Board of Directors of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Photo: Gregory Kramer
Lincoln Centre has tapped Shanta Thake, formerly the Acquaintance Artistic Manager of the Public Theater, as the institution'due south Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officeholder—charged with spearheading Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts' artistic strategy every bit the organization builds greater connections with its constituent organizations and the entirety of the Urban center of New York—Henry Timms, President and CEO and the Lath of Directors appear today.
Thake joins Lincoln Center at a pivotal fourth dimension in its history and will build upon its efforts to complement the work of its earth-class elective organizations, activate its full 16-acres to serve more New Yorkers than ever before, and back up art forms under-represented on campus.
She will build upon contempo endeavors to help instill the arts as core to daily life in the city and beyond—from initiatives similar Restart Stages and The GREEN, which activate the campus in new and innovative means, collaborating with organizations from across the city to welcome New Yorkers to experience the transporting qualities of the arts; to borough activations like blood drives and vaccinations; to commissioning important works like The Baptism past Carl Hancock Rux and directed by Carrie Mae Weems. Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts' Commitment to Change benchmarks efforts to drive real and lasting change for the institution and community.
Having overseen the growth and development of The Public Theater's marquee initiatives similar Public Works, Mobile Unit, Under the Radar, Joe's Pub, the Public Shakespeare Initiative, and Public Forum, Thake brings feel cultivating talent across genres and managing diverse teams to deliver on this strategy in new and bold means. In improver, she is the co-director of GlobalFEST, Due north America's world music festival and a not-turn a profit organization whose mission is to foster cultural exchange and to increment the presence of world music in communities nationwide. In this role, she received the William Dawson Award for Programmatic Excellence.
This new position replaces Lincoln Heart's Artistic Director role, which Jane Moss filled for 26 years before stepping downwardly in 2020. Thake will pb programming decisions alongside staff and guest curators, helping ensure a diversity of perspectives is woven throughout artistic endeavors—fostering openness, access, and building inclusive excellence into the heart of the establishment's programming. She will likewise aid to launch the accelerated opening of David Geffen Hall in the autumn of 2022, a project key to these goals.
" Every bit co-chair of the search team for our Chief Creative Officer, I was and then impressed with Shanta's focus on the plurality and democracy of art—her wide and deep agreement of genres and styles, and her profound knowledge and respect for artists beyond traditions and backgrounds, " said Clara Wu Tsai, Founder of the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation and co-chair of the search commission. " Her experience comes first from a deep passion for the arts equally a tool for communication and mutual understanding; I'm excited to welcome her to Lincoln Center. "
" Nosotros could not enquire for a better person than Shanta Thake to fill the role of Lincoln Centre's first-ever Chief Artistic Officeholder to assistance united states of america celebrate and elevate excellence across fine art forms and genres, to employ our spaces in new and exciting ways, and assistance u.s.a. usher in the opening of David Geffen Hall in '22 " said Katherine Farley, Chair of the Lath of Directors of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
" Shanta Thake has made an extraordinary career celebrating and cultivating diverse talent from beyond the city and the world, and we are so pleased to count her equally our Chief Creative Officer, " said Henry Timms, President & CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. " She will be an exceptional ambassador for Lincoln Center and the arts, the keystone in a leadership team that will shepherd Lincoln Heart into a new era—as a hub for culture and civic life for all of New York and a symbol of the excellence and resilience of our urban center. "
" I'chiliad and so grateful to the Lath of Directors and leadership for their support as I enter this role, " said Shanta Thake, Incoming Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer at Lincoln Middle for the Performing Arts. " I moved to New York nigh 20 years ago to the day, with big ideas about what was possible—this is really the culmination of a lifetime of deep dearest of New York's cultural diversity, the palpable excitement and critical importance of sharing a cultural experience together. I look forward to building upon the tremendous legacy of Jane Moss, while undergoing a period of listening and discovery. I'm confident that together we tin can assistance elevate all the greatest parts of this institution and build upon them even farther—growing a Lincoln Center where all New Yorkers feel welcome no thing your groundwork and where artists can shine and develop their craft in innovative and exciting new directions. "
Shanta Thake was previously the Associate Artistic Manager / Managing director of Artistic Programs at The Public Theater. Before that role, she spent x years as the Manager of Joe's Pub, the intimate cabaret venue which hosts over 700 shows annually and is consistently hailed as i of New York City's virtually prestigious venues for both emerging and established artists.
Thake has served as the co-chair for The Clan of Performing Arts Professionals conference in 2019 and 2020. Ms. Thake received a BA in theater every bit well as a degree in management from Indiana University and currently lives in Brooklyn with her family unit.
" Shanta Thake is a atypical powerhouse in cultural curation—a starmaker to some of the most respected musical and theatrical artists of our generation, " said Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation and fellow member of the Lincoln Eye Board of Directors. " For this reason alone, she is an boggling hire for Lincoln Center. Information technology must also be said that if cultural institutions hope to meet the next moment successfully, they must meaningfully diversify, about importantly at the executive level; Shanta joins an executive team that is becoming increasingly various, with disparate backgrounds that help big projects succeed. I have every conviction that her tenure will exist a watershed one and congratulate her and the whole Lincoln Centre squad for this milestone. "
" I cannot recall of a more exciting successor for Jane Moss than Shanta Thake, " said Joel Ehrenkranz, fellow member of the Lincoln Center Lath of Directors. " I am confident she will create a considerable legacy here just as Jane did, identifying and cultivating exceptional talent from New York Metropolis and across the globe, and leading Lincoln Center in building upon our history and inspiring future generations. Anne and I are thrilled to welcome Shanta to the team. "
" Shanta Thake is a bold abet for artists and the power of art to transform our lives. As 1 of our city's most innovative creative minds, she will be a strong vocalisation to help lead the ongoing transformation of Lincoln Center, " said Audra McDonald, singer, role player, alumna of the Juilliard School, and member of the Lincoln Center Board of Directors. " With the greatest of esteem for her sweeping talent, her artistic fearlessness, and her collaborative spirit—and true excitement and optimism for our future—I am thrilled to welcome Shanta Thake to Lincoln Eye. "
Thake volition assume her role as Ehrenkranz Principal Creative Officer in September 2021.
Source: https://www.jazzedmagazine.com/news/lincoln-center-for-the-performing-arts-appoints-shanta-thake-as-chief-artistic-officer/