A Community Conversation on Empathy, Compassion, and the Role of Art in Shaping our Shared Future
How do empathy and compassion take shape in the real world - especially in the face of conflict, cultural divides, and lived experiences that challenge them?
Join us for an inaugural community panel exploring the powerful intersection of empathy and art, presented in partnership with the UC San Diego Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion and the Timken Museum of Art in Balboa Park.
Event Details:
📅 Date: Monday, April 20, 2026
⏰ Time: 4:30 p.m.
📍 Location: Timken Museum of Art, Balboa Park (San Diego, CA)
This dynamic conversation will bring together leaders from academia, the arts, and the community to examine how empathy and compassion are expressed and activated through creative practice, cultural memory, and shared human experience. Together, panelists will reflect on how these forces can deepen our understanding of the roots of conflict and illuminate pathways toward healing and peace.
Featured Panelists:
Dr. Darren Kew, Dean, University of San Diego Kroc School of Peace Studies
Dr. Megan Lorraine Debin, Professor of Art History and Founder of Art Trippin’
James Rudolph, Attorney (San Diego & Washington, D.C.), LL.M. in International Law and Human Rights
Moderators:
Dr. William Mobley, Director, Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion
Megan Pogue, Executive Director, Timken Museum of Art
Whether you are an educator, student, artist, healthcare provider, or community member, this event invites you to engage in a meaningful dialogue about how empathy and compassion can move us from understanding to action. Free to attend.
Click here for more event information and to reserve your spot.