SOF Digital Discussion: A New Era for Arts Institutions
Join us for an SOF Digital Discussion presented in collaboration with the Aspen Institute Arts Program featuring three leaders in the cultural landscape: Thelma Golden, Director and Chief Curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem and Julia Levy, Executive Director of Roundabout Theatre Company in conversation with Kate Levin, Principal of Cultural Assets Management of Bloomberg Associates. The institutions that engage, inspire and educate – across the artistic spectrum – are facing an unprecedented new era. How will we experience art going forward?
**If you are not currently a member of the Society of Fellows, and are interested in joining, please contact the SOF team at sof@aspeninstitute.org or 970-544-7980.
Presenters:
Thelma Golden is Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem, where she began her career in 1987 before joining the Whitney Museum of American Art in 1988. She returned to the Studio Museum in 2000 as Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Programs, and was named Director and Chief Curator in 2005. From 2015-2016, Golden acted as Chair of New York City’s Cultural Institutions Group.
Golden was appointed to the Committee for the Preservation of the White House by President Obama in 2010, and in 2015 joined the Barack Obama Foundation’s Board of Directors. She also serves on the Board of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Crystal Bridges Museum. She was a 2008 Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and a recipient of the 2016 Audrey Irmas Award for Curatorial Excellence. In 2018, Golden was awarded a J. Paul Getty Medal.
Julia C. Levy, Executive Director of Roundabout Theatre Company, has more than 35 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector. She joined Roundabout in February 1990 as Director of Development. In her 30 years with the company, Julia has helped guide its growth from a small off-Broadway company operating one theatre to a leading not-for-profit institution with five theatres all in the Broadway district. The company now serves close to 1 million audience members, employs over 1400 artists, theatre and administrative staff, and 18,000 public high school students and their teachers representing all five boroughs. In addition to its fundraising program, she oversees the company’s government relations, arts education program, archive, and institutional public relations efforts. Prior to Roundabout, she held fundraising positions at the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. She serves on the Times Square Alliance Board of Directors and on the Mayor’s COVID19 Arts/Culture/Tourism Sector Council. She has served as a panelist for the Connecticut State Council on the Arts, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, and the Mellon Foundation.
Kate D. Levin leads the Cultural Assets Management team at Bloomberg Associates, a philanthropic consulting firm working with mayors to improve quality of life for their citizens. Client cities include Atlanta, Houston, London and Newark. She also oversees the Bloomberg Philanthropies Arts program, supporting artists and organizations in the United States and around the world. Current initiatives include management training, public art, and digital technology. Previously, Levin served as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs where she increased support for cultural organizations, and expanded creative sector participation in economic development, tourism, human services and education initiatives. The inaugural fellow of SMU DataArts and a former professor at City College/CUNY, Levin also served in the administration of New York City Mayor Ed Koch.