including a kick-off happy hour complete with free pizza, in-depth panel discussions on Revolutionary War history and civil rights, a special citizenship ceremony, and more.

Civic Season is part of the History Center’s America 101 history and civics initiative.

To participate in Civic Season programs nationwide, visit TheCivicSeason.com.

Civic Season 2024 Programs

Flag Day Folding Ceremony

Participate in a moving Flag Day ceremony featuring the unfurling and folding of a giant 36-foot American flag in the Great Hall on June 14. Reflect upon the civic democracy and history that the flag represents while commemorating the adoption of the American flag on this date in 1777.

Slice of History: A Civic Season Happy Hour

Bring your friends for conversation, happy hour drinks, and free pizza after regular museum hours! Join the History Center and more than 200 iconic museums across America to kick off the Fourth Annual Civic Season.

USCIS Naturalization Ceremony

The History Center and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will welcome new U.S. citizens during a special Naturalization Ceremony on June 20. 

Cocktails & Conversations: Wars of Empire and Liberty

Join History Center President and CEO Andy Masich for an evening filled with delicious drinks and lesser-known stories about Western Pennsylvania’s impact on the French & Indian War and the American Revolution, as told in the History Center’s Wars of Empire and Liberty exhibition on June 20.

Brown v. Board and Civil Rights: A Commemoration

The African American Program will host a panel discussion to mark the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark decision in 1954 in which the U.S. Supreme Court deemed racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional. Local teachers and students will discuss the impact in Pittsburgh and connections to this seminal moment for the Civil Rights Movement. 

Keystone Stories: Uncovering the Legacies of Pennsylvania Women

Explore the art of uncovering women’s untold stories throughout history on June 30. The conversation will include authors Kimberly Hess and Eliza Smith Brown as they share their unique investigate processes for reclaiming the narratives of overlooked women in history.   

Independence Day Celebration

Celebrate the spirit of America with historical demonstrations and period games at Meadowcroft’s 18th-century frontier area and 19th-century village on July 4. 

Fourth at the Fort

Join the Fort Pitt Museum for its annual Fourth at the Fort event in Point State Park on July 4. At 1 p.m., Fort Pitt Museum staff, scouts, and local veterans will help kick off the Fourth of July holiday by raising a 36-foot American flag.  

Exhibitions

A Woman’s Place: How Women Shaped Pittsburgh

Take an interactive, thematic journey through women’s history from the early 1800s to modern day inside our major new exhibition, A Woman’s Place: How Women Shaped Pittsburgh. Through more than 250 artifacts, immersive experiences, and striking archival images, A Woman’s Place reveals how women, including those who advocated for civic and social issues, have made Pittsburgh and the world a better place.   

Wars of Empire and Liberty

Don’t miss the History Center’s Wars of Empire and Liberty exhibition, developed in partnership with the Museum of the American Revolution, before it closes on Monday, July 7. Featuring the work of nationally renowned historical artist Don Troiani, the exhibit includes over 25 stunning works of art and rare objects from the History Center’s collection. 

American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith

The History Center examines the bold experiment to create a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” in its dynamic online exhibition, American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith. Developed in partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), the exhibit showcases the history of how we’ve voted, protested, and engaged with our politics, from the nation’s formation to today. The exhibit was on view at the History Center in 2021. 

America 101

The History Center’s involvement in Civic Season and the Made By Us national coalition is an extension of its ongoing civics initiative, America 101, which engages the public to learn American history through public programs, special exhibitions, digital learning tools, and educational curriculum.

America 101 engages the public to learn American history through public programs, special exhibitions, digital learning tools, and educational curriculum.

America 101 is supported by Nimick Forbesway Foundation.