SPEAK 2026: Dr. Patrick Griffin

Celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the United States with an look at the American Revolution through three paintings.

Dr. Griffin is the author of five books, including The Age of Atlantic Revolution: The Fall and Rise of a He Connected World, America’s Revolution, and American Leviathan: Empire, Nation, and Revolutionary Frontier.  

He attended the University of Notre Dame, completing his B.A. in Government and History; Columbia University, completing his M.A. in Political Science; received an honorary M.A. from the University of Oxford; and completed his Ph.D. in American History at Northwestern University.

Dr. Griffin’s work also examines the ways in which Ireland, Britain, and America were linked—and differed—during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, including revolution and rebellion, movement and migration, and colonization and violence in each society. Prof. Griffin currently serves as director of the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

This event is co-hosted by the Evansville Museum of Arts, History, and Science.  Situated on the scenic Ohio riverfront in Evansville, Indiana, the Evansville Museum of Arts, History and Science is a premier cultural destination, home to a permanent collection of more than 35,000 objects. Art galleries feature fine and decorative arts, highlights from the Museum’s collection, a Pablo Picasso gemmail (Seated Woman in Red Hat), and the Eykamp Sculpture Gallery spanning Ancient Rome to present day. History galleries showcase rare regional artifacts and the immersive Rivertown, USA exhibition, as well as the Evansville Museum Transportation Center (EMTRAC), which explores Southern Indiana’s river, rail, automobile, and aviation history. Science galleries include anthropological treasures, a hands-on Science Discovery Center, and the Koch Immersive Theater & Planetarium, offering astronomy programs and full-dome films in Indiana’s #1 ranked planetarium.