Power, Institutions, and the Public Imagination

What role do art, culture, and storytelling play in shaping how societies understand themselves, confront their histories, and imagine their futures?

Join acclaimed poet, scholar, and Mellon Foundation President Elizabeth Alexander in conversation with Darren Isom, Partner at The Bridgespan Group and visiting lecturer at Sciences Po, for an exploration of cultural power, institutional leadership, and the public imagination. Moving between poetry, philanthropy, history, and democratic life, the conversation will consider how cultural narratives travel across borders, shape the legitimacy of institutions, influence global debates about identity and belonging, and expand our collective sense of what is possible.

Biographies

Elizabeth Alexander is an acclaimed poet, scholar, cultural leader, and President of the Mellon Foundation, one of the United States' leading supporters of arts and humanities. A former professor at Yale University, she is the author of numerous works of poetry and prose, including The Light of the World, and delivered the inaugural poem at President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration. Her work explores the intersections of art, history, race, memory, and cultural identity, and the power of creative expression to shape how societies understand themselves.

Darren Isom is a Partner at The Bridgespan Group, where he advises leading foundations, philanthropists, and nonprofit organizations on strategy, organizational leadership, and social impact, with a particular focus on arts, culture, and narrative change. An alumnus of Sciences Po and board member of the Sciences Po American Foundation, he returns this fall as a visiting lecturer, teaching courses and convening conversations on how culture, narrative, and institutions shape democratic life and the public imagination.