Education
TRAVELING EXHIBIT
Want to share the history and legacy of this national historic figure with your community? Our traveling exhibit on “The Life & Legacy of Frances Perkins” presents an overview of her life, highlighting her accomplishments alongside historic photographs and context.
We hope to make Frances Perkins’ story and accomplishments accessible to more people by providing this opportunity to install the exhibit in your space or community.
This exhibit is made free for community centers, classrooms, conventions, museums, municipalities, libraries, and more by donations from FPC supporters. Organizations hosting the exhibit are responsible for shipping fees and/or traveling arrangements.
Note on shipping and placement: The exhibit comprises 5 – 6 panels, each measuring 3 feet wide and 7 feet tall.
Topics Include:
Her Maine Roots and Patriot Ancestry
Mount Holyoke: Her Activist Roots
From Triangle Fire to New Deal
Confronting the Truth: An Unemployment Crisis
America Before the New Deal
The New Deal: Secretary of Labor 1933-45
Social Security: Her Greatest Achievement
1945 and Beyond: A Proud Legacy
DOCUMENTARY SCREENING
Frances Perkins Center’s 2019, 30-minute documentary, Highlights from the Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins, can be screened on its own or paired with our Traveling Exhibit or a guest speaker.
This documentary is free for community centers, classrooms, conventions, museums, municipalities, libraries, and more, made possible by the generosity of Frances Perkins Center donors. We hope to make Frances Perkins’ story and accomplishments accessible to more people by providing this opportunity to screen our documentary in your classroom or community.
Creation of this documentary was made possible by the Maine Community Foundation, Maine Humanities Council, Historic New England, Katharine J. Watson, and Newman’s Own Foundation.
SPEAKERS BUREAU
The Frances Perkins Center staff and Board of Directors include historians, labor specialists, heritage preservationists, and more. These experts bring extensive knowledge about the life and legacy of Frances Perkins, as well as experience in many of the areas in which Frances Perkins worked.
Speakers have visited classrooms, led senior college courses, presented at libraries, participated in panel conversations, sat for audio and video interviews, and more. The Frances Perkins Center has also convened national elected and appointed officials, local politicians, labor leaders, academics, national major grant funders, local non-profit leaders, and more to discuss issues and challenges important to our mission.
STUDENT FIELD TRIPS
Student groups of all sizes are invited to explore and experience the place that shaped Frances Perkins’ character by visiting the Frances Perkins National Monument in Newcastle, Maine. Here, students can explore the outdoor property and have a private viewing of the self-guided tour in the Homestead Barn (seasonally from September to October or April to May). Summer groups can visit on days we are not open to the public.
Teachers should plan approximately 90 minutes for the staff-led portion of the field trip. Frances Perkins Center has several worksheets and lesson plans that can be adapted for different ages and learning objectives, and staff will work with teachers to plan a meaningful program.
During the visit, students and teachers can:
Learn about the significance of the property and Frances Perkins including answering questions about her legacy and reflecting on the importance of historic sites.
Explore the self-guided exhibit on the “Life and Legacy of Frances Perkins,” select memorabilia, and farm equipment in the Homestead Barn.
Create with outdoor arts activities to engage with the historic structures and natural environment.
Participate in a guided walk of the trails, learning about the places important to Frances Perkins and offering students a chance for rest and reflection–much like Frances did when she visited the Homestead throughout her life!
Can’t make it in person?
Bring the Frances Perkins Center to your classroom by requesting a virtual field trip! Frances Perkins Center staff can help you design the “field trip,” which can include a screening of our 30-minute documentary and virtual property tour, as well as a question-and-answer session.
The Frances Perkins Center can also help teachers identify resources to include in lessons before or after the visit, including our 30-minute documentary.
REQUEST A PROGRAM