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Arts Innovation
February 24, 2010 / Transcript available here
On Wednesday, February 24, 2010, the Levin Institute held another of its “Innovate New York” programs, this time dedicated to a discussion of innovation in the arts and culture in New York City.
The panelists were Kate Levin, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Reynold Levy, the President of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and Tom Finkelpearl, the Executive Director of the Queens Art Museum. All three shared their perspectives on the importance of innovation in the arts sector of the economy.
As Garrick Utley pointed out at the opening of the session, New York City is one of the foremost centers for arts and culture in the world. The question he raised was what it would take to maintain New York’s position as a vital hub of the creative world, and what the main challenges to doing this might be.
Kate Levin stated outright that the economy was the main issue for the city, particularly because arts are usually the first to go when public services are being re-evaluated. Culture is valuable because it is not standard, she argued, but the public expects standard public services. As a result, culture must be seen as a service to be purchased that can benefit the city. Ms. Levin in particular said that arts and culture should not be regarded as ancillary elements of New York’s economy but as integral elements of the city’s character.
Reynold Levy approached the issue from two angles: the point of view of investors, emphasizing the need to create a positive atmosphere for donors, and the point of view of the casual arts enthusiast, highlighting the changes being made to Lincoln Center. The renovation of Lincoln Center, with the transformation of the plaza, greening of the campus, addition of complimentary Wi-Fi, and the new Atrium, is meant to turn the area into a public square buzzing with visitors.
Tom Finkelpearl, on the other hand, pointed out that the Queens Museum has a more specific mandate. Due to Queens’ large immigrant community, the Museum has been instrumental in providing services and programs devoted specifically to the various ethnic communities in the neighborhood. One of the innovations of the Queens Museum is hiring community organizers to pinpoint and devise programs suited to the needs of the local residents. He highlighted, however, that while the Queens Museum is something of a niche institution, the “world-class” institutions of New York were able to become so successful because of sustained funding and support from the city over many years.
The discussion covered many other points, including specific programs offered by the various institutions, before moving on to an illuminating Question-and-Answer session with the attendees. Funding for arts education was a major point, and was addressed by Ms. Levin, who stated that two challenges to better arts education is a new system of evaluation for arts learning and teachers who are better versed in educating students in music and art. Mr. Finkelpearl advised that the creativity of young people should not be underestimated, given the ability to produce provided by modern technology. Another question addressed the issues of bringing artists to New York City. It was noted that there are two major challenges to the further development of the New York arts community: the high cost of real estate in the city, which prevents young artists from settling here, and the inability of some foreign artists to obtain visas to enter the country.
The discussion ended with emphasis on several points: the importance of Culture as a community and economic force, the power of funding for the arts, and the opportunities provided by new technology to advance arts education and awareness.
