At College of the Atlantic, during a conversation about art and the American story Rhiannon Giddens urged audiences to support artists and embrace the human stories behind American music.
Jul 28, 2026
The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by Edward Jones Financial Advisor: Elise N. Frank.
BAR HARBOR—College of the Atlantic Interim President Lynn Boulger stood under a big tent before attendees sitting in rows of chairs and welcomed them all to the first day of the College of the Atlantic’s Summer Institute and addressed those attending in person and listening via Zoom. “We’re so glad you’re a part of this extended, intimate intellectual community.”
What a week, she said, that the college has planned.
It’s a week of discussions, panels, films, questions, and answers all focusing around “a more perfect union.”
In a way, that topic could be for any of the past summer institutes where the college has leaned toward intellectual discourse toward the betterment of communities and the people who live in them.
The tenth anniversary of the Summer Institute coincides with the nation’s 250th birthday.
Bolger said that outside her office was a poster from 1973. It spoke of speakers coming to the college: Benjamin Spock, Buckminster Fuller, Thomas Lovejoy.
COA, she said, is no newbie to the role of intellectual exchange, however, it wasn’t until ten years ago that two board members brought up the idea of a weeklong exchange of ideas.
“There were growing pains. There were worries,” she said.
Would people come off the water and the mountain to sit and listen to lectures, they wondered.
Another question: How could they keep it open and free so that public discourse was truly public?
They needn’t have worried. The institute and the desire for learning via discourse and human interaction has only grown.
“Aren’t we all trying to make meaning of our lives, this crazy world, and higher ed” as it intersects with multiple areas, Bolger asked.
In his introduction to a discussion between Rhiannon Giddens (musician, composer, and artistic director of Silkroad) and Dr. Mariko Silver (president and CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts), Stephen Sullens of the Harper House, which has been restoring and running the Criterion Theatre, asked how the arts and culture help people understand the American Story.
“America’s greatest gift to the world is our music,” he said.
It’s a soft power, a good power, meant to influence and heal.
And so much more, Giddens stressed. It becomes a space for meaningful cultural exchange, a space for discussion, for learning, for reflection and involvements beyond passive experience.
As the COA blurb for their discussion explained, “Giddens reflects on her work to recover and reinterpret the cultural roots of American music, illuminating stories long overlooked and asking what it means to get that history right.”
It’s a lot of power, Dr. Silver said, and a lot of responsibility. Giddens, she said, shoulders that responsibility she said with grace and responsibility.
The crowd cheered at the remark.
That work, Dr. Silver said, was a calling, a stack of callings that is extraordinary and it is work that can take a toll.
“We’re here to think together about some of these thorny questions and how to move from thorny to inspiring,” Dr. Silver said. “I don’t think anything changes in culture unless you open people’s hearts.”
Music and story can open people’s hearts in a world where artist visas coming to the United States to perform are often prohibitively expensive and where Spotify has become overrun with AI-produced songs, Giddens said.
All creative arts infrastructure is collapsing, she said.
“You know why they like AI? Because AI doesn’t talk back,” she said. Later adding, “We have to be aware of these things….We have more power than we think.”
Society is in crisis, she said. “So how do we not be overwhelmed by this?”
She’s not sure, but said that people hold more power than they think in their choices.
Engaging with other people in person and art in person is one way, Dr. Silver suggested. When you know something is created by AI, Giddens suggested, don’t share it, no matter how cute it is. That’s a small act. A bigger one would be to support artists, get them on stage.
It’s just as important to work on a local level.
Music opens up new space for ideas, which open up space for a new connection, which can eventually reconfigure an institution.
Specificity in story, Giddens said, is key in connecting people. The more specific a story is in detail, the more universal it can become, which she showed via singing three lines about Omar, an enslaved man sold at a Charleston, South Carolina auction block who wrote an account of his enslavement in Arabic.
“Who is this person?” Giddens asked. “They are a human being.”
The goal then becomes to connect that human being to others, as happens in the aria sung by Julia in “Omar,” a Pulitzer-prize winning opera co-written by Giddens and Michael Abels.
“My daddy wore a cap like yours.
“He got down on his knees and he faced the rising sun. And he did it again when the day was done.”
The song has a character recognize another character because of his hat, which denoted his religion. That specific detail creates a bigger connection.
Behind her songwriting is a deep commitment to research. Operatic voices aren’t part of popular culture any longer, she said, but that means that you make the place for them yourself, insert them back into the culture.
Art makes you remember that. Story and the arts, she said, humanize us all, which is why it’s often the first thing attacked by political systems that mean to suppress freedoms.
“I guess that’s what I’ve always been chasing. Where is the human story?” she said.
Behind her songwriting is a deep commitment to research.
Giddens created arias for women like herself—women looking for their own histories.
Often she ends an event with a sing-along, which is meant to show attendees, “we are all together in this moment. We may not agree… You may not even think I’m a human, but maybe if we’re singing together, maybe there’s a path forward,” she said.
She’s been doing a deep dive into early banjo music and its complicated and painful history. Invented in the Caribbean, it became a black diaspora instrument.
“I have to smile because otherwise I’ll cry all the time when I do this work,” she said.
LINKS TO LEARN MORE
According to its website, “The Summer Institute is College of the Atlantic’s week-long convening of ideas that welcomes experts from around the world to share their perspectives on the most pressing issues of our time.”
The 2026 event will be held Monday, July 27-Friday, July 31.
For those who cannot attend in person, livestream registration is available for each session.
To watch a snippet of Glidden’s presentation courtesy of Andrew Revkin, click here.
HELP SUPPORT THE BAR HARBOR STORY
When we started The Bar Harbor Story, we didn’t know if anyone would read it. But you showed up. You shared. You sent tips. Now—over 400,000 views every month later—it’s clear: people here care about their community and each other.
We’ve kept everything free because news should never be out of reach, but every one of our stories takes time to write, and your support keeps The Bar Harbor Story going.
If you value our work, please consider a paid subscription, a founding membership, or a sponsorship.
It truly helps us cover one more meeting, tell one more story, shine one more light.
Even $5 a month makes a difference. Click here to become a one-time supporter now.
Thank you so much for being here.
Founding member information can be found here.
Have questions about sponsorships? Just send Shaun an email at sfarrar86@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you.
Help us keep bringing free, local news to our community.
Make a monthly donation
Make a yearly donation
Choose an amount
Or enter a custom amount
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Your contribution is appreciated.
Discover more from Bar Harbor Story
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.