Media Resources

The pre-eminent expression of lifelong learning in the United States, Chautauqua Institution comes alive each summer with a unique mix of fine and performing arts, lectures, interfaith worship and programs, and recreational activities. Over the course of nine weeks, more than 100,000 people visit Chautauqua and participate in programs, classes and community events for all ages — all within the beautiful setting of a historic lakeside village. As a community, we celebrate, encourage and study the arts and treat them as integral to all of learning, and we convene the critical conversations of the day to advance understanding through civil dialogue.

Contact Information

Jill McCormick
Director of Communications

716-640-6963
jmccormick@chq.org

Media Access

Chautauqua Institution invites media coverage from reputable regional and national outlets. During the Summer Assembly, from late June to late Aug., access to Chautauqua’s grounds and venues is restricted. A limited number of complimentary press credentials are available at any given time. We place priority on requests from journalists who:

  • report for outlets capable of reaching large or influential audiences, particularly in our target markets;
  • have a track record of insightful coverage of topics aligned with Chautauqua’s programming, history and/or role as the pre-eminent lifelong-learning travel destination; and/or
  • have a specific assignment for fulsome coverage of Chautauqua or an aspect of its programming.

So that we may properly prepare for and support their efforts, journalists on assignment should request access at least 24 hours — and ideally at least a week — in advance of a program they wish to cover by completing the Media Access Request form below.

Name(Required)
Email(Required)
MM slash DD slash YYYY
(Media passes do not automatically grant any special access beyond typical patron access to our grounds, venues and official personnel)

Please note the following:

  • Photography and video and audio recording on the grounds and in our venues are strictly limited and often prohibited; prior permission must be obtained prior to capturing any multimedia. Chautauqua Institution is often able to provide high-quality files of these assets.
  • We do not issue media credentials to freelance writers who do not have a specific assignment from a reputable outlet.
  • All Amphitheater and Hall of Philosophy lecture platforms are considered on the record for journalistic and editorial purposes.
  • Our official 2025 summer assembly season hashtag is #CHQ2025 — “CHQ” styled in all caps — and we encourage its use in all social posts regarding 2025 programming.

Media Pass Procedure

  • Journalists who have not pre-arranged access using the form linked above will not receive a Media Pass or official access to the grounds.
  • If approved for access to the grounds, journalists and supporting colleagues will be provided complimentary parking vouchers and Media Passes at the Main Gate Welcome Center Ticket Office upon arrival (1 Massey Avenue, Chautauqua, NY 14722). All individuals must be pre-cleared. Photo ID is required to receive passes and parking vouchers.
  • Institution gate passes assigned by name to each individual will be affixed to Media Passes.
  • Media Passes will be clearly marked with start and end dates/times.
  • Standard parking is in the Main Lot; on-grounds parking is generally not available. With advance arrangements, a Communications staff member may be able to support media with golf cart transportation.
  • Media Passes and gate passes must be worn and displayed at all times when actively reporting.
  • Media Passes and lanyards must be returned to the Information Desk at the Main Gate Welcome Center upon departure.
  • Misuse of Media Pass access will result in dismissal from event venues and the grounds and loss of future privileges.

Digital Assets

Key Facts

Unique Storytelling Opportunities

Digital Assets

Chautauqua Institution logo files and usage guidelines

Photos and video content

For news media use only. For permission otherwise, contact Jill McCormick (jmccormick@chq.org).

Photos

Video

News Releases

Key Facts

About Chautauqua Institution

  • Chautauqua Institution is a summer community for the arts, education, religion and recreation.
  • A non-profit organization, which is dependent upon philanthropy, through the Chautauqua Foundation, to fulfill its mission.
  • It was founded in 1874 by Lewis Miller, an Akron, Ohio, inventor and manufacturer; and John Heyl Vincent, a Methodist minister.
  • Chautauqua hosts more than 2,200 events and nearly 100,000 guests each year.
  • Chautauqua Institution celebrates its 150th Anniversary in 2024.

Facts About Chautauqua Institution

  • Chautauqua Institution is a National Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designated a National Historic Landmark on June 30, 1989.
  • Chautauqua has been visited by United States presidents from Ulysses S. Grant to Bill Clinton, and by other prominent Americans including Booker T. Washington, Helen Keller, Amelia Earhart, Margaret Mead, Yo Yo Ma, Bob Woodward, Sandra Day O’Connor and Ken Burns.
  • Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his “I Hate War” speech from the Amphitheater platform in 1936.
  • Ronald Reagan addressed the Third General Chautauqua Conference on U.S.-Soviet Relations via satellite in 1987.
  • Carlos Roberto Reina, president of Honduras, was the first foreign sitting head of state to visit Chautauqua. He spoke during the Second Chautauqua Conference on Central America in 1995.
  • Thomas Edison was the son-in-law of Chautauqua co-founder Lewis Miller.
  • George Gershwin completed his Concerto in F in a Chautauqua practice shack in 1925.
  • Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle is one of the oldest continuous book clubs in the United States. It was founded in 1878.
  • The 152-room Athenaeum Hotel was built in 1881. It was one of the first hotels to be lit by electricity.
  • Chautauqua’s Boys’ and Girls’ Club is the oldest day camp in the United States.
  • The Chautauqua Opera Company is the oldest continuously producing summer opera company in the United States. It was founded in 1929.

Key Numbers

Total visitors per summer Nearly 100,000
Total visitors off-season 15,000
Winter residents 150
Year-round staff 100
Summer employees 1,600
Private households 1,190
Institution-owned buildings 107
Institution-owned parking spaces 3,220
Acreage 752 total
227 on grounds
525 off grounds

Major Cultural Performing Arts Facilities

Facility Primary Uses Capacity
Amphitheater Performing Arts, Lectures, Worship Services, Rehearsals 4,400
(6,000 with standing room)
Norton Hall Opera, Recitals 1,365
Hall of Philosophy Lectures, Services 745
Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall Recitals, Rehearsals, Chamber Music 500
Smith Wilkes Hall Lectures, Rehearsals, Performing Arts 450
Bratton Theater Theater 270
Fletcher Music Hall Recitals, Rehearsals 250
Hall of Christ Lectures, Films 200
McKnight Hall Recitals, Rehearsals 150

Unique Storytelling Opportunities

America’s Platform
One of the longest-running and most prestigious platforms for thought leadership in American history, Chautauqua each summer hosts dozens of distinguished and prominent speakers whose work and words shape our world, and demonstrate a commitment to civil dialogue.

Multi- and Intergenerational Experiences
From classroom and camp experiences to artistic performances to recreational activity, each summer offers an unmatched array of programs that invite every member of the family to be a fully engaged participant in the Chautauqua experience.

Interfaith Commitment
Recognizing the moral imperative of fostering deeper, more meaningful dialogue among people of different faith traditions, Chautauqua draws upon its historic convening power with perennial work that invites leaders and communities of all faiths and no faith into dialogue.

Arts Excellence & Education
In addition to its renowned summertime popular concert lineup and professional and pre-professional programs in the performing, visual and literary arts, Chautauqua’s arts-education engagement in regional schools has enriched the lives of thousands of local students, filling a void in the regional curriculum.

Environmental Conservation
With some 750 acres of picturesque lake-adjacent property, Chautauqua demonstrates its commitment to responsible, scientifically sound stewardship of its greenspaces and physical infrastructure through model land-use regulations and watershed management initiatives.

Year-round Engagement
From unique dining and group-travel experiences, Winter Village weekends and arts education to its newly established presence in Washington, D.C., Chautauqua’s growing portfolio of programs outside the traditional season are part of a commitment to being a year-round resource.

Historical Significance
Today’s Chautauquans are the inheritors of a  150-year legacy of exploration into the best in human values and the enrichment of life — a program and community that has influenced or inspired many of the most important movements, institutions and figures in American public life.