Art and Diplomacy by Amb. Randi Charno Levine brings artists, curators and institutional leaders to UCP

On 25-26 May 2026, The Lisbon Consortium hosts the Art and Diplomacy seminar by Randi Charno Levine, the former US Ambassador to Portugal and Honorary Professor in Art and Diplomacy at UCP. The series of lectures over the past two years will now continue with the welcoming of renowned artists, curators and leaders to UCP for panel discussions.

The first panel, “Institutional Decision-Making: Ethics, Risk, and Public Impact” features Adam Weinberg, Director Emeritus of Whitney Museum of American Art; Philippe Vergne, Director of Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, and artist Hank Willis Thomas. The conversation focuses on how museums and cultural institutions make high-stakes decisions involving ethics, funding, governance, public trust, and social responsibility.

The second panel “The Art Museum Today: Collections, Communal Forums and Contested Spaces” with Adam Weinberg, Director Emeritus of Whitney Museum of American Art and Xavier Salomon, Director of Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, explores the contemporary responsibilities of museums and how they might navigate these competing expectations while balancing different roles: as sanctuaries for reflection and psychic sustenance, hubs for collective cultural exchange, and platforms for socio-political protest.  

The third panel “Curatorial Power: Selection, Visibility, and Narrative” features curator Rujeko Hockley and artists Alfredo Jaar and Aliza Nisenbaum. It examines curatorial decisions by discussing what is collected, exhibited, framed or omitted and how these decisions actively construct cultural meaning and historical narratives.  

The seminar is open to the academic community and the public.  

More information: https://lisbonconsortium.com/extracurricular-seminars/