Luce Change

What does a photograph prove—and who gets to decide? Recorded live at MacDowell, archaeologist Nam Kim, curator and Magnum Foundation executive director Kristen Lubben, and photographer Accra Shepp join Sean Buffington on this episode of Luce Change to wrestle with photography’s contested role as historical evidence.    At a moment when AI is blurring the line between documentation and fabrication, their discussion cuts to the heart of how we trust images.

We exist in challenging times. Deep, generational problems have surfaced as very real, present pain and terror. Where do we go from here? On this season of Luce Change, we ask: what comes after a crisis? What will it actually take to bend the arc of history? And where do we start? Host Sean Buffington sits down with Eric Liu, co-founder and CEO of Citizen University, to explore the tools we have, and which we might want to cultivate, to bend the arc of history toward justice—not in the next election cycle, but over generations. The conversation moves beyond headlines to examine something deeper: the slow erosion of civic culture and our weakening faith in shared institutions. From the corridors of Washington, DC, to community-rooted work in Seattle, Liu has discovered that real civic renewal happens through relationships and local engagement, not national political theater. Organizations mentioned: Citizen University: https://citizenuniversity.us/Civic Nebraska: https://civicnebraska.org/Trust for Civic Life: https://trustforciviclife.org/Articles mentioned: Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship: https://www.amacad.org/ourcommonpurpose/report“We Need a New Great Awakening” by Paul Brandeis Raushenbush and Ian Bassin: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/we-need-a-new-great-awakening

Our new president, Jonathan Holloway, joins Sean Buffington on the Luce Change podcast to reflect on the idealistic pursuit of truth, the ruptures in our civic square, and the opportunity—and obligation—for philanthropy and institutions to help rebuild trust, uphold purpose, and meet this moment with clarity and care.

A vibrant and timely panel discussion focused on new currents in Native art and the vital role of Indigenous voices in American arts institutions.

In this episode of Luce Change, we dive deep into the complex landscape of faith in America, exploring how religion can both divide and unite us.

In this episode of Luce Change, we explore what happens when the media neglects the communities they are meant to serve. We also examine what it takes to rebuild journalism from the ground up: with care, trust, and accountability.

Even when it feels like the odds are stacked against us, everyday people around the world are strengthening democracies from the ground up—by knowing, using, and shaping the law. That’s the heart of legal empowerment. And it’s what our grantee partner Namati works on every day.