The Imagining America consortium (IA) brings together scholars, artists, designers, humanists, and organizers to imagine, study, and enact a more just and liberatory ‘America’ and world. Working across institutional, disciplinary, and community divides, IA strengthens and promotes public scholarship, cultural organizing, and campus change that inspires collective imagination, knowledge-making, and civic action on pressing public issues. By dreaming and building together in public, IA creates the conditions to shift culture and transform inequitable institutional and societal structures.
Reflecting on the importance of transitions – from political crises to global climate change, and personal identity to organizational transformation – the 2026 IA National Gathering invites participants to share stories, research, creative works, and community practices exploring the complex process of transitioning away from systems of fear and domination and towards restoring collective spirit.
Featured Image: Taller Arte Nuevo Amanecer (TANA) Archive
In the second episode of Gathering Whispers for this season, we talk to the visual artists for the 2026 IA National Gathering at Taller Arte del Nuevo Amanecer (T.A.N.A.), including Jose Arenas (Director), Eddie Lampkin (Workshop Coordinator), and Yesenia Gomez (Student Intern).
Penn State was selected as the new campus host of Imagining America, a national consortium that connects scholars, artists and designers to promote public scholarship, humanities and the arts in higher education. As host, Penn State will collaborate with Imagining America in its ongoing efforts to build connected, informed and equitable communities, while expanding understanding of how art, design and the humanities impact health and wellbeing. Read the full press release for more details.
+ Penn State selected as new host for Imagining America national consortium
In this collaboratory blog post, Jessica Bacal and Deborah Keisch are inspired to ask: What does it look like, in practice, to pay attention to possibility? What does it look like inside our classrooms, in 1:1 meetings with students, in our assignments, with our colleagues? What does it look like for those of us trying to stay under the radar because we are pre-tenure or are otherwise precarious due to our job title or social identities?
+ Pedagogies of Possibility: Supporting Undergrads to Imagine and Build Futures of Their Own Making
In this collaboratory blog post, Michael Stevenson Jr., Gregory MacNaughton, and Kate Duffly, introduce the concept of grassroots community parades—people-powered processions that strengthen communities and imagine more just futures by moving and celebrating together in public space to create a feeling of solidarity and connection.
+ Dreaming America: Enacting Community Joy Collaboratory Report
Annual convening of public scholars, artists, designers, students, and cultural organizers addressing today’s pressing issues.
IA is proud to share that Pennsylvania State University is the next campus home for Imagining America, starting July 1, 2027. Learn more about this intentional cycle of transition for IA.
IA fosters vibrant networks of graduate and undergraduate students from our member institutions.
IA’s research initiatives and learning opportunities leverage the intellectual and creative capital that is the consortium’s greatest strength.
We envision a world of expansive social imagination, constructed by multiple ways of knowing, where people work together to nurture healthy, vibrant, and joyful communities.
The Imagining America consortium (IA) brings together scholars, artists, designers, humanists, and organizers to imagine, study, and enact a more just and liberatory ‘America’ and world. Working across institutional, disciplinary, and community divides, IA strengthens and promotes public scholarship, cultural organizing, and campus change that inspires collective imagination, knowledge-making, and civic action on pressing public issues.
By dreaming and building together in public, IA creates the conditions to shift culture and transform inequitable institutional and societal structures.
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Funding has been provided by California Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
