Power Lists
The 2024 Arts & Culture Power 100
The leaders of New York’s museums, theaters and zoos.
City & State presents the 2024 Arts & Culture Power 100. Rachel Neville; Provided; Michael Appleton
The magic of Broadway. The unparalleled Museum Mile. The world-class Lincoln Center. These attractions are among the landmarks that make New York City a global center for arts and culture. Artists, dancers, actors and musicians are drawn here to hone their craft and get their big break.
And it’s not just in Manhattan. The Brooklyn Academy of Music, MoMA PS1 in Queens and the Bronx Zoo are a few of the top-tier attractions in the outer boroughs, alongside smaller – but still top-notch – institutions making a name for themselves. Beyond the city’s borders, visitors flock to such destinations as the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, the Corning Museum of Glass and Dia Beacon.
The interplay between arts and culture and the world of politics and government is extensive, going well beyond New York politicians mingling with celebrities at the annual Met Gala. Some top museums and open spaces sit on public land, and many rely on city and state funding. Some partner closely with schools, supplementing lessons not just through field trips but by innovative programs and curricula as well.
City & State’s inaugural Arts & Culture Power 100 highlights these leaders in New York, based less on the caliber of collections and exhibits or sellout shows and more on the interplay with local and state government, policy advocacy as well as civic and community engagement. The list reflects New York’s diversity, including leaders of institutions that celebrate the history and culture of many different communities, from the Apollo Theater to El Museo Del Barrio. Its scope encompasses libraries, green spaces and cultural centers as well as trade associations and other advocates of arts and cultural organizations. Some individuals are artists and visionaries themselves, some are managers developing strategic plans, driving fundraising and overseeing large staffs – and some are both.
Without further ado, we’re pleased to present the Arts & Culture Power 100.
1. Laurie Cumbo
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo is on a mission to ensure the city’s vibrant arts and culture scene is appreciated and valued by New Yorkers and visitors. In addition to her role in championing arts institutions and doling out cultural grants, Cumbo is expanding public art installations across the city, including an initiative for public art on sidewalk sheds across the city. In August, Cumbo announced $210 million in capital grants to cultural institutions. The former New York City Council majority leader is perhaps best known for getting engaged at the Met Gala in 2022.
2. Erika Mallin
A nationally recognized arts leader, Erika Mallin was appointed by Gov. Kathy Hochul to lead the state Council on the Arts in January after helming the Aspen Institute’s arts program and, before that, running the Signature Theatre Company. New York’s arts agency promotes arts and culture statewide and serves as a key source of funding for local cultural groups, with $127 million in grants awarded in the previous fiscal year. The council, which touts the multibillion-dollar economic impact of arts and culture in New York, plans to award $162 million in operational and capital grants to some 3,000 artists and organizations across the state in the current fiscal year.
3. Justin Brannan & Carlina Rivera
A former professional musician, Justin Brannan has merged his affinity for music and culture with his love of municipal finance in his role as chair of the New York City Council Finance Committee. Brannan was a key power player in blocking Mayor Eric Adams’ cuts to the city’s library and cultural affairs budgets, including restoring Sunday library hours, and controls the purse strings on funding to other cultural institutions. He also teamed with Council Member Keith Powers to form the CBGB Caucus – an effort to promote and protect independent music venues in the city, including advocating for federal funding for the venues during the pandemic.
Following a stint monitoring New York City’s criminal justice and prison system while leading the New York City Council Criminal Justice Committee, Council Member Carlina Rivera has taken on a role focused a bit more on the fun side of the city as chair of the Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations Committee. In this post, Rivera has pushed for restoration of budget funding for cultural institutions and libraries, along with focusing on issues impacting cultural tourism and the arts workforce.
4. Emma Pfohman
Emma Pfohman is New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ point person for arts, culture and tourism policy. As part of Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer’s team, Pfohman helped bring the 2026 World Cup to New York City, secured a $254 million budget for the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and launched the Mayor’s Live Performance Industry Council. Described by Torres-Springer as a “changemaker,” Pfohman led the mayor’s office response to last year’s entertainment industry strikes and has also been reducing red tape for the city’s cultural sector, creative industries and digital gaming sector.
5. Pat Swinney Kaufman & Rhoda Glickman
Los Angeles may have the Hollywood sign, but Pat Swinney Kaufman and Rhoda Glickman are positioning New York as a counterweight to California in the film and television industry. Kaufman brings a deep background to her role running New York City’s Office of Media and Entertainment, having created the state’s film production tax credit program during 19 years as the state’s top film and television economic development official. Kaufman is helping to expand her office’s scope, including the creation of a Digital Games Industry Council, which is aiming to expand the city’s digital gaming industry, and collaborating with the city’s Live Performance Industries Council, a priority of Mayor Eric Adams. She has also championed the “Made in NY” program to promote film and television production in the city. Glickman, a former executive director of the Congressional Arts Caucus, presides over the state’s film and television tax credit program, a key economic development priority for Gov. Kathy Hochul. Glickman’s husband, former U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, also a former member of Congress from Kansas, is the former chair and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of American, and her son, Jonathan, is a Hollywood producer.
6. Max Hollein
Many think of the famed Fifth Avenue institution through the lens of the star-studded annual Met Gala, but Max Hollein has a lot more on his plate, including a transformation of the African art galleries, a new wing for modern and contemporary art and a revamp of the European art galleries. With no national culture ministry in the U.S., Hollein views the Met as a cultural ambassador filling that vacuum. Hollein has seen post-pandemic attendance rebound, with programs like a Harlem Renaissance exhibition drawing record-high number of people of color as visitors, and added to educational offerings with the Met-NYCHA Art and Culture Scholars Program for high schoolers.
7. Sean Decatur & Dan Slippen
Sean Decatur became the first Black president of the American Museum of Natural History last year, taking over the venerable institution on Manhattan’s Upper West Side after holding the presidency of Kenyon College in Ohio. Since then, Decatur has overseen a number of initiatives for the museum, including completing a comprehensive strategic plan that includes digitizing its collection to increase accessibility, repatriating Native American human remains and the opening of an exhibit celebrating the history of hip-hop. Former congressional aide and ex-Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official Dan Slippen cultivates the museum’s relationships with city, state and federal officials as well as corporate and community partners. He has seen corporate giving rise, facilitated the institution’s designation as a site for coronavirus vaccinations and for early voting, and assisted in the opening of the Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation last year.
8. Gina Duncan & Coco Killingsworth
A former producer of the Sundance Film Festival, Gina Duncan is now putting on shows at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Since assuming BAM’s presidency two years ago, Duncan has finalized the first new strategic plan for the academy in 15 years, secured new government and foundation funding, appointed new artistic director Amy Cassello and announced plans for a new “community-focused” resident curator, while also exploring and implementing partnerships with other arts organizations and launching the Black Velvet Mondays free music program.
Coco Killingsworth, who joined BAM as a vice president at the end of 2016, has been pushing initiatives to better connect the academy with the community. Killingsworth, who filled in as BAM’s co-interim president in 2021-22, chairs the Cultural Institutions Group, a coalition of 34 top museums, performing arts organizations, historical institutions, zoos and botanical gardens that led the charge against New York City funding cuts.
Killingsworth also co-chairs New York City’s Theater and Live Performance Industry Council, served on Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso’s transition team, and joined labor leader Henry Garrido this year to call for increased city funding for the arts.
9. Michael Woloz
The leader of a Top 10 New York City lobbying firm and a passionate supporter of New York’s cultural scene, Michael Woloz has become a go-to guide for arts and culture organizations dealing with the city and state governments. Woloz has helped deliver funding for a growing list of marquee arts and culture clients, including the Museum of Modern Art, the American Museum of Natural History and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. This year, Woloz began representing the 34-member Cultural Institutions Group as it fended off major budget cuts in the city.
10. Linda Johnson, Anthony Marx & Dennis Walcott
Libraries are critical components of the cultural landscape, and they’re often officially grouped together with museums and arts institutions, whether it’s by the federal government or the New York City Council. New York City’s three public library chiefs have been in the thick of not only promoting culture and educating New Yorkers, but also navigating city politics. In what has become an annual tradition, Linda Johnson, Anthony Marx and Dennis Walcott successfully teamed up with city lawmakers to block library budget cuts proposed by Mayor Eric Adams. In Queens, Walcott, a former city schools chancellor and deputy mayor, is emphasizing libraries’ role in providing cultural and educational programming. In Brooklyn, Johnson, an advisory board member of the Metropolitan Opera, has increased outreach and expanded arts and culture programs. Marx, a former president of Amherst College, welcomed U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Gov. Kathy Hochul to his star-studded gala fundraiser last fall. Among the many components of the three-borough NYPL system is the Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center.
11. Patricia Harris & Kate Levin
Patricia Harris and Kate Levin are synonymous with arts and culture policy and philanthropy in New York City. The longtime associates of former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg were key arts policy players in the Bloomberg administration and now play key roles in Bloomberg Philanthropies. Harris, who as Bloomberg’s first deputy mayor oversaw city arts policy, leads the former mayor’s global philanthropy with programs spanning the arts, public health, government efficiency, education and the environment. Under former Mayor Ed Koch, Harris headed the New York City Arts Commission. Levin was the city’s cultural affairs commissioner for the entirety of Bloomberg’s mayoralty, and now oversees arts programs for Bloomberg Philanthropies. Levin also is a principal at Bloomberg Associates, the former mayor’s philanthropic consultancy for local governments, where she advises on arts and culture policy.
12. John Calvelli
John Calvelli brings plenty of political experience to the cultural sector, having served as chief of staff and counsel to then-Rep. Eliot Engel and New York state director for Mike Bloomberg’s presidential campaign. He’s now driving public affairs for the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs the Bronx Zoo and four other New York City menageries. Calvelli, who also chaired the New York City Cultural Institutions Group and is currently a vice chair of NYC Tourism + Conventions, has been calling attention to the international efforts to protect rare tigers, some of which live at the Bronx Zoo.
13. Glenn Lowry & Jose Ortiz
For almost 30 years, Glenn Lowry has led the Museum of Modern Art in large-scale building projects, an expansion of exhibits, new moves into Queens and key initiatives to expand the scope of the museum. Lowry, who plans to retire in a year, has had to raise over $100 million a year for the museum and is always looking for new donors and recurring revenue streams. MoMA has broadened its collections to include its first tokenized and artificial intelligence pieces and expanded digital collections, including work by Yoko Ono. Jose Ortiz is the deputy director of PS1, MoMA’s outpost in Long Island City, Queens, which includes a citywide artist survey every five years and other programs in community art.
14. Jennifer Bernstein
A leader in the environmental and parks community, Jennifer Bernstein has served as the 10th president and CEO of the New York Botanical Garden since 2021. At the Bronx botanical garden, Bernstein spearheaded a strategic and master site planning process that resulted in this year’s Branching Out: A Strategic Plan for 2024-2030. The Natural Resources Defense Council veteran has pledged to use the organization’s scientific and environmental programs for initiatives and programs serving visitors and residents of New York City alike.
15. Jose M. Serrano
State Sen. Jose M. Serrano has used his legislative career to establish himself as an arts and culture policy maker as chair of the state Senate’s cultural affairs committee and as a former chair of the New York City Council Cultural Affairs Committee. This year the Legislature passed Serrano’s bill to establish cultural districts around the state, legislation that now awaits action from Gov. Kathy Hochul. Serrano plans to continue a push to get his Albany colleagues to view arts and culture as vital parts of the state’s economy, and he has touted his role in approving over $200 million in funding to support the arts in New York.
16. Mariko Silver & Leah Johnson
A former president of Bennington College in Vermont and the Henry Luce Foundation, Mariko Silver was named the next president and CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in August. An effective fundraiser, Silver has called Lincoln Center “the beating heart of New York” and is tasked with charting the future for the world-renowned arts center, including efforts to better connect it with the surrounding community. Silver is also a former acting assistant secretary in the Department of Homeland Security in the Obama administration and was a top Arizona government official. Leah Johnson drives communications and advocacy efforts for the Manhattan cultural icon. A veteran of corporate C-suites and New York City government, Johnson says a key goal for her is to increase access for Lincoln Center to all New Yorkers. She led communications for the opening of the transformed David Geffen Hall, has boosted MWBE participation and is behind a choose what you pay ticketing model.
17. Alan van Capelle
Alan van Capelle has been a labor operative, an LGBTQ+ advocate and a nonprofit executive – and now he’s running New York City’s most buzzed-about new park in years. He has led Friends of the High Line since last year, charting the course for the next phase of the former West Side rail line converted to an elevated park. Van Capelle has seen record attendance for the High Line’s ¡Arriba! Latin dance events and expanded a public arts program. His organization is also campaigning against a proposed Hudson Yards casino adjacent to the High Line.
18. Clive Gillinson & David Freudenthal
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Well, practice, practice, practice – and if that doesn’t work, the famed midtown Manhattan concert hall is coming to you. Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall’s long-serving executive and artistic director, has been focused on expanding the venue’s reach beyond its walls. This includes a partnership with the New York City Department of Education and other city arts organizations to increase access to the arts and new international programs. Carnegie Hall recently hosted a celebration of international youth orchestras and the impact they have in bringing students into the performing arts. As Carnegie Hall’s director of government affairs, David Freudenthal lobbies government officials to support the institution. Freudenthal, who’s also a veteran on Carnegie Hall’s staff, has established himself as a leader in the arts advocacy community, chairing the government affairs committee for the Cultural Institutions Group, spearheading efforts to support cultural institutions through the coronavirus pandemic, and working with the national Arts and Juvenile Justice Working Group that Carnegie Hall formed.
19. Thelma Golden
Once an intern at the Studio Museum in Harlem, Thelma Golden’s illustrious career has taken her to several museums, but ultimately she returned to her roots. Golden, who has led the Studio Museum since 2005, has transformed the art world, curating a number of exhibits that elevated the work of Black artists. At the Studio Museum, Golden has expanded the museum both physically and from an artistic perspective. Golden is also a board member of the Obama Center, which is building the former president’s library and museum in Chicago, and served on the Committee for the Preservation of the White House during the Obama administration.
20. Anne Pasternak
Brooklyn has become a thriving center for the arts, and a big part of that is the flourishing Brooklyn Museum. Anne Pasternak, the museum’s director since 2015, has created a new strategic plan, connected historic collections to contemporary art and expanded educational offerings. She has also embraced a pay what you wish model to boost community engagement, taken on timely topics such as racial injustice and set the stage for a new reinstallation of the American Art galleries as the museum approaches its 200th anniversary.
21. Suri Kasirer
Suri Kasirer has built her lobbying firm into the top shop in New York City, with a major portfolio of arts and culture clients dealing with city and state government. Key clients include the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Ballet Hispanico and Sotheby’s. Applying her expertise in real estate and nonprofits, Kasirer assisted major renovations of Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, the Public’s Delacorte Theater in Central Park and the New York Historical Society, which now includes the first physical home of the American LGBTQ+ Museum.
22. Adrian Benepe
Former New York City Parks and Recreation Department Commissioner Adrian Benepe has continued his endeavors to make urban green space a treasured part of the city in his role as president of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. He remains heavily involved in civic affairs, most recently advocating against a proposed residential tower recently approved by the City Planning Commission that would cast a shadow on the garden and its plantlife. He has also emphasized efforts to increase access to the garden for children and the local community, and brought outdoor music and dance performances to the grounds as well.
23. Seth Pinsky
92NY has long been one of New York City’s premier cultural institutions, hosting speakers, authors and musical performances to educate and enlighten audiences. CEO Seth Pinsky, formerly a real estate executive and the city’s top economic development official, is now focused on celebrating the organization’s 150th anniversary and its rich history by following its founding value of tikkun olam, Hebrew for “repair the world.”
24. Stephanie Hill Wilchfort
Last year, Stephanie Hill Wilchfort traded her role running the Brooklyn Children’s Museum in Crown Heights for a job telling New York City’s story at the helm of the Museum of the City of New York. On her watch, the Manhattan institution has expanded the Land of the Lunaapeew Project and hosted a celebration of former Rep. Shirley Chisholm for the 100th anniversary of her birth. The museum, known for its innovative exhibits connecting past and present, also boosted non-weekday attendance with its “Weekends @MCNY” series of artist residencies and programs. Wilchfort is also vice chair of the Cultural Institutions Group.
25. Michelle Ebanks
The former CEO of Essence Communications, Michelle Ebanks became president and CEO of the Apollo Theater last year, just as the Harlem cultural landmark embarked on a large-scale renovation project. Ebanks has been presiding over the 90th anniversary of the acclaimed theater, including a spring benefit headlined by Usher and the unveiling of the recently renovated two stage Victoria Theater down the block. The renovation of the Apollo is next on Ebanks’ agenda as she plans the next 90 years of the theater.
26. Rebecca Robertson
In a building where members of some of New York’s richest and most famous families kept the Army rolling along as members of the New York National Guard’s Silk Stocking Regiment, Rebecca Robertson now commands an army of dancers, singers and artists who keep the arts rolling along. The Park Avenue Armory, which hosts a multidisciplinary cross section of the arts in its commanding fortress near Hunter College, is one of Alicia Keys’ favorite spots in New York City, with the pop star saying she enjoys the wide array of programs and exhibits.
27. Scott Rothkopf
After starting his career at the Harvard University Art Museums, Scott Rothkopf has dedicated his professional career to the Whitney Museum of American Art , where he became director late last year. One of Rothkopf’s first decisions was to replace himself as the museum’s chief curator, which he did in April with the appointment of Kim Conaty. Conaty, a Whitney veteran herself, plans to focus on building the museum’s collection of work by Latino and Indigenous artists. This year’s annual gala focused on the museum’s initiatives to grow new audiences, including several free days each month.
28. Elizabeth Goldstein
A highlight of the Municipal Art Society of New York’s 130-year history is its preservation of Grand Central Terminal – and transportation architecture remains a top priority. Elizabeth Goldstein, who came on as president in 2017, is a key voice in the debate over redeveloping Penn Station. The organization’s long list of accomplishments also includes creating the Public Design Commission and the Landmarks Preservation Commission and conserving dozens of works of public art. More recently, the Municipal Art Society oversaw the restoration of the Joan of Arc statue in Riverside Park and has continued its popular Jane’s Walk NYC events.
29. Lucy Sexton
A key advocate for arts policy and funding in New York and an accomplished artist herself, Lucy Sexton helped prevent proposed cuts in the New York City arts budget and pushed for the record funding the arts received in the latest state budget. Sexton advocated in particular for smaller outer borough arts and culture organizations that largely rely on public funding. Sexton, who is a choreographer, producer, administrator and performing artist, also led a subcommittee on the city’s Theatre and Live Performance Industry Council.
30. Elizabeth Reiss
As president of ArtsNYS, New York’s only statewide arts advocacy group, Elizabeth Reiss helped to obtain $100 million for the state Council on the Arts in the current state budget and secure additional funding for regranting to artists in the budget. Reiss, whose organization’s members include ArtsWestchester, the Bronx Council of the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts, is also overseeing a statewide survey of artist needs and convening stakeholders across the state and art disciplines to develop a policy agenda. Reiss is also president and CEO of the Arts Center of the Capital Region in Troy, whose Troy Art Block festival was recognized by USA Today.
31. Joyce Brown
One doesn’t need a lecture about cerulean to know that fashion is a major economic driver – and Joyce Brown has been at its epicenter for a quarter century. The longtime president of the Fashion Institute of Technology just announced plans to step down next year after 26 years in office. A former New York City deputy mayor, Brown’s tenure at FIT has included planning and building a new 10-story academic center in Chelsea, expanding student housing and focusing on initiatives to better position FIT faculty research for economic growth and impact on the fashion industry.
32. Damian Woetzel & John-Morgan Bush
As the seventh president of The Juilliard School, Damian Woetzel has worked tirelessly to expand opportunities for the next generation of artists. He has launched creative enterprise and diversity and equity initiatives, opened the first Juilliard branch campus in China, launched new tours and raised funds to create tuition-free programs for master’s degrees in drama. Prior to taking the helm of Juilliard, Woetzel was a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. A horn performer, John-Morgan Bush is the inaugural dean of the Juilliard Extension, the school’s continuing education program. In this role he has worked to expand Juilliard’s reach, including forming programs to reach all age groups and creating a partnership with the New York City Department for the Aging to create programs to engage senior citizens in the arts, including the city’s Talent is Timeless Competition.
33. Janne Sirén
Janne Sirén took the helm of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum over a decade ago and has led the biggest transformation in the history of the cultural icon adjacent to Buffalo’s Delaware Park. Last year, the museum reopened following a major renovation project that included the creation of a three-story glass and marble addition that will provide 13 new galleries and updates to the century-old main building, including new free dining and art space. Sirén, a former Finnish special forces officer, led a $230 million fundraising campaign to support the transformation.
34. Taryn Sacramone
Queens is the world’s borough, and it’s now marking the 60th anniversary of the iconic 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair, which brought the world to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. Taryn Sacramone is leading Queens Theatre in honoring the legacy of the fair, with a series of events called Theaterama in partnership with a number of other Queens arts and community groups. These programs include arts performances and food tastings to bring back memories of the fair. Sacramone is the immediate past chair of the Cultural Institutions Group and a board member of NYC Tourism + Conventions.
35. Cristyne Nicholas
Cristyne Nicholas has devoted much of her career to promoting New York’s arts and culture, both to tourists and to government officials and New Yorkers. New York City’s former top tourism official, Nicholas now leads a PR firm that represents many top tourist attractions. She also chairs the state’s Tourism Advisory Council and the Broadway Association, a business association for the Manhattan theater district. She took an active role in the debate over congestion pricing, arguing that the toll would have hindered Broadway’s post-pandemic recovery.
36. Patrick Charpenel
A thought leader and influencer in contemporary Latin America, Patrick Charpenel has led El Museo Del Barrio since 2017. Upon arriving in New York City from Mexico City, Charpenel set upon building a vision for the future of the museum as a home for Latino culture and Latin American art. Since then, Charpenel has expanded the museum’s collection, now with over 8,500 pieces, and defined the institution as a showcase of the rich culture and history of Latin American while also exploring contemporary issues in Latino society.
37. Peter Gelb
For 18 years, Peter Gelb has led one of the premier cultural institutions in New York City, the Metropolitan Opera. Gelb is celebrating a return to pre-pandemic levels in opera attendance but is seeing mixed results from an initiative he launched to create new contemporary operas. Gelb said that the new operas are bringing in a younger audience. Gelb has also noted that the opera world is contending with a largely older audience and a decline in billionaires donating to the performing arts.
38. Katherine Brown
Katherine Brown has earned a place in New York City’s cultural landscape beyond her current position at the helm of the New York City Ballet and David H. Koch Theater. She is a former executive director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, was chief operating officer of WNYC radio and has held senior fundraising posts at the ballet and at the New York Public Library. Brown credits the ballet’s loyal donor base as critical to surviving the pandemic and said a growth in young audiences has helped to fuel a post-pandemic recovery.
39. Mariët Westermann
Prior to becoming the head of the Guggenheim Museum and Foundation in June, Mariët Westermann led New York University’s campus in Abu Dhabi. The art historian held top positions at foundations and museums before heading to the Middle East in 2019. While at NYU Abu Dhabi, Westermann created the school’s first climate action plan and developed new arts degree programs. The international experience will come in handy, given that the Guggenheim has sites in Abu Dhabi, Venice and Spain – besides its architecturally iconic Manhattan home.
40. Bennett Rink
Recognized as an American “cultural ambassador to the world,” the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater celebrates Black culture and American modern dance. The studio just completed its 35th annual Camp Ailey, a summer dance camp for youth in 10 cities nationally including New York and Newark. Bennett Rink, Ailey’s executive director, has boosted its endowment and expanded its reach, including developing an annual winter season to complement its other offerings and collaborating with the Whitney Museum of American Art on the new Edges of Ailey exhibit about founder Alvin Ailey’s legacy.
41. Sandra Pérez
As executive director of Heritage of Pride, Sandra Pérez oversees the popular NYC Pride March each June. Pérez coordinates all of the official Pride Month events in the city in support and celebration of the LGBTQ+ community. The theme of this year’s Pride March was “Reflect. Empower. Unite.,” which Pérez said was done to counter many challenges in recent years and encourage allies to unite behind the LGBTQ+ community. This summer, Pérez keynoted the PR Museum’s “Pride, Prejudice and Politics” event.
42. Jack Kliger
A onetime leader in the magazine publishing industry, Jack Kliger now presides over the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust located in Manhattan’s Battery Park City. Kliger has been addressing the rise in antisemitism and connecting the atrocities of the Holocaust to modern times so they are not forgotten. The museum published an online antisemitism education guide following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. The museum, which hosts a number of City & State events each year, also created an interactive artificial intelligence program to connect visitors to Holocaust survivors.
43. Heather Lubov
Heather Lubov has one of the most fun jobs in New York City. As executive director of the City Parks Foundation since 2014, she produces programs across the city’s iconic parks system, including free concerts and the popular SummerStage concert series. Lubov also positioned the foundation’s events to fuel the city’s post-pandemic recovery and forged coalitions to support open spaces. This year’s SummerStage series met the foundation’s goal of having at least 50% of the performers be women or women-led bands.
44. Jessica Morgan
A veteran of London’s cultural scene, Jessica Morgan has been on this side of the pond leading the Dia Art Foundation for almost a decade. Morgan has expanded its collection and programming while forging new partnerships with libraries and other organizations. As Dia celebrates its 50th anniversary, Morgan is working to continue to grow the experience the public can have at the foundation’s homes in Manhattan and the Hudson Valley, where she has maintained free admission at Dia Beacon. Morgan has also called for an increased focus on women in the arts.
45. Patrick Willingham
Patrick Willingham became the executive director of The Public Theater in 2011 following his tenure as president and chief operating officer of Blue Man Productions. Last year, Willingham broke ground on the final phase for a renovated Delacorte Theater in Central Park, a project the theater launched in partnership with the Central Park Conservancy and the New York City Departments of Parks and Recreation and Cultural Affairs. In addition to the renovation project, he announced a $150 million capital campaign.
46. Karol Wight
Karol Wight, an expert in ancient glass, runs the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, the Southern Tier city that is the state’s glass capital. In 2020, the museum collaborated with a group of female glass artists to create a shattered glass exhibit to mark Kamala Harris’ inauguration as the first female vice president. Last year, the museum obtained a $3.5 million state grant to expand its large-scale glass works studio. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recently secured an $820,000 appropriation for the museum’s education programs.
47. Cynthia Chavez Lamar
When people think of the Smithsonian Institution, buildings ringing the National Mall in Washington, D.C., come to mind. For Cynthia Chavez Lamar, this is only partially true, as her branch of the national museum system includes the National Museum of the American Indian George Gustav Heye Center blocks from Manhattan’s Battery Park. The first Native woman to lead part of the Smithsonian, Chavez Lamar is focused on telling the story of the Native American community and culture, and incorporating many voices into the conversation – with sites in Manhattan, Maryland and Washington, D.C.
48. Diane Eber
Gov. Nelson Rockefeller emphasized arts in his policy agenda, and in building Empire State Plaza in Albany, he established a notable cultural center, The Egg. Veteran arts executive Diane Eber took over The Egg last year and is introducing new initiatives, including allowing patrons to bring alcoholic drinks to their seats. She is rethinking the use of the plaza and allowing for multiple events in The Egg’s two theaters and outside as well. Eber has boosted revenues through state funding, increased concessions revenue and rising foundation support.
49. Ben Garcia
Ben Garcia brings a varied background in museum administration and the equality movement to his responsibilities as the inaugural executive director of the American LGBTQ+ Museum. Previously he held senior positions at museums, including the Ohio History Connection and the Museum of Us, and he was a board member of Equality Ohio. Garcia is charged with leading the museum’s next phase, including construction of a new home at the New York Historical Society. Last year, the museum launched its first traveling exhibit, a history of Lambda Legal.
50. Brian Higgins
A year ago, Brian Higgins was crafting national tax and trade policy from his perch as a lawmaker on the House Ways and Means Committee. Now he’s focused on using arts and culture to spark new economic development in Buffalo. Higgins left Congress earlier this year to take the reins of Shea’s Performing Arts Center in downtown Buffalo. Higgins’ vision for the Western New York cultural jewel is to boost performances, use the theater as a cornerstone for economic development and heritage tourism, and develop Buffalo’s arts and culture scene.
51. Larisa Wick
The Wright Group NY, a government relations firm with a long list of nonprofit and cultural clients, is now led by veteran executive Larisa Wick following the death of founder John Wright last year. The firm works with cultural institutions of every size and type, from Braata Productions in Queens to Manhattan’s Carnegie Hall. Among The Wright Group NY’s recent accomplishments is the groundbreaking of the Bronx Museum's multimillion-dollar South Wing Atrium. Other recent clients include the Museum of the Moving Image, National Black Theater Workshop and the Studio Museum in Harlem.
52. Kimberly Olsen
As the inaugural executive director of the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable, Kimberly Olsen brings together arts educators to advocate for the profession. Olsen’s organization recently received a grant to use data from the Portrait of New York State Artists survey to develop an advocacy and communications program. Key initiatives include lobbying city leaders about the importance of arts education and promoting the role of Black women in the arts. She leads the It Starts with the Arts campaign, which lobbied to protect arts funding in the city’s school system.
53. Michael Rosenberg
Prior to assuming the presidency of New York City Center in 2022, Michael Rosenberg ran theaters in Princeton, New Jersey, and La Jolla, California, and developed productions that graced stages from Broadway to London’s West End. When Rosenberg succeeded Arlene Shuler in the post, New York City Center board leaders touted Rosenberg’s background building up theaters and theatrical programs – which would allow the venerable cultural institution carry out its mission of making the arts accessible to all New Yorkers.
54. David Roberts
Following a long career in the theater sector, David Roberts in 2022 joined Building for the Arts, which provides an affordable Off-Broadway venue, support for playwrights and music education programming. Following BFA's merger with the American Playwriting Foundation, Roberts helped facilitate new programs to cultivate playwriting talent. He has also expanded the organization’s music education program and overseen capital improvements on Theatre Row. He serves on the New York City Live Performance Industry Council and lectures on theater management at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale.
55. Amy Hau
Since taking over the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum earlier this year, Amy Hau has been focused on plans to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the cultural center and the life and work of Isamu Noguchi, an influential and critically acclaimed 20th century sculptor. The museum, which opened in 1985 on the site of an old service station in Long Island City, Queens, features an outdoor sculpture garden showcasing the work of Noguchi along with a series of indoor gallery spaces.
56. Sally Tallant
Sally Tallant doesn’t just lead the Queens Museum – she’s also been honored by a queen. The native Liverpudlian was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2018 for her work in the British arts scene. In New York City, Tallant is now leading the final phase of the Queens Museum’s $69 million expansion and obtaining key city funding for a new children’s space there. An artist herself, Tallant moved into museum administration to implement her vision for a more just art world.
57. Robert Garland & Anna Glass
In its 55th year, the Dance Theater of Harlem is continuing to innovate and expand its national footprint. Robert Garland, the theater’s new artistic director, has been reimaging classical ballet and developing new performances. This spring, the theater inked a multiyear educational and performance deal with the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, which will see students travel to New York to learn from the theater and dancers performing throughout North Carolina. Executive Director Anna Glass, who has led the theater for nearly nine years, has focused on countering racial inequality.
58. Eduardo Vilaro
Only the second person to lead Ballet Hispánico in the company’s history, Eduardo Vilaro has been guiding the ballet with choreography that incorporates the “spiritual, sensual and historical essence of Latino culture.” Prior to Ballet Hispánico he founded and led Luna Negra Dance Theater in Chicago. As part of Vilaro’s 15th season as artistic director, the ballet debuted his latest work, “Buscando a Juan,” which was inspired by a Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition of the work of Afro-Hispanic painter Juan de Pareja.
59. Kathy Landau
As the executive director of Symphony Space since 2016, Kathy Landau orchestrates the multidisciplinary performing arts center's mission to present programming in a welcoming space and to bridge the gap between the audience and artists. Her organization reaches audiences in person and virtually across New York City, in all 50 states and in 71 countries – while also engaging some 17,000 schoolchildren. Landau, a former fashion executive, has also created education programs for city students to better understand diverse backgrounds.
60. Rose Christ
As co-chair of the New York practice at Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, Rose Christ helps cultural groups, social services organizations and nonprofits obtain funding from New York City. Christ led her team in securing over $65 million for nonprofit clients in this year’s city budget, with half of those clients being cultural groups. Christ’s clients include the Apollo Theater, the Manhattan Children’s Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Art, which relied in part on city dollars to create a large-scale public art installation in Hudson River Park.
61. Wes Jackson
From producing concerts for musical groups to founding the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, Wes Jackson is a leader in New York’s live performance space. Jackson has led BRIC Arts Media in Brooklyn, a multidisciplinary arts and media organization, since 2022. Jackson this year called for state legislators to pass the Community Media Reinvestment Act, which would tax streaming services to provide a revenue stream for community media ventures like BRIC. He also created the Digital Citizenry Initiative to bring digital media education to NYCHA housing and expanded free music and performing arts events.
62. Evie Hantzopoulos
Since 2022, Evie Hantzopoulos has led the Queens Botanical Garden, a jewel of the “World’s Borough” that grew out of an exhibition during the 1939-1940 New York World’s Fair at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. She has helped secure $8 million in new capital funding and completed planning for a future education center. Previously, Hantzopoulos spent 11 years running Global Kids, an international education nonprofit, and ran for New York City Council. This year, Hantzopoulos was elected chair of Queens Community Board 1 in Astoria, where she plans to focus on land use and cannabis policy.
63. Jeff Simmons
Jeff Simmons leads the arts and culture practice at public relations powerhouse Anat Gerstein Inc., also known simply as Anat. The former journalist and current radio host and podcaster has amassed a diverse client base, including the Museum for Jewish Heritage, the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, the Queens Theatre, Epic Players and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, which he has advised on developing and implementing communications, advocacy and thought leadership campaigns. Simmons’ efforts elevate the profile of these institutions and spur conversations about the role of arts and culture in New York.
64. Ayesha Williams
The Brooklyn-based The Laundromat Project supports artists of color and brings art to diverse communities citywide. Its executive director, Lincoln Center alum Ayesha Williams, is continuing a legacy of leadership by the organization, which has included supporting several New York City organizations to amplify arts and culture within communities of color. The Laundromat Project recently received a $250,000 grant from the MetLife Foundation for an initiative to cultivate community connections, culture preservation and generational wealth in Brooklyn. Williams is leading implementation of a new five-year strategic plan, seeking to grow on the organization's investments in over 250 artists and supporting 160 public arts projects.
65. Indira Etwaroo
Speaking truth to power is integral to Indira Etwaroo’s professional career, and in her new role leading Harlem Stage she is providing a new platform to artists who share their truths. Etwaroo took the helm of Harlem Stage this summer following the 40-year tenure of former CEO Pat Cruz. Cruz has endorsed Etwaroo as her successor, saying that she was well positioned to continue the trajectory of growth Harlem has been on. She also served on New York City’s Arts, Culture and Tourism Sector Advisory Council during the coronavirus pandemic.
66. Jack O’Donnell
Jack O’Donnell has positioned his lobbying firm, O’Donnell & Associates, as a player in the government relations and lobbyist arena for many upstate cultural institutions. O’Donnell’s cultural clients include the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester, the Buffalo Zoo and the Corning Museum of Glass. O’Donnell represents the University at Buffalo, where he has been working to support the university’s James Joyce Collection, the world’s leading collection of the Irish writer and poet’s papers, memorabilia and private library.
67. Rosalba Rolón
A multigenerational and multidisciplinary arts center that has arts facilities in Manhattan and the Bronx and also travels the country, the Pregone/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater is focused on celebrating Puerto Rican and Latino culture. As co-founder and artistic director since 1979, playwright Rosalba Rolón has been focused on growing the theater and bringing new projects and productions to life in order to grow the mission. She is also a member of the New York City mayor’s Live Performance Industry Council.
68. Deeksha Gaur
Few people outside of the arts world know Theatre Development Fund’s Deeksha Gaur, but many New Yorkers know about the TKTS outposts of the nonprofit performing arts service organization, including the booth in Times Square. Since taking the TDF job last year, Gaur has been talking to stakeholders across the theater community with the goal of bringing in new audiences to the theater. Gaur sees the TKTS booths and the many programs run by TDF as ways to not only engage current audiences but to expand access to Broadway.
69. Jessica Baker Vodoor
On Staten Island’s North Shore, right across the water from New Jersey, lies the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, a green space and historical site featuring architecture from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Jessica Baker Vodoor, who assumed the center’s presidency in 2021, secured a major capital grant from the state Council of the Arts this spring that will help complete the restoration and technical modernization of a 700-seat music hall at the site. Vodoor also joined the NYC Tourism + Conventions board this year.
70. Libertad Guerra
Libertad Guerra, an anthropologist, curator and organizer who leads the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural and Education Center, is focused on supporting cultural organizations in New York City. Her own organization, known as the Clemente, recently broke ground on a $13 million renovation to increase audience accessibility. With interests in Puerto Rican, Latino and New York City artistic movements and roots in South Bronx environmental justice, Guerra has forged connections between her activism and the arts. She’s also a co-founder of the 40-member Latinx Arts Consortium of New York.
71. Atiba Edwards
Atiba Edwards became the first Black man to serve as president and CEO of the Brooklyn Children’s Museum in November, following a stint as acting president and several years in the No. 2 post. Edwards recently broke ground on the Crown Heights museum’s garden renovation, which will eventually lead to the creation of an Earth Science Garden project, an educational exhibit focused on various earth sciences. The garden project is being done in conjunction with the New York City Departments of Cultural Affairs and Design and Construction.
72. Andrew Hamingson
Andrew Hamingson advises performing arts companies on some of the most important aspects of long-term sustainability, including fundraising, board development, executive search and strategic planning. He brings a deep resume in arts leadership to his eponymous firm, having led the Public Theater, St. Ann’s Warehouse, Atlantic Theater Company and Second Stage Theater. Hamingson’s clients include 92Y, the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Manhattan Theater Club, Two River Theater, the Williamstown Theater Festival and the Lake Placid-North Elba Historical Society.
73. Ariel Palitz
New York City is the city that never sleeps, and Ariel Palitz spent nearly 25 years making sure New Yorkers could be entertained from dusk to dawn. The city’s first “nightlife mayor,” Palitz headed the Mayor’s Office of Nightlife before heading to well-connected lobbying firm Oaktree Solutions. A former nightclub owner and community board member, Palitz developed policies to expand and protect the nightlife industry while balancing community needs. She recently helped clients produce the Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Week show on a decommissioned Staten Island ferry at the South Street Seaport.
74. Kenneth Mitchell
Kenneth Mitchell straddles New York City’s political and cultural worlds. A former member of the New York City Council representing Staten Island’s North Shore, Mitchell has established himself at the helm of the Staten Island Zoo. The 88-year-old zoo’s attendance is back to pre-pandemic levels and Mitchell is launching the design phase of a capital project featuring a new entrance and naturalistic habitats for several animals, including red pandas and bald eagles. Mitchell has also led outreach to new donors and a partnership with Staten Island University Hospital and Northwell Health.
75. Naima Kradjian
Blocks from where the old Endicott-Johnson Factory in Johnson City made shoes throughout the 20th century, entertainers are now putting on their dancing shoes as part of efforts to revitalize the Binghamton suburb. Naima Kradjian, the Goodwill Theater’s CEO, was described by a state lawmaker as a “powerhouse” in the Binghamton community for her efforts to establish the theater and raise funds for a renovation of the theater. Kradjian has outlined plans to complete the renovation project, which will allow the theater’s building to return to being a community hub.
76. Sheila McDaniel
The first Black woman to be administrator of the National Gallery of Art, Sheila McDaniel brings deep expertise in museum operations to her role as interim leader of the Museum Association of New York. The only statewide museum service organization in New York, MANY is now part of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museums on Main Street program, which brings Smithsonian exhibitions to locations around the country, including the “Voices and Votes: Democracy in America” exhibit, which will travel to museums statewide over the next two years. She was previously at the Studio Museum in Harlem.
77. Jason Laks
Jason Laks stepped up in February to serve as interim president of The Broadway League following the retirement of longtime president Charlotte St. Martin. Laks is well-equipped to navigate the transition, having served as the Broadway trade association’s executive vice president and general counsel. Since taking over as interim leader, Laks has welcomed a new diversity director, presided over a successful Jimmy Awards, released annual economic statistics for the theater industry and oversaw the fourth annual Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth concert.
78. Maggie McKenna
Tasked with leading the Frederic Remington Art Museum into its second century, Maggie McKenna joined the Ogdensburg museum earlier this year after serving as executive director of the St. Lawrence County Arts Council. The museum houses a large collection of Reminginton paintings, sculptures and sketches, along with a comprehensive volume of the artist’s correspondence, notes and personal effects to better connect with visitors. She is also the founder of the North Country Arts Festival.
79. Michael Presser
Michael Presser connects some 75,000 New York City public school students to Broadway and the theater arts each year. Presser in 1982 founded Inside Broadway, initially as a student ticket program for “Cats,” and now with an array of programs – summer camps, senior citizen programs, explorations of careers in the arts – and partnerships with shows such as “Wicked.” Presser recently elevated Kate McAllister as executive director after she served for 17 years as program director. Presser is also a theater and musical and performing arts veteran and consultant.
80. Leonard Jacobs & Courtney Ffrench
Deed registry offices are not typically known as community gathering spots, but in Queens, the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning has transformed the historic Register of Titles and Deeds Buildings into the only multidisciplinary arts center in Southeast Queens. The center, which is run by Queens native and former theater critic Leonard Jacobs, celebrates the art and culture of the diverse borough and hosts a series of summer events featuring multicultural performances. Courtney Ffrench, who became arts director of the organization in 2020, is a dancer and choreographer from the country of Jamaica. Thanks to a grant from the Mellon Foundation, the center recently completed its first new strategic plan in over a decade.
81. Melissa Mark-Viverito, Patricia A. Singletary, Melinda Velez, Sharon Wilkins, Saradine Pierre & Jana Pohorelsky
The historic Harlem African Burial Ground in Manhattan’s East Harlem neighborhood is the centerpiece of an initiative to preserve and memorialize an overlooked phase of New York City’s history. The archeological and educational initiative is centered at a burial site of enslaved and free Black New Yorkers from the mid-1600s to the mid-1800s. The initiative is led by two co-chairs – former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and former Elmendorf Reformed Church Pastor Patricia Singletary – along with former Deputy Manhattan Borough Historian Sharon Wilkis and former Mark-Viverito legislative staffer Melinda Velez. Partnering on the initiative since 2015 is the New York City Economic Development Corp., with Saradine Pierre, a senior project manager for neighborhood strategies, and Jana Pohorelsky, a vice president of government and community relations. Earlier this year, city economic development officials retained a consulting firm to help raise community awareness of the burial ground initiative.
82. Rocky Bucano
While the 50th anniversary celebration of hip hop came and went, Rocky Bucano’s work is nowhere near done. At the helm of the new Hip Hop Museum in the Bronx, Bucano preserves and celebrates hip hop culture and the impact the music has had on society – and politics. A former president of Strong City Records, Bucano is positioning the museum as a tourism and economic driver. Bucano has been recently highlighting hip hop’s role in combating climate change and ways that performers can be climate advocates.
83. Aziz Isham
After leading Twenty Summers on Cape Cod, former BRIC TV executive producer Aziz Isham returned to New York City last year to direct the Museum of the Moving Image. The museum is in the planning stages of a redesign of its core exhibits and just completed a board-approved strategic plan. Isham’s vision includes increased community engagement and a focus on video games, social media and artificial intelligence. The institution recently secured a million-dollar gift from the Jane Henson Foundation and held a summer gala in honor of Rosie Perez and others that garnered over $500,000.
84. Calixto Chinchilla
Since founding the New York Latino Film Festival in 1999, Calixto Chinchilla has established the annual event into the nation’s premier Latino film festival. The festival has expanded over the years into a broader celebration of Latino film and culture, with programs aimed at increasing Latino participation in the film industry, a digital conference and an award-winning marketing arm. This year’s festival includes a LeBron James-produced documentary on the life and career of trailblazing baseball great Roberto Clemente.
85. Alejandro Epifanio Torres
Alejandro Epifanio Torres has Loisaida, a cultural center on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, in a period of expansion. The center’s physical footprint is increasing, after Torres obtained over $1 million in capital funding for a renovation of the center, which will be centered on creating a net-zero carbon emissions space. On the cultural front, the Puerto Rican native has increased the organization’s reach in lower Manhattan, expanding the annual Loisaida Festival and including new venues for artists to showcase their work.
86. Lawrence Scherer
Veteran lobbyist Lawrence Scherer helped pass New York state’s film and tax credit program and post production tax credit programs, which positioned New York as a rival to Hollywood. Scherer has also worked to protect child performers, with passage of a state law to prevent exploitation of young actors, including the creation of trust funds for their earnings. He has represented such labor clients as SAG-AFTRA, the Actors’ Equity Association, the IATSE stagehands union, the Writers Guild of America East and the Directors Guild of America.
87. Ned Hanlon
As dancers unionize to protect their workplace rights, Metropolitan Opera chorus member Ned Hanlon has a key role in these growing efforts. Last year, Hanlon was elected to the presidency of the American Guild of Musical Artists, a key national union representing performing artists. Hanlon has outlined a vision for the union to grow its impact and power by focusing on growth in membership and holding arts companies accountable for worker protections and agreements.
88. Jessica B. Phillips
Historic Richmond Town preserves the rich history of Staten Island, which dates back to the founding of the old town settlement in the 1600s. Jessica B. Phillips has led the historic site since 2020, connecting historic Staten Island with the present day. Historic Richmond Town recently opened an illustrated recounting of Negro League Baseball and an exhibit on the history of the former Fresh Kills Landfill. The museum also hosts the Richmond County Fair, its annual fundraiser, and recently secured $1.5 million in mayoral capital funding.
89. Lauren Bush
A passionate advocate for arts and culture, Lauren Bush is the chief operating officer of a government relations powerhouse, The Parkside Group. An art history major in college, Bush spent eight years running with her husband a small business focused on the decorative arts. On the lobbying front, Parkside’s clients in the arts and creative industries include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Prada, the Association of American Publishers, Queens Public Library, Sony Pictures Entertainment and American Multi-Cinema. She had previous stints at Success Academy Charter Schools and the New York Public Library.
90. Amy Andrieux
While some worry that they’ll pave over paradise and put up a parking lot, Amy Andrieux is working to reimagine parking lots as sculpture gardens, which is what she’s done as part of her work at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts in Brooklyn. Andrieux says a key role of museums in the Black community is to create local connections and bolster the community, in addition to their arts functions. The museum was founded in 1999 by Laurie Cumbo, who is now the commissioner of the city Department of Cultural Affairs.
91. Sandra Bloodworth
Since 1988, Sandra Bloodworth has been transforming New Yorkers’ commutes into a visually pleasing experience. The director of art and design for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority focuses on transforming subway, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad stations into public art spaces. In this role she has expanded the MTA’s permanent art collection, which includes work the agency commissioned from Yoko Ono and Roy Lichtenstein. She recently co-authored a book on contemporary art in the subway system.
92. László Jakab Orsós
Eight years ago, László Jakab Orsós joined the Brooklyn Public Library as its first-ever vice president of arts and culture with the charge of deepening its cultural role. The internationally known cultural leader has since created Night in the Library, a popular gathering with talks and performances after dark. He also coordinates the annual People’s Ball, the library’s open-to-all annual fashion event, held just before the annual Met Gala. This year, the library teamed with Lincoln Center on a project to let visitors create their own contemporary national anthem.
93. Joy Bivins
In 2021, Joy Bivins became the first woman in 40 years to take the helm of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library. At the preeminent research center, Bivins is focused on telling the story of the African diaspora and connecting the past and present in Black culture. With the 100th anniversary of the Schomburg Center’s founding coming up next year, Bivins has been elevating the story of Black America and highlighting the resources at the center’s Harlem home, including the archives of Malcolm X.
94. Raymond Codrington
The Weeksville Heritage Center in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, is a historic site preserving and telling the story of Weeksville, the second largest pre-Civil War free Black community, and a cultural center celebrating historic and contemporary arts and Black culture. Weeksville’s leader, cultural anthropologist Raymond Codrington, is a formidable fundraiser, securing a record $1.1 million from the Mellon Foundation and $1.75 million for major capital improvements to the center’s arts and education building. He also partnered with the New York Landmarks Conservancy to create an African American historic preservation advocacy group.
95. Elena Martínez & Bobby Sanabria
The Bronx Music Heritage Center was founded by the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation in order to cultivate and grow young artists in the Bronx and to preserve and promote the borough’s arts and culture scene. The heritage center is focused on building out a new music hall in the Bronx and has been working to develop programs that bring young artists into the profession and help to spur economic development in the Bronx through the arts. The center’s co-artistic directors are Elena Martínez, a forklorist at the nonprofit City Lore for 27 years and Bobby Sanabria, a Grammy-nominated jazz musician, bandleader, educator, documentary producer and on air host and curator for WBGO's Latin Jazz Cruise.
96. Cathy Hung
Cathy Hung, who began running the New York Children’s Theater last year, is no stranger to New York’s arts and culture scene. Prior to leading the children’s theater, Hung was executive director of Young Audiences New York City and executive director of the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning. She serves on the board of multiple arts and community organizations and was on an arts and culture advisory board for then-Mayor Bill de Blasio. This background led the theater board chair to say Hung was well suited to take the top spot.
97. Judd Grossman
Judd Grossman took on the “material girl” and won. The top arts attorney obtained a “total victory” for Madonna’s former art adviser, who was sued by the singer to prevent the sale of a number of personal items, including a handwritten break-up letter from Tupac Shakur, and a handwritten draft letter where Madonna slammed Whitney Houston and Sharon Stone. Grossman, who’s based in New York, has a slew of legal wins, including a state appeals court decision related to a Marc Chagall painting stolen by a Manhattan gallery owner as part of a series of fraudulent art deals.
98. Priscilla Brendler
The purpose of a museum is not just to display art and historic objects, but also to care for artifacts so they can be enjoyed by future generations. The Greater Hudson Heritage Network is one of New York’s primary centers for conservation work, while serving as a resource for museums statewide and administering a key grant program. A former executive director of the Connecticut League of History Organizations, Priscilla Brendler has led Greater Hudson Heritage Network since 2010. Among its programs is a joint creativity incubator with the state Council on the Arts to bolster audience engagement for museums.
99. Barbara Anderson
One of the challenges facing retail districts in urban areas is what to do about vacant storefronts – an issue exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Barbara Anderson arrived at an innovative solution, turning these empty spaces into vibrant art galleries. Anderson founded Art on the Ave NYC to highlight the work of underrepresented artists in public spaces and increase public engagement. Starting out on Columbus Avenue and expanding across Manhattan into Brooklyn, Art on the Ave NYC has become one of the city’s most buzzed-about public art endeavors.
100. Karesia Batan
Queens is the most diverse county on the mainland United States, and Filipino dancer Karesia Batan is at the forefront of efforts to celebrate and uplift the cultural diversity. Batan, a modern dancer and choreographer, founded the Queensboro Dance Festival to allow local dancers to reach audiences and to bring the arts to disadvantaged communities – and it recently secured multiyear funding from the city for the first time. The arts and culture committee chair of Queens Community Board 2, Batan also connects artists with funders as a New York City arts advocate.
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