Art, Power, and Truth-Telling: Lee Bynum on Queer Leadership in the Arts

Stewardship
Written By Erwin de Leon
 

“Our keepers of culture should reflect the beautiful diversity that already exists.”
– Lee Bynum

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In Episode 2 of Living Queer, host Erwin de Leon sits down with Lee Bynum to explore what it means to lead and steward cultural institutions at a time of profound social, political, and ethical tension.

Lee reflects on navigating power, visibility, and responsibility as a queer leader of color within legacy cultural spaces. Together, they examine how institutions can move beyond symbolic inclusion toward leadership models rooted in care, accountability, and imagination.

This conversation invites listeners to rethink cultural leadership not as control or preservation alone, but as stewardship: tending to people, histories, and futures with intention—especially when diversity, equity, and belonging are under sustained attack.

TL;DR

  • Representation and power in cultural institutions

  • Queer leadership and the politics of visibility

  • Stewardship, legacy, and institutional responsibility

  • The future of DEI amid political backlash

  • Imagination as a tool for organizational change

 
Erwin de Leon https://www.erwindeleon.com
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