Over 100 people joined us for A New Path for Beauty: Shaping Tomorrow's Institutions, the second annual conference on art and philosophy hosted by the Roger Scruton Legacy Foundation in partnership with the Mathias Corvinus Collegium. This seminal event will unfolded from 5-7 September 2024 at the historic Peterhouse, University of Cambridge, offering a unique blend of scholarly enquiry and artistic exploration.

Our theme confronted the myriad challenges facing our art institutions today—from the pressures of decolonisation initiatives and diversity and equity mandates to the rise of political art and the impact of vandalism. Against this backdrop, A New Path for Beauty proposed a visionary alternative, grounding the future of our public and private cultural institutions across the West in three foundational pillars: beauty, artistic excellence and creative free expression.

The conference featured a dynamic programme including three keynote addresses from conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner, artist Jacob Collins and curator Agnieszka Kołek, alongside a series of panels and discussions that invigorated the debate and charted forward-thinking paths. Attendees explored topics spanning visual arts, performing arts, public art and architecture, the economics of art and the preservation of cultural heritage, all while considering the overarching theme of reinvigorating beauty and excellence in our cultural institutions.

A New Path for Beauty: Shaping Tomorrow's Institutions was more than a conference—it was a call to arms for those across the political spectrum looking to chart a new path for our culture and the institutions that steer them. We thank those that joined us as we embarked on this vital journey to redefine the landscape of the West’s cultural institutions for the future.

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