The Three Bells

Adrian Ellis speaks with Kendra Whitlock Ingram, President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, about stewarding a 14-block cultural district, balancing the roles of presenter, property owner, and neighbourhood curator, and opening Arts Landing as a new civic space for Pittsburgh. TRANSCRIPT External references: Pittsburgh Cultural Trust Pittsburgh Cultural District Arts Landing: The new outd...

In her second Reflections of Season 6, Hilary Knight explores how digital twins are moving from engineering and urban planning into museums, galleries, and heritage sites – supporting everything from access and conservation to research and climate resilience. Transcript: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ffdc6706aed0b20d49b81e9/t/6a32f8f6a929e500c8bc523b/1781725430731/3bells_Transcript_S6Ed6...

In this special roundtable episode marking the tenth edition of AEA Consulting’s Cultural Infrastructure Index , Stephanie Fortunato speaks with four members of the research team – Natalia Vartapetova, Luna BuGhanem, Jess Nickelman, and Laura Gildenstern – about what ten years of data can tell us about how cultural infrastructure is changing. Transcript: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ffd...

In this latest Reflections, Adrian Ellis draws on a recent panel at the Hong Kong International Cultural Summit to outline six tests for cultural districts today – and what happens when background issues become foreground pressures. Transcript: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ffdc6706aed0b20d49b81e9/t/6a0e42a62c1a2f6d1e711660/1779319462679/3bells_Transcript_S6Ed5.pdf External references: H...

Stephanie Fortunato, speaks with Danielle Brazell, Executive Director of the California Arts Council, about the state’s cultural districts programme, California’s first creative economy strategy, and why public investment in culture should be measured not only in economic impact, but also in imagination, innovation, and inspiration. Transcript: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ffdc6706aed0b...

In this new episode of Reflections from The Three Bells , Adrian Ellis marks the 10th edition of AEA Consulting’s Cultural Infrastructure Index by asking what slowbalisation, geopolitical volatility, and changing public expectations mean for the future of cultural infrastructure. External references:  AEA Consulting’s 2025 Cultural Infrastructure Index (10th edition) AEA Consulting’s Cultural Infr...

Ahead of the opening of V&A East on 18 April 2026, Adrian Ellis speaks with its Director, Gus Casely-Hayford, about involving young people in shaping the institution, widening access, and creating the kinds of transformative opportunities that can change futures. External references: V&A East: https://www.vam.ac.uk/east/ V&A East Storehouse: https://www.vam.ac.uk/east/storehouse/visit...

In this latest Reflections , Stephanie Fortunato draws on her experience reviewing letters of support as part of California Arts Council’s process to select new cultural districts for its state program, reflecting on what those letters reveal about community pride, local identity, and the futures people hope to build through cultural districting. About our Contributor Stephanie Fortunato is Direct...

Our host, Hilary Knight, speaks with Alex Costas of Bloomberg Connects about the nonprofit’s history and mission – and how its free platform and dedicated support team help institutions and districts worldwide tell their own stories through thoughtful digital storytelling. External references:  Bloomberg Connects: https://www.bloombergconnects.org/   Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts: https://www.bloo...

In her first Reflections of Season 6, Hilary Knight explores the idea that luxury brands could replace museums as sites of cultural trust for Gen Z – and why she doesn’t buy it. External Links ‘Enshittification’ is coming for absolutely everything – FT article by Cory Doctorow  Brand Valued: How socially valued brands hold the key to a sustainable future and business success – by Guy Champniss &am...

Stephanie Fortunato, speaks with Conrado Uribe about the power of networks to break cycles of isolation – and to make “collective imagination” a practical force in how cities evolve. Moving from Medellín to Barcelona to a Latin America-wide network of cultural districts, Conrado reflects on collaboration, governance, and why the real foundations of a district are its people, not its buildings. Ext...

In this first Reflections of Season 6, Stephanie Fortunato looks back on the curatorial choices that shaped our 2025 season. Reflecting on a year that deliberately centred women and non-binary leaders, she considers what the data on gender inequality tells us, why progress cannot be taken for granted, and how storytelling can help expand our collective imagination of leadership, belonging, and cul...

In the first episode of Season 6, Adrian Ellis speaks with Noah Horowitz, CEO of Art Basel, about how art fairs shape cities and cultural ecosystems. Their conversation explores the evolving role of Art Basel as a cultural platform operating at the intersection of culture, capital, and place – and what that means for the cities that host them. External references: Art Basel : Global art fair platf...

In this last Reflections from The Three Bells of our 2025 season, a mural becomes the starting point for a deeply personal exploration of the quiet ways individual stories slip into collective narrative. Through the story of a tiny knit hat, Stephanie Fortunato reflects on Providence as an adopted home, the threads that bind people to place, and the communities we call home. External Links AS220,...

Adrian Ellis speaks with Charlotte Burns, Founder of Studio Burns, about how the art world constructs its stories – and what happens when data complicates them. From representation and market dynamics to institutional culture, they explore how research can surface patterns that would otherwise remain invisible and help inform future practice. External references:  Studio Burns – Independent editor...

In this episode of Reflections from The Three Bells , Hilary Knight explores how WEIRD bias shapes AI – and how artists are challenging algorithmic monoculture with radical acts of cultural imagination. External references:  “The Weirdest People in the World?” – Henrich, Heine, and Norenzayan (2010) Stephanie Dinkins – Not The Only One Ameera Kawash – Tatreez Garden Minne Atairu – Artist using AI...

Our host, Stephanie Fortunato speaks with Andrea Dempster Chung, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Kingston Creative, about their long-term strategy to build a cultural district in downtown Kingston – and what it takes to turn natural talent into a thriving creative ecosystem. External references:  Kingston Creative – the official site of the initiative. Paint the City – a large-scale mural p...

Hilary Knight speaks with Rachel Parent, Directrice Générale HUB Montréal about building a global creative network at the intersection of culture, tech, and business – and why keeping things human is more important than ever. External references:  HUB Montréal – Annual international fair and gathering for digital creativity Moment Factory – Montreal-based multimedia studio producing immersive expe...

In this new episode of Reflections from The Three Bells , Adrian Ellis reflects on the slow unravelling of downtowns – and what it will take to reimagine them as civic, cultural, and residential spaces fit for the 21st century. External reference:  Los Angeles: adaptive reuse ordinance (expanded citywide) Times Square Alliance (BID model in New York)   How Minneapolis, St. Paul leaders plan to rev...

Adrian Ellis speaks with Katrina Sedgwick, Director & CEO of MAP Co, to discuss the ambitiously complex transformation of Melbourne’s arts precinct – and how principles of collaboration, creativity, and care are guiding one of Australia’s largest cultural infrastructure projects. External references:  Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation (MAP Co) – The official site detailing the AU$1.7B red...

Stephanie Fortunato speaks with Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat of Daily tous les jours about their book Strangers Need Strange Moments Together , participatory urban art, and why moments of shared joy between strangers are essential to building healthy, resilient cities. External references:  Daily tous les jours Strangers Need Strange Moments Together US Surgeon General Report on the Lonelines...

In this new episode of Reflections from The Three Bells , Adrian Ellis, shares insights on capital project planning and the value of defining purpose and impact before building and design. External references:  Manal Ataya: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mataya-uae/  Sharjah Museums Authority: https://www.sharjahmuseums.ae/  The International Museum Leadership Congress (IMCC): https://www.museum.cons...

Our host, Hilary Knight speaks with Freya Salway, Head of the Lab at Google Arts and Culture Lab which engages artists, institutions and audiences through experimentation with new digital technology. They discuss the lab’s mission, collaborations, and approach to R&D and partnerships. External references Google Arts and Culture The Lab Experiments with Google Google Arts & Culture and Brit...