Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.

Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder

Aspen Institute Names Documentary Filmmaker Ken Burns 2026–27 Harman-Eisner Artist in Residence

The celebrated filmmaker and documentarian will participate in Aspen Institute programming throughout the year, including the Aspen Ideas Festival.

Washington, DC, January 14, 2026 — The Aspen Institute Arts Program today announced that acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns will serve as its 2026–2027 Harman-Eisner Artist in Residence. Burns will contribute his artistic vision to Aspen Institute policy programs, public events, leadership initiatives, and convenings in Aspen and Washington, DC.

Burns is a multi-award-winning documentary director and producer whose films have shaped how generations of Americans understand their history. His films earned seventeen Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, and two Academy Award nominations. In 2008, Burns received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards, and in 2022 he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.

Each year, the Aspen Institute Arts Program selects an artist or cultural leader to serve as its Harman/Eisner Artist in Residence for a year-long exploration of creative practice and civic engagement. Drawing on the Institute’s convening power and longstanding commitment to values-based leadership, Harman-Eisner Artists in Residence engage as thought partners in discussions addressing major social and civic issues through the lens of the arts.

“I am honored to serve as the Aspen Institute’s Harman/Eisner Artist in Residence at such a meaningful moment for our country and for the Institute,” Burns said. “As America marks its 250th anniversary, coming on the heels of the Aspen Institute’s 75th, coupled with the release of our series on the American Revolution,  this residency offers a rare opportunity to reflect on our shared history, our enduring values, and the kind of leadership required to sustain a democratic society.”

“Ken Burns uses the power of storytelling to make history come alive,” said Michael D. Eisner, Aspen Institute Trustee. “I am excited to share his talents, vision, and creativity with the entire Aspen Institute community.”

“My late husband and Aspen Trustee Sidney Harman passionately believed the arts were central to all human endeavors. Ken Burns exemplifies this by bridging history and humanity to teach and transport us,” said Rep. Jane Harman, Aspen Institute Trustee.

“As the United States reflects on its 250th anniversary, Ken Burns is the ideal Harman-Eisner Artist in Residence to help us ponder America’s past and present,” said Danielle Baussan, Vice President of Policy Programs and Director of the Arts Program at the Aspen Institute. “Artists like Ken remind us how storytelling can deepen understanding, empathy, and our shared humanity.”

Recent Harman/Eisner Artists in Residence include Teddy Abrams, Hank Willis Thomas, Simon Godwin, Marin Alsop, Oskar Eustis, Rita Moreno, Damian Woetzel and Edmund de Waal. Past participants include Lil Buck, Ava DuVernay, Renée Fleming, Theaster Gates, Frank Gehry, Yo-Yo Ma, Jessye Norman, Anna Deavere Smith, Robert Spano, Julie Taymor, and Alfre Woodard.

Additional information about events featuring Burns, including his participation at the annual Aspen Ideas Festival, will be announced throughout the year.

Ken Burns’ public headshots are available here. 

Ken Burns has been making documentary films for almost fifty years.  Since the Academy Award nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, Ken has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made. Ken’s films have been honored with dozens of major awards, including seventeen Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards, two Oscar nominations, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.  In November 2025, PBS broadcast The American Revolution, a six-part, twelve-hour series on America’s founding struggle, which presents the story of the men and women of the Revolutionary generation, their humanity in victory and defeat, and the crisis that they lived through.

The Aspen Institute Arts Program recognizes the role of art and artists to address society’s most complex problems and supports the inclusion of artist perspectives and artistic works in intersectional discussions within and outside Aspen Institute Programs and Programming, including International Partners.  
The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.

Contact: Eric Baker
Media Relations Manager
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