11 July 2024
Sara Fenske Bahat navigates art, protests, and politics
Sara Fenske Bahat, the former interim chief executive of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, explores the interplay between art, politics, and institutional responsibility. Bahat, who is Jewish, explains the museum’s mission and history leading up to a crisis in February involving pro-Palestinian protests, questions of free speech, and accusations of antisemitism that ultimately led her to step down. She reflects on that decision, her concerns about safety within the museum, and the broader implications for arts institutions nationwide.