New Hampshire Humanities Honors Jane Nylander With 2025 Lifetime Achievement

By InDepth NH

CONCORD, NH — New Hampshire Humanities (NHH) is proud to announce that it will honor Jane C. Nylander, one of New England’s most respected historians and museum leaders, as this year’s recipient of the Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities Award.

The award will be presented at New Hampshire Humanities 2025 Annual Celebration on Oct. 9, at the Bank of NH Stage in Concord, featuring Constitutional scholar and author Akhil Reed Amar in an onstage conversation with Laura Knoy.

The Lifetime Achievement in the Humanities Award is New Hampshire Humanities’ highest honor, recognizing individuals whose work has profoundly shaped the public humanities in New Hampshire and made exceptional contributions to learning, dialogue, and the exchange of ideas.

Nylander’s extraordinary career spans more than five decades, leaving a lasting mark on the humanities in New Hampshire and throughout New England. After earning her graduate degree at Winterthur, she began her New Hampshire journey as the first woman to serve as director of the New Hampshire Historical Society. She went on to lead Strawbery Banke Museum in Portsmouth and Historic New England, advancing scholarship, public history, and the preservation of New England’s cultural treasures.

A widely respected teacher and author, Nylander has published numerous books that explore daily life, community traditions, and material culture, including Our Own Snug Fireside and Best Ever! Parades in New England, 1788–1940. Her work brings the region’s past vividly to life for both scholars and the public.

“Jane has been the consummate historian and museum professional for several decades, improving and advancing the field of humanities in New Hampshire,” said Alan F. Rumrill, recipient of the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award, who will present this year’s award to Nylander. “Her books share history through everyday activities and artifacts, helping to make the past enjoyable and understandable to a wide audience.”

Linnea Grim, director of Strawbery Banke Museum, praised Nylander’s enduring impact: “Jane is a thoughtful trailblazer, two characteristics that do not always pair up. Her impact on the humanities within New Hampshire is immense. During her directorship at Strawbery Banke Museum, she forged an identity for the institution that has propelled us forward within our field and continues to serve our audiences extremely well. While she is an expert in material culture, she always has an eye on the big picture. In her retirement, she has continued to serve the museum field through her research and sage advice. All of us in New Hampshire benefit immensely from having Jane as a part of our humanities community. I cannot think of a more deserving person for this recognition.”

From curating exhibitions and guiding preservation efforts to teaching, writing, and mentoring, Jane Nylander exemplifies what it means to dedicate a lifetime to the humanities. Her work ensures that the stories, traditions, and cultural treasures of New England will be understood, appreciated, and preserved for generations to come. NHH invites the public to join us on October 9 as we celebrate Jane’s remarkable achievements and her profound contributions to New Hampshire’s cultural life.

Tickets to the 2025 Annual Celebration of the Humanities are available through the Capitol Center for the Arts box office. For more information, visit www.nhhumanities.org/celebrate, call NHH at (603) 224-4071 or email development@nhhumanities.org.

New Hampshire Humanities (NHH) funds and supports programs that inspire curiosity, foster civil dialogue, and explore big questions. An independent, statewide nonprofit, NHH made possible last year 768 free public programs and digital broadcasts reaching 17,859 residents in partnership with 210 organizations in 121 communities, to engage all citizens, regardless of their age or educational level. For more information about New Hampshire Humanities, please visit www.nhhumanities.org.

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.