A Space for Humanity, A Place for Everyone
A year after opening, we reflect on how the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities is becoming more than “just” a building.
In a complex, fractured and fragmented world with geopolitical, technological, and environmental frailties, people are looking for a place to meet and a place to belong. With our teaching and research at its heart, we have sought to embody Humanities values in everything we do in the Schwarzman Centre.
About a year before opening, we invited potential users of the building—students, academics, staff, local residents, and wider publics—to tell us what they hoped the building would be. Beyond a good cup of coffee, similar themes emerged from all groups: the desire for a welcoming and inclusive space, a home, a community, a place to exchange new ideas and meet new people.
As a building dedicated to the Humanities, we are committed to creating community, a safe space for all to explore what it is to be human in a world that can, at times, feel terrifyingly complex. That complexity is closer than ever. They shape our everyday lives, our communities and the questions we ask of ourselves and one another.
Within the walls of the Schwarzman Centre, we want everyone to feel supported to be curious about the world around them and take that with them into their daily lives. We want to create an environment where you feel safe to ask the questions and have the conversations. We want to be a space where diversity is celebrated, and we embrace the challenges and opportunities that come with this.
As you walk through the doors and feel the buzz of the building, we are beginning to see this sense of community emerge. We have reflected on the operational experiences of the past year and are learning the lessons about how to use the building effectively. People have commented how welcome they feel, and how the lectures, seminars, music, art, dance, and exhibitions they have experienced have challenged them to think or approach issues from new and unexpected angles.
We hope that in the midst of these challenges the Schwarzman Centre can play a part in bringing communities from all walks of life together, creating the space for imagination, conversation and debate. A place that builds bridges, shifts the dial forwards, and contributes, even in small ways, to a more beautiful, connected and hopeful future.
There is a long way to go and much more we can do. This is the beginning of a much deeper conversation. We won’t have all of the answers, and things won’t always go right first time. But join us to help make a place that brings people, from all walks of life, to celebrate our human connectedness, together.
Head of the Humanities Division, Professor Daniel Grimley
Divisional Registrar and Chief Operating Officer, Alexandra Vincent
