About IAC
Initiatives in Arts and Culture (IAC) educates diverse audiences across the globe in the fine, decorative, and visual arts. Embodying and informed by a cross-disciplinary approach, our primary activities are conferences, publications, and exhibitions that explore issues related to fabrication, connoisseurship, cultural patrimony, cultural preservation, and the future of culture. Particular areas of emphasis include American painting, precious substances, and the Arts & Crafts Movement.
IAC’s projects have been supported by a wide array of individual, corporate, and foundation funders, and we pride ourselves on our extensive collaborations with entities whose values and commitments we share.
2026 Events
Beyond COP 31: Navigating Climate Action in a
Fractured and Uncertain World
A Webinar
Thursday, 19 November 2026
16:30 GMT / 11:30 a.m. EST
Panelists
Nick Bridge
Visiting Professor in Practice
London School of Economics
John Mulligan
Head of Sustainability Strategy, World Gold Council
President, Sustainable Development Commission, CIBJO
Lisa Sachs
Director
Columbia Center on Sustainable Development (CCSI)
Moderator:
Lisa Koenigsberg
Founder and President
Initiatives in Arts and Culture
Approaches to ‘Human Rights’ in the Gold and Precious Metals Industry
A Webinar
Tuesday, 28 April 2026
17:00 GMT / 12:00 p.m. EDT
Panelists
Edward Bickham
Senior Advisor
World Gold Council
Brian Gonsalves
Vice President, Group Security and Human Rights
AngloGold Ashanti
Estelle Levin-Nally
Founder & CEO
Levin Sources
Nellie Mutemeri
Founder and Mining Practice Director, MutConsult; adjunct professor and Director, Mineral Resources Governance Research Group, School of Mining Engineering, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa
Moderator:
Lisa Koenigsberg
Founder and President
Initiatives in Arts and Culture
Defining Responsibly Sourced Gold
A Webinar
Wednesday, 25 February 2026
16:30 GMT / 11:30 a.m. EST
Panelists
Edward Bickham
Senior Advisor
World Gold Council
Dario Biedermann
Product Owner and
Business Unit Lead
xTrace, an Origin Verification Technology (OVT)
aXedra
Alex Buck
Vice President, ESG
Endeavour Mining
Shari Gittleman
Interim Head
Global Coalition for
Action on ASGM
Roger Tissot
Executive Director
Artisanal Gold Council
Moderator:
Lisa Koenigsberg
Founder and President
Initiatives in Arts and Culture
