By Eva Heinstein, Director of the Cultural Leadership Program
Last month, Cohort I of the Cultural Leadership Program convened for their first seminar in Boston, which focused on establishing a new learning community and exploring what is possible when artists come together in collective frameworks. Through faculty led sessions and immersive field experiences, Cohort I explored diverse approaches to artistic identification, models of cultural leadership, the impact of artist collectives, and the creative possibilities embedded in ancient Jewish texts.
The city of Boston was a canvas for discovery, with daily excursions to connect with local artists, initiatives, and cultural institutions. Special moments included an afternoon at the Museum of Fine Arts to engage with the Howard Greenberg Collection, a day of inquiry about the stakes of public art with leaders from the For Freedoms artist collective, and visits to the Vilna Shul and Lehrhaus.
The seminar was anchored by four salons, which provided space for each fellow to present their work to each other through an artist talk or performance. These sessions were the highlight of the week and brought to life the breadth of creativity, influences, and aspirations in the cohort.
We look forward to convening our fellows virtually for small study groups, cultural management courses and monthly meetings to share works in progress, before our next seminar in April. We are thrilled to have the Cultural Leadership Program up and running!