Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Arnold Lehman, Director Emeritus, Brooklyn Museum, talks with Hannah Wirta Kinney, Head of Education, about why the museum experience matters.
About the program
Join Arnold Lehman for a timely discussion about critical issues confronting American museums today. Lehman also talks about his current book project, Hidden Treasures Across America (September 2026), which presents 100 exceptional but often under-recognized museums that represent ideas about the enduring value of museums and what makes them extraordinary places for community experiences. He reviews his time as Director of the Brooklyn Museum, the importance of building diverse audiences that reflect the community, and surviving the highly controversial “Sensation” exhibition of 1999–2000, which presented works by the YBAs, young British artists, from the collection of Charles Saatchi.
About Arnold Lehman
Arnold Lehman is Director Emeritus of the Brooklyn Museum, New York, where he served for eighteen years. During his tenure, Lehman increased the diversity of museum visitors, bringing in underserved and younger audiences by advocating for freedom of expression, diversity, social justice, and accessibility. Lehman led structural changes as well, most notably the addition of a glass canopy fronting the classical façade to create a community-facing lobby and public plaza. Lehman was Director of the Baltimore Museum of Art (1979–97) and Adjunct Professor of art history at Johns Hopkins University. He received a BA and MA from Johns Hopkins and an MPhil and PhD from Yale University. He has served in major cultural leadership roles nationally and in New York City, and is currently with numerous not-for-profit boards focused on culture, education, and the game of squash. His most recent book, "Sensation: The Madonna, The Mayor, The Media, and The First Amendment" (2021), revisits the controversial exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum and provides an inside look at the conflict, legal battles, and press coverage.
Arnold Lehman, Director Emeritus, Brooklyn Museum, talks with Hannah Wirta Kinney, Head of Education, about why the museum experience matters.
About the program
Join Arnold Lehman for a timely discussion about critical issues confronting American museums today. Lehman also talks about his current book project, Hidden Treasures Across America (September 2026), which presents 100 exceptional but often under-recognized museums that represent ideas about the enduring value of museums and what makes them extraordinary places for community experiences. He reviews his time as Director of the Brooklyn Museum, the importance of building diverse audiences that reflect the community, and surviving the highly controversial “Sensation” exhibition of 1999–2000, which presented works by the YBAs, young British artists, from the collection of Charles Saatchi.
About Arnold Lehman
Arnold Lehman is Director Emeritus of the Brooklyn Museum, New York, where he served for eighteen years. During his tenure, Lehman increased the diversity of museum visitors, bringing in underserved and younger audiences by advocating for freedom of expression, diversity, social justice, and accessibility. Lehman led structural changes as well, most notably the addition of a glass canopy fronting the classical façade to create a community-facing lobby and public plaza. Lehman was Director of the Baltimore Museum of Art (1979–97) and Adjunct Professor of art history at Johns Hopkins University. He received a BA and MA from Johns Hopkins and an MPhil and PhD from Yale University. He has served in major cultural leadership roles nationally and in New York City, and is currently with numerous not-for-profit boards focused on culture, education, and the game of squash. His most recent book, "Sensation: The Madonna, The Mayor, The Media, and The First Amendment" (2021), revisits the controversial exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum and provides an inside look at the conflict, legal battles, and press coverage.
