Sep 2, 2026 · 38 min
Institutional leaders defend openness in an age of distrust
How to Run an Institution in an Anti-Institution Era | Better in Person
Museums and universities face political polarization, public skepticism, and technological change while trying to remain accessible places for disagreement and shared learning.
- 1Museums and universities must confront exclusionary histories while making access, belonging, and public usefulness tangible.
- 2Leadership during political conflict requires public judgment, tolerance for criticism, and a willingness to engage opponents rather than retreat.
- 3AI may change how education delivers information, but discussion, projects, and physical gathering remain central to learning together.
Don't miss
Michael Roth describes inviting Justice Scalia to Wesleyan, managing the resulting protests, and learning through sustained disagreement.
The brief
Anne Pasternak of the Brooklyn Museum and Michael Roth of Wesleyan University examine what institutions are for when public trust is weakening and social conflict is intensifying.
Their institutions pursue access differently: Wesleyan uses fundraising to expand financial aid, while the Brooklyn Museum combines a small endowment with pay-what-you-wish admission.
The hardest test is political controversy, from Pasternak’s experience during the Israel-Gaza conflict to Roth’s decision to invite Justice Scalia and defend open debate.
They argue that museums and universities should acknowledge exclusionary histories without abandoning their public roles, using disagreement as a reason to listen rather than withdraw.
Art offers a counterweight to institutional certainty: Pasternak emphasizes that no single interpretation is correct, while Roth connects photographs to family, loneliness, and subjective experience.
On AI, the guests distinguish information transfer from education, emphasizing projects, conversation, social interaction, and the value of learning in one another’s presence.
Books & mentions
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