2025 Power Players in Arts & Culture

Maria Nicanor is the director of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in NY. An architecture and design curator and historian, Nicanor had previously been an architecture curator at the Guggenheim Museum and a curator in the Design, Architecture, and Digital Department of the Victoria & Albert Museum. Following her museum roles, she was the inaugural director of the Norman Foster Foundation and executive director of Rice Design Alliance, at the Rice University School of Architecture.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
Music and performance feeds my soul these days. I’d attend anything organized by AMOC, the American Modern Opera Company founded by Matthew Aucoin and Zack Winokur. I believe passionately in multidisciplinarity and while the word gets thrown around a lot, AMOC’s work with incredible composers, choreographers, vocalists, instrumentalists, dancers, goes beyond in terms of bringing different disciplines together. We hosted a performance by them at Cooper Hewitt on April 26 that I wouldn’t miss. 

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Get out there with curiosity. Know the cultural offerings of our city like you mean it. Get involved. Policymakers have to continue to secure public funding for arts and culture so they can be accessible to all. If you can support organizations financially or in an advisory capacity, do it. If that’s not right for you, support doesn’t always mean funding. If you experience something meaningful, spread the word. Intellectual generosity matters just as much.

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
Culture and the arts are an industry that will always power this city. To continue to be a model that others look up to, we need to protect city, state and federal public funding. Culture makes us human, it transforms communities, generates economic growth for New Yorkers and ensures we are well informed citizens with a broad world view. These are not nice to haves, but musts for any well-rounded society.

Michael Novak is the artistic director of the Paul Taylor Dance Company, appointed by Taylor in 2018 after eight years as a company dancer. Since then, he has ushered in an era of expansion – launching major educational and choreographic initiatives and opening a new headquarters in Midtown. A passionate advocate for dance innovation, preservation, and inclusion, Novak holds a B.A. in dance from Columbia University, where he graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
I would love to be at 54 Below to see the celebrated cabaret icon Marilyn Maye perform to a sold-out house as part of her 97th Birthday. Her extraordinary voice, commanding presence, and nuance for storytelling have inspired audiences since the 1960s. Her 76-episode run on the Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was just the beginning. To see her perform is the definition of life-affirming.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Policymakers can engage with artists of all genres and levels of their careers to understand their needs. But I would also advocate for focusing on the youth of our city…what inspires them, what lets them open up and express who they are. Everyday New Yorkers? Stay curious. When you enter a theater of any size, put the phone down. Leave the world behind. Let your imagination and curiosity flow and open yourself to being inspired.

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
While the federal government is reducing funding and censoring arts, we are grateful to New York City Council Member Erik Bottcher, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs for their support and investment in our two homes – Taylor Dance West in Midtown and Taylor Dance East in the LES – which enables dance creation, education, and enriches neighboring communities.

MaryLou Pagano has spent 35 years in fundraising, beginning her career in the Development Office of the Archdiocese of New York. She has concentrated her efforts on advancing the mission of the Catholic Church through education, hospitals, and parish work. She began working at the Sheen Center in 2018 and remains dedicated to introducing people to the place “Where Art and Spirituality Meet.” She lives in Westchester with her husband and has three adult children.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
At the Sheen Center, we program great performances that provoke mind-shifting conversations, and I am always eager to go see a play outside our walls that does the same. Specifically, I want to get my hands on two tickets to Brandon Jacobs Jenkins’ Purpose on Broadway. From what I’ve read, this stunning new play highlights the fragility of our convictions, identity politics, and familial expectations. Sign me up!

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Support and seek out cultural experiences that reflect the true diversity – including diversity of religion – of New York City. And when you find a place that speaks to you, give – give your time by volunteering, give your endorsement –  tell five friends about a great show you just saw-, or give $5 because every dollar donated enables us and our peers to pursue our mission (and it puts money back in the economy).

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
On my way to work, I see art alive on every corner… And yet, so much of it conforms to the same narratives. I challenge my colleagues to take bigger risks. Your art is a vehicle for God’s creative power.  Embrace it. Our job at the Sheen is to boldly share our faith through world-class art and to cultivate a space where all who enter can confidently share their faith – whatever it may be. 

Since 2015, Anne Pasternak has served as the Shelby White and Leon Levy director of the Brooklyn Museum, one of the oldest and largest fine arts institutions in the nation. For over 30 years, Pasternak has devoted her career to engaging broad audiences with the power of art to move, motivate, and inspire. Under her leadership, the Brooklyn Museum has become a bold, dynamic center for visual arts, blending its historical collections with contemporary perspectives.

Steven Payne is director of The Bronx County Historical Society and a social and cultural historian whose interests in Bronx history span civil rights and labor activism, underground youth culture, community organizing, cooperative housing, and literature. Dr. Payne works closely with community members to share these histories through exhibits, oral histories, lectures, publications, and multimedia installations. He is proud to call The Bronx home.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
“Repainting Subway Art,” opened at Inspiration Point on April 4th and showcases the work of Dutch artist TRIPL and his recreations of the iconic pages of the original “Subway Art.” Many of the most striking pieces in this book are from Bronx artists. The pieces themselves no longer exist except in photographs, so to see recreations of them in person at this new community venue, formerly Spofford Juvenile Detention Facility, is a historic event.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Aside from furnishing entertainment and cultural enrichment – the obvious things –, arts and culture institutions provide jobs and professional development opportunities as well as drive foot traffic to local businesses and serve as anchors for our communities. Policymakers who don’t already realize this should reach out to our institutions so we can provide the data. Then they should ensure the budget accurately reflects our contributions. Everyday New Yorkers should engage their neighborhood arts and culture institutions.

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 remains a culture capital in 2025, in spite of budget cuts, skyrocketing rent, and other circumstances that threaten folks’ ability to create. Residents of The Bronx and the other boroughs continue to contribute so much innovation and vitality to our cultures, and our institutions can only ever highlight a fraction of this energy. No matter what happens, one thing is sure: New Yorkers will continue to be at the vanguard of culture.

American virtuoso violinist and artistic visionary Mark Peskanov has performed with virtually every major U.S. orchestra and throughout the world. Winner of the Avery Fischer Career Grant and Carnegie Hall’s first Isaac Stern Award, Peskanov inaugurated both Tokyo’s Suntory Hall and Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall and collaborated with artists such as Stern, Rampal, Rostropovich, and Ma. Since 2005, Peskanov has been president and artistic/executive director of Bargemusic, New York City’s “cultural treasure” in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
Bargemusic! After more than 8000 concerts in almost 50 years at Fulton Ferry Landing, Bargemusic is opening at its new venue, the Boathouse in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Audiences will enjoy stunning views of the Hudson River and lower Manhattan skyline and the wonderful acoustics, as they hear world-class artists play great chamber music. And every concert is free and open to the public!

​Jessica B. Phillips, a dedicated museum professional, has been the CEO of Historic Richmond Town since 2018. Under her leadership, the Staten Island institution has launched significant initiatives, including exhibitions on the Negro Leagues Baseball and building the Native Encampment, showcasing the area’s multifaceted history. Jessica’s commitment to preserving cultural heritage and engaging the public is evident in her efforts to enhance accessibility to material culture and secure substantial funding for the museum’s growth.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
I would attend the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to see all the beautiful spring blossoms.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Bring more arts and culture into the schools.

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 arts and culture environment is strong in 2025 but there are federal, state and city funding fears and worries about long-term investments into the sector.

Seth Pinsky joined 92NY as CEO in January 2020. At 92NY, Pinsky has overseen an institutional rebranding, the roll-out and implementation of a $200 million master redevelopment plan, and the renewal and reimagination of programming across many departments. He was previously an EVP at RXR Realty, president of the NYC Economic Development Corporation, and an advisor to Mayor Bloomberg’s administration. Pinsky also worked as a lawyer at Cleary and financial analyst at Wolfensohn.

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
I would camp out at 92NY. What I love about this institution is the variety of what happens in its halls – from scintillating and inspiring stage performances, to classes in the arts and humanities, to Jewish programming, to programming for families and seniors, to educational programming for low-income public school children, and innovative social impact programming – not to mention a gym and residence. After a month here, I know I’d emerge enriched in mind, body, and spirit.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
New York’s most important resource is its diverse and talented workforce – our number one competitive advantage, fueling the city’s economic engine. To keep attracting talent, New York must maintain its “magnetic infrastructure” – the institutions, especially arts and cultural institutions, that create the excitement binding talent to the city. Leaders should see investment in arts and culture not only as the “right thing to do” (which it is) but also as an investment in our economic future.

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
What makes New York a cultural capital is not just the volume of its cultural offerings, but the variety – from “high art” to “low”; the “classics” to the “avant-garde”. Like 92NY, our hometown truly has something for everyone. Especially at this moment when so many issues feel so pressing, preserving our incredible, but simultaneously delicate, cultural ecosystem, must remain a priority for all New Yorkers. 

Dr. Annie Polland is a public historian, author, and president of the Tenement Museum. Previously, she served as the executive director of the American Jewish Historical Society. She is the co-author of “Emerging Metropolis: New York Jews in the Age of Immigration” and author of “Landmark of the Spirit.” She received her Ph.D. in history from Columbia University and served as VP of education at the Museum at Eldridge Street. 

If you could attend any event, show, or exhibit in the city this month, what would it be and why?
I cannot wait to see “Belle da Costa Greene: A Librarian’s Legacy” at the Morgan Library & Museum. A recent PBS Treasures of New York show on the Morgan had highlighted her story. I found it fascinating and cannot wait to learn more. And everyone I talk to seems to have already seen it, and loved it.

How can policymakers and everyday New Yorkers support arts and culture within the city?
Supporting nonprofit arts and culture organizations is more important than ever. Many New York politicians understand that cultural organizations are inherently important, but also important for attracting tourists and contributing to New York’s economy. Everyday New Yorkers should visit, become members, and share their experiences with friends and neighbors. Those who can should contribute to cultural organizations so they can expand and broaden their audiences and services.

New York has historically been considered the culture capital of the world. How do you feel the city upholds this legacy in 2025?
In graduate school, I gave historical walking tours and was struck by how New Yorkers – whether first generation or fifth generation – felt so connected to the built environment, city history, and to sharing their own stories. New York is an immigrant and migrant city, attracting newcomers who add to the dynamism and cultural creativity. Whatever the city can do to invest in affordable housing, education, and its cultural landscape is key to upholding this unique legacy.

Alex Poots, the founding artistic director of The Shed, is a widely acclaimed arts and cultural leader known for establishing innovative cultural organizations including The Shed and Manchester International Festival as well as leading the Park Avenue Armory, the Barbican Centre and Tate Galleries. He champions groundbreaking interdisciplinary collaborations, commissioning diverse artists and attracting wide audiences. Poots reimagines institutional approaches, fostering artistic invention and transformative programs that connect creators and communities in new ways.