2025 Power Players in Arts & Culture

As executive director of Friends of the High Line, Alan van Capelle leads the nonprofit and public park on the West Side of Manhattan in its mission to reimagine the role public spaces have in creating connected, healthy neighborhoods and cities. His diverse experience in government, the nonprofit sector, and the labor movement makes him a sought-after advisor and partner by elected officials, business leaders, and nonprofit professionals alike.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
One of my favorite parts of my Sunday routine with my family is taking in art as we walk along the High Line to the Whitney Museum. Kids will get a kick out of the High Line’s new Mika Rottenberg foot fountain installation, and the Amy Sherald exhibition at the Whitney is the must-see show of the season. Each one of her portraits is so striking – everything there just really makes you feel something.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
New York’s world-class public art and cultural offerings are the products of the tireless hard work of a great many people behind the scenes. And none of it comes for free. I urge New Yorkers to keep attending theater and going to museums, and to become members of the institutions that organize these amazing programs, at whatever level you can afford. The ongoing support of New Yorkers makes the arts accessible for everyone.

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
New York’s legacy as the cultural capital of the world is easily seen and felt through the High Line’s public art program, which brings together artworks from both emerging and globally venerated artists in a way that uniquely captures this city’s magic. It’s an experience of museum-quality art amid iconic gardens and cityscapes, all for free to the public thanks to our donors.

Joshua W. Walker, Ph.D. is the president and CEO of the Japan Society, a century plus-old institution that promotes mutual understanding and collaboration between the United States and Japan through innovative programs in arts, culture, education, and policy. He is a recovering academic and diplomat who is an unrepentant global bridge builder and optimist with a Ph.D. from Princeton, master’s from Yale and Bachelors degree from the University of Richmond.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
The Met Gala for sure! The entire world watches not just what celebrities will wear, but how and what will capture this moment in time. It’s more global every year from Hollywood to Bollywood and it’s an opportunity for New York to shine on the global stage with the who’s who that shows up to walk the red-carpet. The Met is where I want to be all-year around, NOT just the GALA or Japan wing!

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Supporting arts and culture starts with the institutions that enable them that need our financial and moral support during these challenging times. Like citizens in our democracy, it is WE the people that ultimately make our city and society better by funding, knowing and sharing how arts and culture enriches each of our lives starting from the next generation to most established venues that serve as a global stage from New York to the world.

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
New York wears its status as cultural capital well in 2025 even as its competition becomes fiercer. The costs and politics in New York and America means that the world will continue to gain from Paris to Tokyo, but there still is no place with the creativity, diversity and energy of New York as the world continues to follow our lead from Broadway to Wall Street.

Ian Wardropper, The Frick Collection’s recently-retired Anna-Maria & Stephen Kellen director, marked the culmination of a remarkable 50-year career. Over his 14 years at the Frick, Wardropper transformed the institution, leading it through its first comprehensive renovation in nearly a century and enhancing its collections with a refined acquisitions program. His vision fostered broader accessibility, pioneering initiatives that brought the museums’ treasures to new audiences and platforms. The Frick officially reopened on April 17.

Patrick Willingham serves as the executive director of The Public Theater, a nationally recognized cultural institution, most well-known for the esteemed Free Shakespeare in the Park program. Patrick has received Tony Awards for Best Musical for “Fun Home” and “Hamilton.” Prior to joining The Public, Patrick Willingham partnered with the founders of Blue Man Group.

Damian Woetzel is the seventh president of The Juilliard School, beginning his tenure in July 2018. Woetzel continues to build on Juilliard’s tradition of educational and artistic excellence as he leads a multiyear effort to increase sustainable affordability. One of the foremost ballet dancers of his time, Woetzel retired in 2008 from a 20-year career as a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet and as a dancer on the international stage.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
Aside from the many Juilliard performances going on in music and dance and in theater, I’d love to be at Hexagons – a new show put together by the musicians, Caroline Shaw and Gabriel Kahane taking place at the 92NY. Caroline has a musical voice and sensibility that is extraordinarily potent, she talks about creating music that has always existed, but has never been heard. Gabe is a consummate musical storyteller through his compositions.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Connection is so important, which basically means go to a performance! Experience something that creates a shared sense of awe! We have a new space called Juilliard Station on the corner of 66 and Broadway where we do free rush-hour performances Tuesday through Friday, and every time I go I see people walking by the glass windows and then coming in to experience the music and be together in such a beautiful, connecting way. 

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
Walking around New York City, I think about how the City’s history is told through the development of culture. How the buildings we associate with art track our development as a city -like New York City Center became a place of music and dance dedicated to access for all New Yorkers in the post-war 1940s, which led to the creation of Lincoln Center in the 1960s, providing a home for the classical arts to flourish.