2025 Power Players in Arts & Culture

Gabriel de Guzman oversees the arts program at Wave Hill, which encompasses contemporary exhibitions, music, dance, and performances that engage the unique garden context by exploring the intersection of nature, culture and site. His curatorial vision is guided by the transformative power of art, supporting emerging, under-recognized, and notable artists whose work reflects on our deep-seated relationship with the natural world, as well as the larger social and cultural issues that shape our environment.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
Caspar David Friedrich’s sublime, 19th-century landscapes (currently on exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum) have deeply moved generations of artists and audiences – myself included – conveying a spiritual connection across vast horizons. In addition to these Romantic depictions, I’d like to see more art exhibitions that decenter humans as the dominant species, and instead, rethink our perceptions of the land, learning from Indigenous perspectives that view our relationship with nature as one of shared kinship and ecology.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Of course, we need more funding to support artists and cover the increasing costs of producing cultural programming. But beyond the monetary, both policymakers and everyday New Yorkers can provide support simply by showing up to art events. Being present is key. See how artists are engaging their communities and sharing their perspectives with broad audiences. Allow yourself to experience and find inspiration from art in any form, even if it is unfamiliar to you.

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 continues to possess immense cultural richness that stems from groups that represent a vast array of backgrounds, as well as individuals who have distinct voices. However, challenges to free expression threaten our cultural capital. Embracing both the uniqueness and the commonalities we share is crucial for maintaining our legacy of civic excellence. We must uphold and expand resources and opportunities so that artists and cultural organizations continue to thrive here.

Sean M. Decatur became president of the American Museum of Natural History in April 2023, after nearly a decade as president of Kenyon College. Prior to joining Kenyon College, Decatur was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Oberlin College, where he was also professor of chemistry and biochemistry. Decatur earned his bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College and his Ph.D. degree in biophysical chemistry from Stanford University.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
If I may bend the rules a bit, I’d choose two (a double-header of two great Spring 2025 premieres): first taking in the Amy Sherold exhibit (“American Sublime”) at the Whitney, followed by a performance of “Lights Out: Nat King Cole” directed by Patricia McGregor at the New York Theatre Workshop.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Investment in infrastructure and city services does so much to support and build tourism, which in turn helps the cultural sector, particularly as we continue to recover from the pandemic. And of course, direct support to cultural institutions from both the private and public sectors demonstrates an understanding of our role not just in tourism but in education, workforce development, community building, and civic life.

As SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher led the union to a groundbreaking billion-dollar contract. She is a NY Times best-selling author, who founded the Green Council for eco-responsible entertainment and the nonprofit Cancer Schmancer Movement.  Best known for playing the title role in the hit series, The Nanny, which she also created, wrote and executive produced. Fran has two upcoming films: Marty Supreme, playing Timothée Chalamet’s mom and Spinal Tap 2, reviving her cult classic character.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
I am a culture-holic. NY satisfies my addiction to the arts, fashion and food. I saw a fabulous Amy Sherald exhibition at the Whitney Museum which included the gorgeous portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Go out and see shows, experience art, and support performers. I recently saw two fantastic Broadway Musicals both of which I highly recommend, Buena Vista Social Club and Maybe Happy Ending.

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
In 3 weeks, I attended the premiere of The Studio and of the film, The Friend, which I totally related to, about a woman who rescues a dog and realizes the dog rescues her. I shot a campaign for Redken, international promos for The Nanny, window shopped, walked several times through Central Park, the greatest city park in all the world and dined at the best restaurants uptown and down! It’s ALL happening right here in NYC!

Anita Durst has been a star, a muse, and a patron of the avant-garde performing arts and emerging arts scene in NYC since she was 18. She founded Chashama in 1995 following the death of her mentor and artistic professor Reza Abdoh. She was driven to create a place for artists free of financial and subjective constraints. Anita has worked tirelessly to secure over one million square feet of space in NYC for artists.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
I would go see the Secret Love Show at Port Authority Bus Terminal. The Love Show is a theatrical dance company that combines cabaret, ballet, contemporary, rock, comedy, and theater into creative performances all over the world. Through grants from Chashama and the New York Foundation for the Arts, this space at the Port Authority has been transformed from a former cookie shop into a pop-up theater and live arts event venue.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Policymakers should focus on the three things that artists need to survive in NYC: Funding, housing, and a space to create. 

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
In 2025, New York remains the unrivaled cultural capital of the world. A vibrant mosaic of cultures continues to flourish, infusing the city with energy and creativity. Art is everywhere you turn – in galleries, on street corners, in subway stations, on building facades. It’s the frenetic buzz of New York that feeds the culture.

Adrienne Edwards serves as the Engell Speyer Family senior curator and associate director of curatorial programs at the Whitney Museum of American Art. She is a curator, scholar and writer. Edwards was co-curator of the 2022 Whitney Biennial with David Breslin. She authored the catalog for “Blackness in Abstraction,” a group exhibition she organized at Pace Gallery. ​​She previously served as curator of Performa and as curator at large for the Walker Art Center since 2016.

Atiba T. Edwards is president and CEO of the 125-year-old Brooklyn Children’s Museum, the world’s first museum designed specially for children. Edwards began as COO and executive vice president and during his tenure has overseen the opening of a state-of-the-art auditorium and natural sciences makerspace, plus a surge in visitorship and philanthropic support. Edwards was born in St. Vincent & The Grenadines and grew up in Brownsville, Brooklyn. He graduated from the University of Michigan.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
I am always partial to Brooklyn Children’s Museum events, as there has been a significant expansion of offerings from when I visited as a child. Coming up in May: We throw one of the largest family celebrations of Holi, which welcomes visitors from across the Tri-State for joyful play with vibrant color powder. Elsewhere: The Bishop Gallery has amazing shows, and May is packed with art fairs in NYC worth checking out.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Go to things! I grew up here and took the city’s richness for granted, but we have an abundance of arts programming in small, hyper-local places and massive halls and venues. You need to experience these spaces to truly understand their benefits. My big ask: Support us by going to see shows! To policymakers: You play a vital role in making it less of an annual funding dice game for us to thrive.

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
Culture used to happen in myriad unconventional spaces, but accessible, affordable spaces are endangered. The people who created or attended these rich convenings are leaving at unprecedented rates. We face a creative brain drain due to rising costs that exclude the very people who made these spaces what they are. As leader of Brooklyn Children’s Museum, I’m deeply concerned about the flight of children and families and the declining birth rate due to solvable economic conditions.

Erika Elliott is a music industry veteran, with 30 years in New York across a variety of organizations including Loud Records, RCA Music Group, NYC club S.O.Bs, The William Morris Agency, and her current role as executive artistic director of the SummerStage Festival. For the last 20 years, she has driven the programming of the SummerStage and Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, annually presenting around 200 artists on stages in all five boroughs.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
My favorite place to see music lately is Blue Note Jazz Club in the West Village. They are doing such an incredible job of booking artists across a wide range of music from Jazz legends, to hip-hop, Soul and R&B, into this VERY intimate space. It’s amazing to be able to see artists so up close and personal. This month they have Saba, a SummerStage alumni, so I am really looking forward to his show.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Everyone should support artists by seeing them LIVE. Ticket sales (and merch) are a key part of artist development, and economic health for artists, and the venues that support artists at every level of their careers are KEY parts of the cultural landscape and ecosystem. Policymakers can support the ecosystem but making rent for venues and living costs for artists viable so New York is able to keep its creative community.

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
There is absolutely nothing like the energy, vitality, history and diversity of New York’s cultural landscape. This city has literally created whole cultural movements from Hip-Hop to Salsa to BeeBop to Folk music. On top of that it is multicultural, happening in every borough and neighborhood, seven nights a week! New York’s variety of genres, disciples and communities makes it the cultural capital of the world to this day.

Alejandro Epifanio Torres is a multidisciplinary artist, curator, and cultural advocate from Santurce, Puerto Rico. As executive and artistic director of Loisaida Inc., he integrates social justice, art, and environmental literacy to revitalize grassroots programs and forge strong community partnerships. With a B.F.A. from SVA, his work spans arts administration, curatorial research, and writing. He received a New York State Proclamation and was named to City & State’s 2024 Arts & Culture Power 100.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
This April, I’d attend Diasporic Collage at CENTRO Gallery – its exploration of Puerto Rican resilience mirrors my work at Loisaida. I’m also drawn to Cafecito con… Ángela María Dávila, whose Afro-Caribbean, interdisciplinary practice reflects my own creative ethos. The NY Fed Innovation Conference aligns with my interests in equity-driven systems and clean energy. Finally, the NYU Steinhardt MFA Thesis Exhibitions offer fresh insight into emerging visual languages, pushing boundaries in ways that inspire my curatorial vision.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Beyond policy, New Yorkers can support local artists and organizations by attending events, advocating for funding, volunteering, and sharing stories. Arts and culture are not a luxury. When we protect and invest in our neighborhoods, we invest in our collective well-being. Policymakers can also support arts and culture by recognizing cultural spaces as essential community infrastructure. This helps secure the future of cultural programming that is accessible, community-rooted, and reflective of our city’s diversity.

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 continues to uphold its cultural legacy in 2025 through its vibrant grassroots creativity and community-driven initiatives. However, that legacy is at risk. Rising real estate costs, shrinking public funding, and displacement threaten the ecosystems that make the city a cultural capital. What sustains the legacy now is our world-class institutions and the resilience of local artists, cultural workers, and organizations who adapt, collaborate, and advocate for a more inclusive and equitable cultural future.

Feldman has built a career converting found spaces into cultural destinations, including the development of a 19th-century tobacco warehouse on the Brooklyn waterfront into St. Ann’s Warehouse. The theater provides artists – Emma Rice, Enda Walsh, Mark Rylance, Harriet Walter, and Phyllida Lloyd, to name a few – with flexible, open space, enabling them to work with unfettered creativity. Feldman and St. Ann’s won a Tony in 2019 for co-producing Daniel Fish’s revival of Oklahoma!.

Kamilah Forbes is the executive producer of Apollo Theater. An award-winning director and producer for theater and television, she is a leader known for her commitment to highlighting the ideas, complexities, and work in the hip-hop community and beyond. Appointed by President Biden to serve on the National Endowment for the Arts Advisory Board, Kamilah has been nominated for an NAACP Image, Critics Choice, and received a Gracie Award for her work as a director.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
I love the variety of options living in New York offers. I’m notorious for attending off-Broadway or Broadway shows after work. Nothing quite compares to the inspiration of watching artists in their zones doing what they love. I also very much love the arts and culture in Brooklyn. Tonight would be one of the nights where I would sneak away to the Brooklyn Museum to check out one of their exhibits or community events.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
New York policymakers must nurture our creative ecosystem by funding arts programs, protecting cultural spaces, and promoting arts education for all. New Yorkers can sustain the city’s vibrant artistic life by attending performances and exhibitions, supporting local artists, and advocating for funding for the arts. Small actions like volunteering, donating, or discussing cultural experiences ensure the arts remain accessible and central to New York’s identity, fostering a city where diverse voices and creativity can thrive.

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 a cultural capital is rooted in the city’s constant innovation, artistic support, and diverse population. Only here can you find a place like The Apollo, where artists from Ella Fitzgerald to Machine Gun Kelly have started on the same stage. New York maintains the same reputation it held when The Apollo opened in 1934 – a place for anyone to create and experiment – by staying true to itself, its history, and its people.