Join us for this signature event to learn about World Monuments Fund (WMF) work safeguarding the world’s irreplaceable heritage and engage with a global community of heritage experts and advocates.  

The World Monuments Summit is WMF’s annual flagship forum, bringing together leading voices in cultural heritage to address the most pressing challenges in preservation. Held each October in New York alongside the Hadrian Gala, the Summit considers preservation not only as safeguarding the past, but as a foundation for adaptation, renewal, and the future. 

At a time of conflict, climate change, rapid urban transformation, AI, and geopolitical uncertainty, the 2026 Summit will ask: What is truly irreplaceable—and what do we owe one another to protect it? 

EVENT SCHEDULE 

1:30 pm | What Is Irreplaceable in America? 

Heritage is passed from one generation to the next, though its meaning is often contested and reinterpreted. As America grapples with changing communities and competing visions of the past, this conversation brings together leaders in architecture, preservation, public history, and cultural stewardship. Together, they will explore how landmarks, neighborhoods, and collections are protected and interpreted, and how law, public trust, civic engagement, and institutional independence can sustain the places and stories that shape civic life. 

Featuring Paul Goldberger, Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic and author; Rosie Lee Hooks, Director, Watts Tower Arts Center; and Brent Leggs, CEO, National Trust for Historic Preservation. 

Moderated by Jon Buono, Senior Regional Director, USA & Canada, WMF. 

2:45 pm | What Stays on the Wall? Murals, Memory, and the Future of Public Art 

Murals have long shaped public memory, reflecting politics, identity, and power. From monumental state commissions to community-led expressions of justice, they tell stories about the people and institutions that shape urban life. As cities evolve and neighborhoods transform, preserving murals raises important questions: when walls become contested sites of history, who decides what endures, and why? 

Featuring Simon Castets, Executive Director, Keith Haring Foundation; Renato González Mello, Art historian and researcher, UNAM; Barbara Haskell, Curator, Whitney Museum of American Art; and Ben Wiedel-Kaufmann, Lecturer in Art History, The Open University.

Moderated by Jonathan S. Bell, Senior Vice President of Global Preservation Strategy and Director of the Suzanne Deal Booth Institute, WMF. 

4:00 pm | From Preservation to Sustainability: The New Landscape of Heritage Philanthropy 

As cultural heritage faces growing threats from climate change, conflict, and natural disasters, safeguarding it requires new forms of collaboration. This conversation explores how philanthropy, business, and the public sector can build resilience in a time of constrained resources through long-term investment, innovative partnerships, and shared stewardship. Panelists will examine what it takes to protect the world's irreplaceable places for future generations. 

Featuring Coline Pont, Chief Sustainability Officer, William Raynolds, Program Director, The J.M. Kaplan Fund; Clément Rouxel, General Delegate, AXA Foundation for Human Progress; ACCOR; and Debora Trein, Senior Director, Science, National Geographic Society. 

Moderated by Bénédicte de Montlaur, President and CEO of WMF. 

Additional program highlights will be announced in the coming days. 

This event is free and open to the public; registration is required.