The Lisbon Consortium

— Thinking ahead

Category: Seminars

  • Philippe Vergne (Director, Serralves) on “The Museum as a Muse”

    Philippe Vergne (Director, Serralves) on “The Museum as a Muse”

    On 20 January 2026, the Lisbon Consortium welcomed Philippe Vergne, Director of the Serralves Contemporary Art Museum in Porto. The open lecture “The Museum as a Muse” was part of the seminar Arts Markets and the Practices of Collecting by Professor Maura Marvão (Phillips Auction House).

    Vergne discussed the meaning of the museum by referencing a variety of art institutions and museums, exhibitions, and artworks that have marked his career. Focusing on the museum as a space for experimentation, Vergne highlighted its disruptive potentials, especially in interrogating the spaces-in-between within the histories of art.

    With an emphasis on acquisition, the lecture explored the responsibilities of art institutions and curators towards artists and society, including practical advice regarding tensions that may be professionally challenging yet productive.

    We are honored by this exchange and look forward to the next occasion.

  • Art and Diplomacy seminar lectured by Randi Charno Levine

    Art and Diplomacy seminar lectured by Randi Charno Levine

    The Lisbon Consortium offers a seminar on Arts and Diplomacy by Prof. Randi Charno Levine, Honorary Professor in Art and Diplomacy. The Opening session of the seminar is on 7 October, 17:00-18:30, Sala de Exposições (Library building).

    The Art and Diplomacy seminar consists of 7 sessions, including interactive discussions and international guest speakers.

    Randi Charno Levine is an arts advocate and a diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Portugal from 2022 to 2025 with a deep commitment to cultural diplomacy. In the opening session of the Art and Diplomacy seminar, Levine will discuss the meaning of cultural diplomacy through a series of initiatives that took place during her ambassadorship, such as the exhibition Celebrating Diversity – Democracy and Representation in the Arts at the Ambassador’s residence as part of the “Art in Embassies” program, as well as Hip Hop Diplomacy with Portuguese rapper Sam the Kid, Culinary Diplomacy with American Chef Art Smith, and L’USAfonia, a music event that celebrated the Black History Month in Portugal. 

    Beyond her diplomatic service, Levine has held leadership and advisory roles with a range of prominent institutions, including the Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships, the Hamptons International Film Festival, Roundabout Theatre Company, NYU Langone Health, the High Line, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Meridian International Center, among others. 

    Opening session:  

    Art and Diplomacy: Setting the Framework 

    07.10.2025 Tuesday 17:00 – 18:30 (Sala de Exposições) 

    Next sessions:  

    16.10.2025 Thursday 17:00 – 18:30 

    09.03.2026 Monday 17:00 – 18:30 

    10.03.2026 Tuesday 17:00 – 18:30 

    11.03.2026 Wednesday 17:00 – 18:30 

    12.03.2026 Thursday 17:00 – 18:30  

    13.03.2026 Friday 17:00 – 18:30 

    Participants are encouraged to attend all sessions of the seminar, but it is also possible to attend individual sessions.