Archives

On March 26, 2026, the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN) in collaboration with the Aspen Institute Arts Program and Eisner Foundation introduced the first class of the Michael D. Eisner Arts and Culture Fellowship. The Michael D. Eisner Arts and Culture Fellowship serves as a distinctive program for leaders across creative disciplines of the Aspen Global Leadership Network (AGLN).

The 26 Fellows represent a dynamic cross-section of creative leadership—artists and performers, studio executives and gallery owners, filmmakers, musicians, playwrights, producers, and cultural entrepreneurs—brought together by a shared belief in the arts as a vital force for positive change in the world. 

Spanning three countries, more than a dozen artistic disciplines, and a range of generations and lived experiences, the cohort reflects both the richness of today’s creative landscape and the responsibility of leadership in a period of rapid change.

The Fellowship responds to a persistent gap in arts leadership development. While creative industries offer abundant opportunities to hone craft, arts leaders rarely have structured space to reflect on larger questions of purpose: How do the arts contribute to creating a better world? What responsibility does leadership carry in shaping that future? 

At a moment when culture is both deeply contested and profoundly necessary—when the arts help communities navigate division, interpret change, and imagine what comes next—the need for values-driven arts leadership is unmistakable. Drawing on the Aspen Institute’s longstanding Fellowship model and tradition of moderated dialogue, the program convenes leaders committed to examining their roles, building trust across disciplines, and advancing a shared sense of purpose.

The inaugural cohort reflects the breadth and influence of today’s arts landscape. In film and television, Fellows represent Nollywood’s global reach, major Hollywood studios, streaming platforms, documentary filmmaking, and talent representation. The performing arts include leaders from institutions such as New York City Ballet and Lincoln Center alongside independent playwrights and choreographers. Musicians range from a three-time Grammy winner reshaping contemporary composition to an award-winning string arranger whose work spans hundreds of albums. Visual artists, muralists, gallerists, publishers, podcasters, and leaders in arts education—including oversight of programming for 1.1 million New York City public school students—complete a class distinguished not only by accomplishment, but by a demonstrated commitment to expanding access and opportunity.

Intergenerational exchange is central to the Fellowship. Spanning more than three decades in age—from 35 to 62—the cohort brings emerging and established leaders into sustained dialogue at a time of profound transformation in how culture is created, distributed, and experienced. That exchange of perspective and experience reflects the Eisner Foundation’s enduring commitment to intergenerational connection.