Two trustees of the prestigious Djerassi Resident Artists Program, Alexander Maxwell Djerassi and Michael Molesky, were identified in recently released Department of Justice files as visitors to Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in 2011. The pair attended the "Mindshift Conference," a gathering of academics and professionals held two years after Epstein’s first conviction. The residency program, located in California's Santa Cruz Mountains, clarified that the visit occurred years before either individual joined the board and emphasized that neither Epstein nor Ghislaine Maxwell ever had any formal ties or donor history with the institution.
The revelations bring unwanted scrutiny to one of the West Coast’s most respected artist residencies, which was founded by the inventor of the birth control pill, Carl Djerassi. The connection is particularly sensitive given that Alexander Maxwell Djerassi is the nephew of Ghislaine Maxwell. While the program maintains these were private actions taken prior to the trustees' appointments, the news adds to recent internal tensions and allegations of mismanagement at an institution historically dedicated to supporting diverse creative voices.