Just in: Lincoln Center appoints president with diversity bias
NewsLincoln Center for the Performing Arts has just announced Dr. Mariko Silver — ‘a leader in the fields of philanthropy, education, government, and the arts’ — as its next President and Chief Executive Officer.
The arts, you see, come last.
Silver, in her previous job at the Henry Luce Foundation, ‘oversaw the creation of new initiatives supporting Democracy, Ethics, and Public Trust and Asian American Voices, prioritized funding exhibitions of and by American artists of color in art museums across the country, and more than doubled the foundation’s funding commitment to Indigenous communities’ – according to the press release.
All priorities lined up in a row.
An ethnic Asian in classical music is not exactly diversity, LOL, on the contrary, it’s a stereotype, ROTFL.
Lincoln Center has reduced its classical music offerings to the point of being embarrassingly negligible.
Not talking about the resident organizations, obviously (NY Phil, Met Opera.) I am talking about the institution of Lincoln Center, which used to have its Great Performers series and more.
In orchestras for sure but less so for executive roles still predominantly held by old white men.
Given the enormous majority of musicians in music, Asian or otherwise, it would be refreshing to have someone at least vaguely related to music on top
Female Asian Leader, Gee, Give me another example at this level. Yeah, totally stereotype. tet here is trying to be funny but on the contrary, tet is just being ignorant.
A more objective article from NYT on the appointment:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/07/arts/music/lincoln-center-president-mariko-silver.html
There’s no better objectivity than $$.
Er, objective + NYT?
Bit of an oxymoron, surely?
Miv, you’ve never read NYT in your life. Go read up on the role NYT had on uncovering China’s treatment of Uighur Muslims, the Myanmar Genocide, Harvey Winestein scandal, etc. etc. Then answer your own question about it being an oxymoron or not.
Morgan: A more objective article from NYT on the appointment:
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“Silver, 46, whose father is Jewish and mother is Japanese American, will be the first woman of color to serve as president and chief executive.”
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“Woman of color” has a condescending (or patronizing) quality about it. So a person whose mother is Asian/Japanese and father is white/Jewish should be lumped together with people categorized as totally non-white?
How are such people labeled when they go against certain ideological constructs or political narratives?
Are whites who favor progressive politics better (or worse) than “people of color” who favor non-progressive politics?
FYI here in America, one drop of black blood or ethnic blood will qualify you as a card-carrying member.
When the attendance tumbles she’ll be gone.
She also has family arts connections:
Her mother, Joan Shigekawa, was Senior Deputy Chairman at the National Endowment for the Arts.
Her father, David Silver, directed the 1983 documentary Style Wars, one of the earliest accounts of hip-hop culture that documented the lives of subway graffiti artists in New York City during the early 1980s.
Her husband, Thom Loubet, is a professional musician.
To be fair, Dr. Silver has credentials. She deserves the benefit of the doubt.
I wish her luck steering LincInc (distinct from the various constituents), which has lost its way. It used to produce a ton of varied programming as well as hosting important international companies. Those glory days are long gone. It is now merely an entertainment venue with disco balls on the Plaza. LincInc, like the Brooklyn Academy of Music, is no longer an important player in the cultural life of New York City.
I don’t expect a return to serious programming in my lifetime. I’m just happy to have enjoyed decades of great music, dance, and theatre.
Hip-hop meets Magic Flute and disco replaces Mostly Mozart. Where’s Emma?
I recently ran into a man I know in his 50s, a rap fan, whose complaint about classical music was that it all sounded “the same.” From someone whose own choice is something so monotonous and repetitive, whatever its alleged merits, this is a preposterous iteration — and he was so insistent that I was speechless in rage, completely thrown by the wilful ignorance that would brook no comeback.
guest1848
Her job is going to be fundraising, and she appears to be good at it.
Another attempt to “stir the pot”. I was always told that when writing a resume that you emphasized your strongest suit by placing it at the end of the sentence – in this case “arts”.
The new test of rationality: How does one feel about XY boxers fighting XX boxers?
Lincoln Center — bravo! Hiring for the future, wise move
Fake news.
Norman – Some moderation, please. I’ve had posts blocked for less.
I found this comment below the New York Times article – gee it really belongs on Slipped Disc!
Over the last fifteen years the major performing arts institutions of New York City have witnessed a veritable Murderer’s Row of disastrous administrative appointments, and it’s hard to see that this one will be any different. The great wealth-holders of NY could simply be giving their hundreds of millions of dollars to bolster the restricted endowments of the permanent high-culture institutions of Lincoln Center — which in turn provide employment to thousands of people across the socio-economic spectrum, and a cultural enrichment you can’t get anywhere else, for generations to come — but instead give it to bankroll the building and “improvement” of more and more venues that nobody needs, to provide entertainment offerings that with each passing year more and more resemble what you’d find at Madison Square Garden or Joe’s Pub. Finance, real-estate development, and Woke cultural politics: the Faustian deal of the neoliberal racket in New York.
what was the name of the commenter?
Brilliant summation! May Joe Papp, Harvey Lichtenstein and Jane Moss rest in peace.
Please elaborate on every qualm you have with Japanese noh and kabuki, or Chinese opera.
Yes, I dread who will be the next Carnegie Hall leader. I am not entirely happy with the porridge on top, but better a relatively sane Limey than a woke Yank.
Indigenous communities?
How are any communities, other than the native American ones, indigenous, compared to the European “caucasian” communities, as the term is clearly meant here as non-white communities?
Was saying “non-white communities” too offensive of a term to use?
When used about ethno-cultural groups in the United States, the term “indigenous” does mean native American — or, to use the term they generally prefer, Indian.
She sounds appropriately experienced in all the areas required to run the Lincoln Center.
Go watch some re-runs of the Vienna New Year’s Day Concert, Norm – it might make the diversity “bias” in your headline more palatable.
Then she is following in the footsteps of her predecessor Henry Timms: “A signature of his tenure has been a commitment to diversity and inclusion. His executive team, senior staff and board of directors now benefit significantly from greater representation of diverse leadership, and he has transformed programming to feature a much wider showcase of artists from different backgrounds and perspectives. As the New York Times has noted “Lincoln Center is one of the few arts organizations to show substantial progress in bringing more diversity to its upper ranks”. (from the LC website)
Interestingly, diverse attention never stretches itself out to encompass neglected or underrepresented talent.
Like the many composers described in this very interesting book, who for some strange reason happened to be white, male and binary:
https://www.amazon.com/Surprised-Beauty-Listeners-Recovery-Modern/dp/1586179055
Lincoln Center has gone to trash. Embarrassing. It was a thrill working there in the 90s in the glory days. So sad looking at it now.
Nobody here misses you.
She is currently President of Bennington College.
I still fail to see how making the programming and other aspects of a very public institution like Lincoln Center more inclusive and reflective of our modern world is a bad thing.
Classical music, high arts in general, are per definition NOT inclusive. One needs to aspire to understand and enjoy them. It‘s an effort. The question is not how to make it „more inclusive bla bla“. The question is how to make people understand the value of it and make them desire aspiration toward it.
It fails me, why so many people don‘t get this simple truth.
Are they just lazy? Is it a symptom of epidemic decadence? I‘m afraid so.
What is important though is inclusiveness economically. Making it affordable for most.
But looking at what the common he-she-it spends for Taylor Swift or football tickets, I suppose it is quite affordable still.
The wisest comment on this thread.
The misunderstanding is that ‘high art’ means ‘inaccessible’ and ‘elitist’.
This misunderstanding is a result from a misconceived idea of democracy and equality.
Or the misunderstanding is, that ‚elite’ and ‚elitist’ are purely negative concepts. They are not. Elites brought our civilization to where we are, in all the good ways.
The misunderstanding about democracy is, that it is NOT the rule of the masses, or ‚tyranny of the masses‘, ochlocracy – as first described by the Greek thinker Polybios as a travesty of democracy – but a rule of a benevolent elite. Sic! At least the people should be led by aspirational ‚elitist‘ ideas and morals…
All adjectives and no verbs…
NYC is the closest thing you will get to British DEI. As an example in “the arts”, most DCI’s and senior police officers cast in BBC and ITV detective shows are women. (Post Morse) In historical drama and historical fiction shows, including Dickens, people of African and Asian familial origin are cast in absolutely unrealistic roles that would not happen and I’ll discount Bridgerton. So, point is, the US, in cities in particular are making decision via DEI, rather than who is the best, most experienced person for the role. If that happens to be a black female, so be it, but if it happens to be a white straight male, don’t discount them for DEI. Someone commented above about the problem with these DEI hires, it is real and it’s a problem. I hope she is friends with truly deep pockets, or she won’t be around long.
The President and CEO of Lincoln Center has traditionally not had a background in the arts.
Ren Levy, 2002 to 2014, worked at the International Rescue Committee and ATT. His tenure was considered highly successful for leading a major capital campaign to overhaul the facilities.
Jed Bernstein was the President of the Broadway League, a trade association for theaters.
Debora Spar was the President of Barnard.
Henry Timms came from the 92nd St Y, but he was a really a professional fundraiser.
But now that it’s a non-white person without an arts background, “this is an outrage!”
A lot of word soup in this blogpost. An ethnic Asian woman marrying white is not diversity it’s stereotype.
Can you prove any actual instances of her bias, or are you just making shit up because of your own bias, Norm? I am looking forward to this change and wish her all the best in this very difficult position. Not easy to please many constituents, Board members, and millions of audience members.