GCDN Annual Convening – Los Angeles 2025

Alex Sarian is a bestselling author, a sought-after speaker on the topic of institutional relevance, and President & CEO of Arts Commons, where he is leading the $660 million Arts Commons Transformation—the largest cultural infrastructure project in Canadian history. Known for his commitment to civic engagement and his fundraising record, he has worked on cultural projects in 15 countries across five continents—where no two initiatives and outcomes were ever the same. Before beginning his current tenure at one of Canada’s busiest arts centers, Alex spent two decades in New York City, most notably as a senior executive at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Born in Toronto and raised in Buenos Aires, Alex holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from New York University, is a graduate of the CommunityShift program at Western University's Ivey School of Business, and was an inaugural graduate of the Impact Program for Arts Leaders at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. In addition to teaching at New York University, Pace University, and City College of New York, he has served on governing boards and special advisory committees for institutions including Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, SXSW, Tourism Calgary, and the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize. His critically acclaimed book, “The Audacity of Relevance: Critical Conversations on the Future of Arts & Culture” (ECW Press / Simon & Schuster, 2024) has been praised by Forbes as a “manifesto for the arts in times of crises” and has become required reading for arts management programs in universities around the world.