2025 Power Players in Arts & Culture

Jason T. Busch is the Becky and Bob Alexander director and CEO of the American Folk Art Museum. He joined the Museum in 2018. Busch has decades of curatorial and leadership experience in the arts throughout the United States, and previously held roles at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, Connecticut; the Minneapolis Institute of Art; the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh; the Saint Louis Art Museum; and Sotheby’s in New York.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
The Frick Collection has long been a personal favorite, and the reopening this month to the public is a welcome homecoming for one of the city’s most beloved institutions.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
In the face of unprecedented pressure on arts funding around the country, New York’s policymakers must be vocal in their commitment to supporting the city’s cultural institutions. I firmly believe that the support of our local leaders will inspire the public to rally around their local organizations and strengthen all institutions throughout the city.

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
We must not take for granted the city’s reputation as a global arts and culture leader. It is paramount for the city and the state to ensure that the arts and culture have a secure and stable future in New York, building a more inclusive and supportive environment that provides greater funding and opportunities for the community to grow and thrive.

Connie Butler is the Agnes Gund director of MoMA PS1, New York. Before joining in fall 2023, she was chief curator at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, organizing exhibitions like Made in LA (2014), Mark Bradford: Scorched Earth (2015), and Witch Hunt (2021). She co-organized Adrian Piper: A Synthesis of Intuitions (2018) with MoMA. Previously, as chief curator of drawings at MoMA, she curated major exhibitions, including WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution (2007).

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
We recently hosted the Gotham Ball, a kiki ball organized by DonChristian Jones in conjunction with their show and Adobe residency at MoMA PS1. The event celebrated ballroom culture with categories inspired by the Harlem Renaissance and The Cotton Club, reflecting Jones’ vibrant community. Performances from houses across all five boroughs were incredible, emceed by Precious. The House of Juicy Couture won the night, marking a highlight for me – ball culture is alive and thriving.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
At MoMA PS1 we have a wonderful and loyal, local following. What New York museums need now more than ever is for people to get off their phones and come to experience art and culture in person, together in time and space. Museums provide community and space to be together with art and ideas. We need that now more than ever.

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, home to a vast population of artists, offers unparalleled options for international and local audiences with its wide range of institutions and cultural offerings. The museums showcase exceptional collections and programs. Where else can you experience Caspar David Friedrich (The Met), Belle da Costa Greene (The Morgan Library), Yang Fudong (Asia Society), and a kiki ball (MoMA PS1) all on a Saturday? And that’s just uptown and Queens!

Keri Butler is the Municipal Art Society’s interim president, guiding programs to enhance organizational impact and focusing on critical issues including access to public space, affordability, and policy reform for a more resilient, adaptable city. An executive leader with 20+ years of experience in public policy, Keri held numerous roles at the New York City Public Design Commission, most recently as executive director, overseeing the agency’s review of public art, monuments, and large-scale capital projects.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
The Midnight Moments series organized by the Times Square Alliance transforms one of the world’s busiest places into an unexpected space for public art on a monumental scale. In the 1980s, MAS helped preserve Times Square’s illuminated signage – now creatively used in this monthly series. From 11:57 to midnight, digital billboards display new artwork across the plaza. It’s a striking example of how art can reclaim and reshape our experience of the city.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
With extensive cuts at the federal level, it’s critical that our state and local leaders support arts and cultural organizations through increased funding, reduced regulations, capacity-building technical assistance programs, and identifying ways to leverage the arts to achieve economic development and resiliency goals. Everyday New Yorkers can attend events and join advocacy organizations to help safeguard cultural heritage and support the creative freedoms that form the foundation of our country’s artistic excellence.

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 City remains a global cultural leader, but maintaining that position takes effort to ensure the city remains accessible and affordable for artists, cultural workers, and arts organizations. MAS wants to ensure the city pursues growth and affordability policies, protects historic sites, and supports cultural spaces. This will keep the arts central to urban life and ensure future generations inherit a city as rich in culture as the one we love today.

Will Cantler joined Bernie Telsey and the late Bob LuPone at MCC Theater in 1986. Select credits include Beirut, Wit (Pulitzer Prize), Hand to God, Reasons to Be Pretty, Frozen, Table 17, Wolf Play, Shit. Meet. Fan., The Connector, Walk on Through, and Trophy Boys. With The Telsey Office, he has cast over 500 productions. Will is never happier than when he’s experiencing the alchemy of live collaboration, whether on Broadway or in a basement.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
The opening of Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park is a bit of April magic every year. It’s a true community and family event and lifts my spirits as much as any daffodil.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
The arts in New York have always been fired by the young and hungry from around the world, but we have to give them the time to find their footing, and they can’t do it without affordable health care and affordable housing.

A programming veteran with a background in arts administration, Amy Cassello has worked for New Haven’s Department of Cultural Affairs, the Arts & Ideas Festival, and Doug Elkins Dance Company. She was the general manager before becoming the executive director for Urban Bush Women. Casello joined BAM in 2012 as associate producer for the Next Wave Festival, became BAM’s associate artistic director in 2020, and served as interim artistic director from 2023-2024.  

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
I have lived in New York City for a long time, and every spring I aim to go to The Cloisters in upper Manhattan. Everyone always raves about the collection of medieval and Byzantine works and the incredible garden, which will soon be in fragrant full bloom.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Everyday New Yorkers can uplift the arts in a variety of ways. Buying tickets and making donations are two very straightforward ways to support arts and culture here. I suggest planning a monthly cultural outing and mixing up the genre and venue each time. Residents can also call and write their city, state, and federal officials to insist that funding for the arts is imperative to a healthy civic life. 

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 City is still an epicenter of art across the board boasting a uniquely vibrant arts scene that draws from the multitude of cultures found here. This attracts citizens from all over the world and boosts borough pride, collective hope, and aspiration toward a cultural landscape that remains fertile and ready for following generations. 

Tisa Chang, founding artistic director of Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, Inc., for five decades has had an active career as an actress/dancer on Broadway/TV/films and as a director; directing credits including KWATZ! THE TIBETAN PROJECT, SAYONARA, and A DREAM OF RED PAVILIONS. She has been invited to China, Japan, India, Egypt, South Africa, and the former Soviet Union. Recent awards: 2020 CUNY TV Theater: All The Moving Parts, 2018 Obie Awards Grant, 2017 feature in (TCG)’s Legacy Leaders of Color Project.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
National Museum of the American Indian. It is vital for us to preserve the history and legacy and to learn more about Native American tribes and Indigenous People’s impact in the founding of our nation.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Policymakers should sustain, highlight and focus on the arts and theatre-making is telling stories on social justice. New Yorkers should go to theatres and events and have the arts incorporated into their everyday lives. The arts nourish the spirit and are a beacon into the past to learn from.

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
NYC embraces the diversity of artistic creativity, especially off-Broadway and community theatre. NYC supports diverse stories and a myriad of different cultures and languages and NYC actively provides funding to uphold these opportunities.

Since 2017, Patrick Charpenel has led El Museo del Barrio strengthening its ties with the community, expanding the museum’s footprint as well as its permanent collection, and elevating Latinx artists and their contributions to contemporary art. Under his direction, the museum launched LA TRIENAL, the first large-scale survey of Latinx contemporary art, and the Maestro Dobel Latinx Art Prize, celebrating Latinx artists.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
I joined a tour of the new Studio Museum. The galleries are exceptional – not just in design and curation, but in how they center artists and communities of color. I believe the Studio Museum will send a bold and necessary message to the broader cultural world: Diversity is not a trend – it’s fundamental to the future of art institutions. Without it, art can entertain or inspire, but it loses its potential to engage critically and transform society.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Policymakers need to place culture at the core of their vision for the city. Without its cultural organizations, NY would not be the global icon it is today. Sustained public investment is essential – not just for large institutions, but for grassroots and community-based organizations as well. New Yorkers play a vital role by actively engaging with cultural programming. A global city needs both civic leadership and public enthusiasm to support its creative ecosystem.

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
NY’s cultural status didn’t happen by accident – it was built over more than a century of investment in the arts. That legacy continues today, but we can’t take it for granted. If public support and private philanthropy waver, the city risks losing the creative edge that defines it. In 2025, we must not only protect this legacy but also expand it – ensuring that emerging artists, underrepresented communities, and experimental voices have the resources to thrive.

Dr. Raymond Codrington is a cultural anthropologist who holds substantive experience in museums, public engagement, policy analysis, and applied research. Before joining the Weeksville Heritage Center, Raymond was the executive director of Hi-ARTS (formerly known as the Hip-Hop Theater Festival). Preceding this position, he was a senior research associate at the Aspen Institute’s Roundtable on Community Change policy program. His love of museums and cultural institutions began as a postdoctoral fellow at The Field Museum. 

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
Although the event is not in April, I would have to say our annual fundraiser which takes place on May 1. We will honor Mikki Shepard and Nona Hendryx, two titans of arts and culture in New York City. This event is a great way to acknowledge those who contribute to our creative landscape. It also brings people to our beautiful site. Things are starting to bloom and this reminds me of spring.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
By showing up for arts and culture. Demonstrate how important the sector is by attending performances, visiting historic sites and museums, botanic gardens, zoos and other cultural institutions. Financial contributions are also great ways to support our organizations. And finally, write to and talk to elected officials and policy makers about how our institutions bring learning, joy and tourism dollars to our city. Please advocate for arts and culture as essential services that need support!  

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 City keeps producing some of the world’s most innovative work. In addition, collectively the cultural economy generates $110 billion in economic activity. Arts and culture is an economic driver while also providing the city with a truly unique identity. I am consistently impressed with the work of my colleagues. The quality and range of the work is truly astounding. Arts and culture make NYC what it is – the global capital of creativity.

Chad Cooper joined the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music‘s board of trustees in 2014 and served as treasurer before becoming executive director in 2016. Cooper leveraged 20+ years of public and private sector experience to spearhead a dramatic turnaround, expansion and sustained investment in the Conservatory’s programs, people and infrastructure. He tripled the budget ($8.7 million), expanded outreach sites, launched an affordable studio rental program, all while raising wages and adding staff.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
Of course, it was the Cardinals-Mets series (April 17-20)….go Cardinals! I’m thrilled to have already attended my favorite April event, BKCM’s Music Therapy Performer Showcase at Shapeshifter. BKCM is the premier provider of music therapy in NYC, and I’m proud that we not only offer music as a therapeutic resource, but we also give musicians performance opportunities to show audiences what they’ve learned over the course of the year. Our performers knocked our socks off!

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Almost every professional musician I know is a hardworking entrepreneur. Each creates their own sphere of economic activity that positively impacts many others in New York. I hope we can recognize them for what they are – not just creatives but proprietors of small businesses, and invest in them like we would any small business. We need an SBA for freelance creatives! Let’s work collaboratively with artists to make critical investments in their careers.

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
All things considered, I think NYC does a pretty darn good job! But the challenges are incredible. You know the livability crisis is bad when artists are NYC “identifying” because they’ve decamped to Philadelphia for better cost-of-living and when artists in 2025 are earning the same wages for a gig they did in the 80s. The city continues to attract the crème de la crème of creatives, but we can’t assume it’s going to continue.

Laurie Cumbo was appointed as commissioner of NYC’s Department of Cultural Affairs by Mayor Eric Adams in 2022, where she has overseen record-setting investments in the city’s cultural sector. Cumbo previously served as majority leader in the NYC Council, where she represented Brooklyn’s 35th district for eight years. Before that, she founded the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts and has worked at cultural institutions across the city.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
As cultural affairs commissioner, I explore as much art and culture as possible! But I’m particularly excited about “Amy Sherald: American Sublime” at the Whitney. At Spelman College, the first show I ever curated included artwork by Sherald. It was maybe even her first show! So it’s a full-circle moment to see the evolution from her early career practice, to her renowned portrait of Michelle Obama, and now a solo show at the Whitney.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Policymakers and everyday New Yorkers can play a crucial role in supporting arts and culture by connecting the dots between the arts and the well-being of our communities. For policymakers, this requires tapping into existing funding resources to include the arts. For everyday folks, this means advocating for arts organizations in your communities. Understanding that the arts are a tool for economic growth, mental health, and social change is the key to a thriving cultural landscape.

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs is the largest municipal arts funder in the nation. Under the Adams administration, Cultural Affairs funding reached a historic $254 million this fiscal year. To remain the cultural capital, we’re building the world-class cultural institutions that New Yorkers deserve, which is why we’re expanding and renovating places like Queens Museum, National Black Theatre, Bronx Museum, and other institutions that will keep our economy thriving and build a safer city.