James Otis, Jr. and Mental Health in the Eighteenth Century
A Virtual Exhibit Opening
Friday, September 5, 2025
Join Revolutionary Spaces and the National Museum of Mental Health Project (NMMHP) at the Old State House for a special reception celebrating the launch of the virtual exhibit Patriot, Hero, Distracted Person: James Otis, Jr. and Mental Health in the Eighteenth Century.
Reception attendees will have the first chance to look at and interact with this new online exhibit that explores the life and impact of Massachusetts patriot James Otis, Jr. through the lens of his mental illness. You will also hear remarks by exhibit creators Paul Piwko, Kate LaPine, and Revolutionary Spaces Exhibits Manager Lucy Pollock.
This program is free and open to the public thanks to the generous support of the Lowell Institute. Doors will open at 6:00 pm and the program will begin at 6:30 pm. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. Seating for this event is very limited and admission cannot be guaranteed without pre-registration. In addition, all registrants will be required to reconfirm their attendance in writing 72 hours prior to the event in order to maintain their seat. If registrants do not confirm at that time, their place will be made available to someone on the waitlist.
About the Speakers
Paul Piwko is co-developer of the National Museum of Mental Health Project, Inc. (NMMHP) and teaches in the Questrom School of Business at Boston University. With NMMHP, Piwko has co-developed the Community Songwriting on Campus program and a collaborative regional effort to deepen a culture of wellness by lifting up the 250+ year history of innovation and national influence that has come from America’s Mental Health & Wellness Corridor (AMHWC). Piwko has presented on AMHWC at the 2024 New England Museum Association conference and at a 2022 National Park Service event. Piwko’s editorials on creative approaches for developing mental health literacy have appeared in the Des Moines Register, Omaha World-Herald, and other outlets in the U.S. and Canada.
Kate LaPine brings decades of communications and project management experience to her new role developing museum exhibitions. With an MBA specializing in nonprofit management, LaPine supported institutions in the healthcare, museum, and education sectors before realizing she wanted to return to the museum world. A lifelong student of history, LaPine first learned about James Otis, Jr. as a member of Revolutionary Spaces’ visitor experience staff, during which tenure she earned a certificate in museum studies from Tufts University. She is honored to collaborate with Lucy Pollock and Paul Piwko in creating the online exhibit: Patriot, Hero, Distracted Person: James Otis, Jr. and Mental Health in the Eighteenth Century.
Lucy Pollock is the Exhibits Manager at Revolutionary Spaces, and has co-curated several exhibits including Impassioned Destruction: Politics, Vandalism, and the Boston Tea Party and An Unfulfilled Promise: Desegregation and Busing in Boston. She also works as a guest lecturer at Suffolk University and consults on public historical approach at local historical societies. Pollock has appeared on multiple podcasts and documentaries to speak about American history, including Dan Snow’s History Hit and The History Underground. Pollock’s passions are colonial history and public health history, and Patriot, Hero, Distracted Person: James Otis, Jr. and Mental Health in the Eighteenth Century allows her to weave them together through a public historical lens.