San Francisco is home to some of the nation's most important and forward-thinking arts institutions. What is their role in shaping a city in the process of revitalization?  How are they themselves being shaped by this fast-evolving landscape? Especially against a backdrop of shifting national values, with provocative questions being asked at the highest levels, which directly impact the role and autonomy of museums and culture.

Join us for a candid dialogue between some of San Francisco's pre-eminent arts and civic leaders, moderated by Cathedral Dean Malcolm Clemens Young. The panel includes:

Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Alison Gass, Founding Director & Chief Curator, Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco

Dr. Soyoung Lee, The Barbara Bass Bakar Director and CEO, Asian Art Museum

Ned Segal, Chief of Housing and Economic Development, San Francisco

This will be a not-to-be-missed conversation for anyone who cares deeply about our city — and nation. The first in a series of conversations and convening at Grace Cathedral in support of civil dialogue and mutual understanding, this discussion will provide insights into why vibrant arts and cultural institutions are integral to hope, understanding, and urban regeneration.

About the Guests

Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Serving for over fifteen years as Director and CEO of two major US art museums—the Metropolitan Museum of Art from 2009–2017, and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco since 2018—Thomas P. Campbell has dedicated his life to the preservation, study, and promotion of art as a gateway to human understanding. A distinguished art historian, and authority in the field of European tapestries, Campbell was educated at Oxford and the Courtauld Institute.

Alison Gass, Founding Director & Chief Curator, Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco

Before founding ICASF in 2022, Alison Gass served as the director of the Institute of Contemporary Art San José, University of Chicago's Smart Museum of Art, and chief curator of the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University. Gass began her museum career at the Jewish Museum in New York City and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She obtained her BA from Columbia University and MFA from the New York University Institute of Fine Arts.

Dr. Soyoung Lee, The Barbara Bass Bakar Director and CEO, Asian Art Museum

Dr. Lee joined the Asian Art Museum in April from the Harvard Art Museums, where she served as the Landon and Lavinia Clay Chief Curator since 2018. Before her time there, Dr. Lee spent 15 years at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as the Met's first-ever curator for Korean art. She received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in art history from Columbia University. Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, Dr. Lee has lived in Seoul, Tokyo, Stockholm, London, Los Angeles, New York, and Cambridge, MA.

Ned Segal, Chief of Housing and Economic Development, San Francisco

As Chief of Housing and Economic Development for San Francisco, Ned Segal is leading the revitalization of downtown, with a strong focus on arts, culture, and businesses of all sizes, driving economic growth. Previously, Ned served as Twitter's Chief Financial Officer, Senior Vice President of Finance for Intuit, and Chief Financial Officer of then-public RPX Corp. Ned began his career at Goldman Sachs, most recently as a Managing Director and Head of Global Software Investment Banking. Ned earned a BS from Georgetown University in Spanish.

About the Moderator

The Very Rev. Dr. Malcolm Clemens Young is the dean of Grace Cathedral. He is the author of The Spiritual Journal of Henry David Thoreau and The Invisible Hand in Wilderness: Economics, Ecology, and God, and is a regular contributor on religion to the Huffington Post and San Francisco Examiner.

About The Forum

The Forum is a series of stimulating conversations about faith and ethics in relation to the important issues of our day. We invite inspiring and illustrious people to sit down for a real conversation with the Forum's host and with you. Our guests range from artists, inventors and philosophers to pop culturists and elected officials, but the point of The Forum is singular: civil, sophisticated discourse that engages minds and hearts to think in new ways about the world.  Learn more about The Forum and upcoming discussions. You can help us bring the arts to life at Grace with a gift today to The Forum.