Art moves faster, and that's one reason that in the last 100 or so years art has become a primary way through which societies confront this question of shared responsibility. The process is in no way formalized, but it works something like this: Thoughtful, concerned artist internally synthesizes events, makes work. Gallerist, curator, kunsthalle, museum, journalist or critic ensures that work is seen. If something like a critical or curatorial consensus determines that the work is of quality and import, the work enters an institution's permanent collection.
It's that last part, institutionalization, that's the most difficult. Dozens of experts, administrators and trustees (men and women with a particular standing in their communities) must agree on an acquisition. The passing of an artwork into an important museum's permanent collection is a key part of the process by which we decide what is worth saving as part of our shared heritage.