FY20 ANNUAL REPORT Photo courtesy of Rashaad Newsome Studio
Bill T. Jones in What Problem? Photo by Maria Baranova
CONTENTS YOU + LIVE ARTS .......................................................... THE SEASON OPENS ................................................. IN PURSUIT OF THE WE ............................................. SINCE 1982/38 YEARS .............................................. COMING TOGETHER .................................................. BLACK MAGIC ............................................................... VISUAL ARTS ................................................................. LIVE ARTERY ................................................................. BY INVITATION ............................................................. INTERRUPTION ............................................................ CULTURE ISN’T CLOSED .......................................... QUESTION EVERYTHING. KEEP MOVING! ....... THE HOUSE PARTY WITH EVERYBOOTY ........ EDUCATION & LIVE CORE ...................................... BEST PRACTICES ...................................................... FINANCES ....................................................................... STAFF & BOARD .......................................................... SUPPORT ........................................................................ IMPACT ............................................................................
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New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20 | 3
STAND WITH US Hello, Bill T. Jones here, I hope that you are well, and you remain healthy and safe. I want to thank you for your generous support in this past year. I know it’s not been easy, and yet you came through in the most extraordinary way possible, proving that even as our world rages in conflict and a major health emergency, artists can be supported and protected. When the pandemic forced us to close our doors last March, we at New York Live Arts made a commitment to maintain artist performance fees and commissions. Live performance artists are among the hardest hit by space closures and limits on public gathering, and your contributions provided a valuable lifeline in a time when they really needed it. Your support and guidance made it possible for us to pay artist performance fees even when their performances were cancelled or postponed. Our approach during this time has been to place our trust and faith in artists. I hope it’s been affirming for you to watch how these creative thinkers and movers have reinvented themselves in the face of such great challenges. In the last fiscal year your donations supported more than 17 companies, and despite the pandemic, we were able to employ an additional 20 at-risk artists in the month of June alone. In total, we directed over $120,000 in additional funds to artists since the day our building closed in March. You have responded to our call to continue supporting artists in such an amazing way, and it’s no exaggeration to say you make everything we do possible.
Our approach going forward will be to continue affirming our faith in artists, even as the coming year promises to be one of the most challenging we have ever faced; And, although we are tightening our belts as an organization due to these challenges, I can promise you one thing: we will preserve our funding to artists at all stages of their careers whose work transcends barriers between and within communities exploring our common values through live performance, whether it’s in our building, the digital space, or some other creative avenue. We place our trust in artists to define what “live performance” means in a time when we can’t predict when we will see each other in person again, and we’re going to need you by our side to do it. So, if you have questions or ideas about how we sustain this mission please reach out. We want to hear from you. Thank you for standing with us. It means the world. Be well,
Bill T. Jones Artistic Director
We place our trust in artists to define what “live performance” means in a time when we can’t predict when we will see each other in person again, and we’re going to need you by our side to do it.
4 | New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20
ONWARD On March 13, 2020, the day after gatherings of 500 people or more were banned, two months after we celebrated a very successful Live Artery festival showcasing the work of 17 artists and companies during NYC’s annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference, and one month prior to the world premiere of Bill T. Jones’ highly anticipated new work Deep Blue Sea with a cast of 100 individuals, New York Live Arts’ Trustees and Executive Leadership made the decision to suspend all public gatherings/performances and classes. We could have never anticipated what would follow. Subsequent restrictions on and classifications of “non-essential” businesses and the state’s ultimate “stay home” order resulted in the cancellation, postponement, or online engagement of all Live Arts’ programming for the foreseeable future. The world as we knew it ceased to exist. The immediate impact manifested as postponed and cancelled engagements, including the world premiere of Deep Blue Sea which was to be held over three weeks at the Park Avenue Armory; five engagement runs featuring 4 performances each in the Live Arts Theater from artists in our Live Feed program including three world premieres; Live Ideas, our annual interdisciplinary, 5-day, humanities festival; a number of opening receptions, studio events, community classes, and other public engagement events programmed for our spring season; and our annual Live Ideas gala which we chose to postpone rather than host online. As an institution we quickly pivoted, we are well-versed in adaptive practice and so we adapted. We maintained our commitment to the employment of our artists and kept all of our full-time administrative staff employed throughout the fiscal year. This means that we paid our artists in the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, and ALL other artists whose shows were cancelled, postponed or pivoted to online platforms at the time they were expecting the funds rather than pushing those payments to a later date. And, as Bill stated, we directed nearly $130k in additional funds to 40 artists between April and June. We know and honor that, in addition to our audience and donor community, these people are our most valued stakeholders. On May 25, 2020, the world changed again. We were already well aware that the global pandemic was disproportionately affecting Black and Indigenous people of color and then, in the midst of this already unacceptable reality, George Floyd was brutally murdered in the streets of Minneapolis. The light shone on White Supremacy during this period of outrage and global reckoning sparked a sea change that was long overdue. And, as I write, I cannot help but think of Bill’s work on Deep Blue Sea and Melville’s Pip bobbing alone in the
vast ocean. I hear Bill reciting Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech backward, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that our work - the work of supporting artists whose art has the power to confront us, to lead us, and hopefully to change us - is necessary. As I prepare this annual report with my colleagues here at Live Arts, we are still very much in the midst of this double, global crisis. And yet, we must march on. There is no playbook, however, there is one thing we know: arts and culture matter now as much as they ever have, perhaps even more than they ever have. We must take care of our artists and their ecosystem. They are the prophets, the storytellers, and the seers of our generation and many generations before us. I trust they will serve this role for many generations to come. As we look for solutions in this moment, and learn how to better use technology as a stop gap until we are once again able to gather together to ask difficult questions and be inspired and changed by the work of our “mad” artists, I remain convinced that there is nothing, and there will be nothing, that comes anywhere close to taking the place of live performance and live gathering. The ultimate impact of this crisis on our finances is still being assessed, however, through very careful planning, fiscal discipline and much needed funds recieved via the Payroll Protection Plan, we were miraculously able to make it through FY20 with a net positive cash balance. In addition, and despite the global pandemic, as of April 6, 2020 our organization is debt-free for the first time since our building was constructed in 2001. The future is less certain and our FY21 budget currently projects a post-depreciation deficit. If you are reading this annual report, I know you understand and share our vision - and perhaps you sometimes feel that the general lack of understanding of the role that artists and arts institutions play in our society is often mind-boggling. You know that, in addition to serving as a huge economic driver, artists and art institutions have always been leaders in the resiliency of our collective spirits, and architects of social cohesion. Now is the time to ensure that the creation of live art and live performance remain possible. Now is the time for commitment and responsibility. The world is in desperate need of empathetic community. This need will grow deeper during the recovery process. New York Live Arts is committed to serving this need and we deeply and humbly thank you for your commitment to supporting our mission. Onward,
Kim Cullen Executive Director & CEO
New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20 | 5
YOU + LIVE ARTS
Opening night Photo by Ian Douglas
6 | New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20
YOU + NEW YORK LIVE ARTS = WE “Artists have something WE don’t all have – a kind of bravery, daring or madness. Do WE value those things, the madness that this group stands for? Can WE have a democracy without a class of mad people who are trying things, failing, trying again and it has very little market value? Do WE value that group enough to take care of them and their fragile ecosystem?” - Bill T. Jones When YOU support, you provide the resources needed for NEW YORK LIVE ARTS to remain a place to create art, build community, and ask difficult questions in pursuit of the WE.
New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20 | 7
THE SEASON OPENS Sarah Jones: SELL/BUY/DATE SOLD OUT! To kick-off the 2019-2020 Season, New York Live Arts presented the return of Tony Award® -winning playwright and performer Sarah Jones (Bridge & Tunnel). Jones played a dazzling medley of characters in Sell/Buy/Date, an exuberant show inspired by the real-life experiences of people affected by the sex industry. Brimming with Jones’ masterful, multicultural characterizations, Sell/Buy/Date conveyed an honest, moving and even humorous look at a complex and fascinating subject, all while preserving the full humanity of voices seldom heard in the theater. Directed by Carolyn Cantor.
“a must-see one-woman marvel” - LA Times Commissioned by the NoVo Foundation, which works around the world to end violence and discrimination against all girls and women. www.novofoundation.org
SELL/BUY/DATE
Image courtesy of the Sarah Jones
8 | New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20
Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker / Rosas SOLD OUT! “wringing possibilities from a narrow set of steps; building rigid structures from which, somehow, emotion could blossom, like flowers from cracks in the sidewalk.” - Siobhan Burke, The New York Times
Fase
The second opening highlight of our fall season featured Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s two early benchmarks of postmodern dance,F aseand R osas danst Rosas.
Photo by Anne Van Aerschot
Fase, Four Movements to the Music of Steve Reich premiered in 1982 using the structure of Reich’s music to develop an independent movement idiom that illustrated the music and added a new dimension to it. Rosas danst Rosas builds on the minimalism initiated in Fase,where abstract movements constitute the basis of a layered choreographic structure in which repetition plays the lead role set to “maximalistic” music by T hierry De Mey and Peter Vermeersch. First iterations of F ase were seen in Live Arts’ legacy program Fresh Tracks in 1982.
Rosas Masterclass Photo by Ian Douglas
New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20 | 9
IN PURSUIT OF THE WE
Rehearsal at Mann Center
Rehearsal at Park Avenue Armory
DEEP BLUE SEA
Collaborators:
Photo by Jordan August
Deep Blue Sea , not yet premiered, will begin with a solo by Bill T. Jones and culminates with 100 performers made up of the members of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and 89 community members. Using deconstructed texts from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” and Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, this highly personal work explores the interplay of single and group identities and the pursuit of the elusive “we” during fractious times. “Performing alongside the young, robust ensemble of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and the dynamic group of 89 community members gives me hope in these fractious times,” says Jones. “The constantly morphing evocatively weaving designs of Liz Diller and Peter Nigrini, as well as the emotionally complex score by Nick Hallet performed by Hprizm and Holland Andrews with a select group of vocalists, underscore the poignancy and power of the allusive WE this piece is in the pursuit of.” - Bill T. Jones 10 | New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20
Photo by Maria Baranova
Creator and Director Bill T. Jones Associate Director Janet Wong Choreography Bill T. Jones, Janet Wong, and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company Visual Environment Elizabeth Diller (DS+R) and Peter Nigrini Lighting Design Robert Wierzel Original Score Nick Hallett Music Producer Hprizm aka High Priest Sound Design Mark Grey Costume Design Liz Prince Dramaturg Mark Hairston Commissioned by Park Avenue Armory and the Manchester International in collaboration with Holland Festival. Produced and developed by Park Avenue Armory in collaboration with New York Live Arts. Additional commissioning support by The Mann Center for the Performing Arts with original support provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, Philadelphia, Carolina Performing Arts, Partners In Creation, Ed Bradley Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, NEFA/NDP
WHAT PROBLEM? at LUMBERYARD Center for Film and Performing Arts
WHAT PROBLEM? at LUMBERYARD Center for Film and Performing Arts
WHAT PROBLEM?
“For the problem of the Twentieth Century is the problem of the color-line . . . the relation of the darker to the lighter races of men . . . And yet, being a problem is a strange experience,— peculiar even for one who has never been anything else.” - W.E.B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk (1903)
Photo by Maria Baranova
The Company’s latest work What Problem? provokes the tension between belonging to a community and feelings of isolation that many feel during these divisive political times. Adapted for proscenium stages from the massive work, Deep Blue Sea, Jones conceived of this highly personal work in pursuit of the elusive “we” including a cast of local community members, a deconstructed text from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech and Herman Melville’s Moby Dick in a work that is specific to each of the touring locations.
Photo by Maria Baranova
New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20 | 11
IN PURSUIT OF THE WE HOLLAND FESTIVAL · 42,000 visitors · 100,000 views Bill T. Jones served as associate artist for the 2020 Holland Festival and gave the festival its theme In Pursuit of the We. Because of the corona virus pandemic, the festival put an extensive program online and what would have been a presentation of Deep Blue Sea starting with Bill alone onstage and ending with 100 performers joining was reimagined in I know…, a digital ritual by Jones and video artist Ruben Van Leer. This on-screen mosaic brought together over a hundred video messages from people telling what they “really know.” The festival also produced The Problem, a video montage exploring the ideas behind the seminal work Deep Blue Sea.
WHAT PROBLEM? at George Mason University Photo by Maria Baranova
12 | New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20
SINCE 1982/38 YEARS Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company Performers J. Bouey
Vinson Fraley, Jr.
Barrington Hinds
Chanel Howard
Dean Husted
Shane Larson
The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company was born in 1982 out of an 11-year collaboration between Bill T. Jones and Arnie Zane (1948–1988). During this time, they redefined the duet form and foreshadowed issues of identity, form and social commentary that would change the face of American dance. The Company has performed worldwide in over 200 cities in 40 countries on every major continent and is recognized as one of the most innovative and powerful forces in the dance-theater world.
“As art advocates par excellence who understand that the creation of new work is the lifeforce of an Artist, I can’t thank you enough for enabling the art of Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company and its home, New York Live Arts to thrive.” Ellie Friedman, Partners in Creation Chair The creation of new work by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company is made possible in part by the company’s Partners in Creation: Anonymous, Anne Delaney, Zoe Eskin, Eleanor Friedman, Ruth & Stephen Hendel, James C. Hormel & Michael P. Nguyen, Suzanne Karpas, Ellen M. Poss, Jane Bovingdon Semel, in memory of Linda G. Shapiro, Slobodan Randjelović & Jon Stryker.
s. lumbert
Nayaa Opong
Marie Lloyd Paspe
Huiwang Zhang New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20 | 13
COMING TOGETHER
BILL CHATS: MARLON JAMES Photo by Maria Baranova
BILL CHATS: ELIZABETH ALEXANDER Photo by Maria Baranova
BILL CHATS
OPEN SPECTRUM: BALLROOM HAS SOMETHING TO SAY
DISCUSSION INFLUENCE VISION
A Lecture / Performance / Discussion and two category Vogue competition curated by Michael Roberson, theologian, public health practitioner, activist, leader within the LGBTQ and House | Ballroom community, and advisor for the TV show Pose. The day’s events were presented in partnership with House Lives Matter and the Arbert Santana Ballroom Freedom and Free School Project.
IMPACT Engaging audiences in discussion with public figures known for their leadership, influence, and visionary impact on the fields of arts and culture.
OPEN SPECTRUM: BALLROOM HAS SOMETHING TO SAY Photo by Gerard H. Gaskin
14 | New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20
BILL CHATS: ELIZABETH DILLER
Photo by Maria Baranova
BLACK MAGIC Rashaad Newsome · Exhibition · Site-specific Installation · Performances in Philadelphia and New York City · 1500 Total Audience “How do we decolonize our imaginations?” -Rashaad Newsome in them. New York Live Arts, in partnership with Philadelphia Photo Arts Center (PPAC), presented Rashaad Newsome’s multifaceted BLACK MAGIC that included an exhibition at PPAC, installation at New York Live Arts, and performances of FIVE at Live Arts and Icebox. BLACK MAGIC was a holistic reflection on agency, Blackness, and the futurity of intersectional identities and oppression.
BLACK MAGIC
Image design by Liliana Dirks-Goodman
FIVE was a generative multilayered work that sequentially incorporated choreography, performance, video, digital and two-dimensional drawing, and sculpture. Originally conceptualized using the five primary movements of voguing, FIVE recalibrated them into a new choreographic and video experience. Five dancers performed on camera while Newsome reframed and remixed the footage live, creating projected, abstracted gestures. F IVE’s malleability and durational shape-shifting is a reflection of change within the vogue style, perceptions around the artform, and the dynamic change in how it has manifested and is consumed. BLACK MAGIC was generously supported by the William Penn Foundation with additional support from New Music USA and the MAP Fund, supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.Additional support provided by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and Partners for New Performance.
THE CHAMPION BALL Photo by Maria Baranova
FIVE
Photo by Maria Baranova
New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20 | 15
VISUAL ARTS Visual arts programming at New York Live Arts is conceived as a platform for interdisciplinary, intergenerational work in multiple mediums that reflects, extends and reframes our mission as a home for movement based artistry of conceptual rigor, formal experimentation and active engagement with the social, political and cultural currents of our times. We encourage and support the intersectionality of ideas, blurring the line between visual art and timebased art. This is seen in the installations created in conjunction with performance projects developed through multi-year research supported by our residency commissioning programs. Artists who have shown work in our gallery included 40 artists.
Wild, Wild Earth with artists from the New York Foundation for the Art’s Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program Photo by Maria Baranova
Rashaad Newsome, BLACK MAGIC Photo by Liliana Dirks-Goodman
16 | New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20
Wild, Wild Earth with artists from the New York Foundation for the Art’s Immigrant Artist Mentoring Program
Liliana Dirks-Goodman, Feminist Dinner Party
Rashaad Newsome, BLACK MAGIC at Philadelphia Photo Arts Center
Stacey Robinson, CT3, Digital collage, 2017 Curating The End Of The World Online exhibition
Photo by Maria Baranova
Photo by Maria Baranova
Photo by Maria Baranova
New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20 | 17
LIVE ARTERY · 14 days · 17 Artists · 113 Performers · 20 Performances · 600 Presenters & Arts Professionals attented · 1400 Total Audience New York Live Arts’ annual dynamic platform of new and recent works by resident commissioned artists and curated guests, presented in conjunction with the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) conference. APAP takes place in NYC every year attracting presenters and arts professionals from all over the world. Live Artery featured excerpts of recently premiered works and work-in-progress presentations. The 2020 Live Artery artists: Kimberly Bartosik / daela, Holly Bass, Yanira Castro | a canary torsi, Liana Conyers, Milka Djordjevich, Sean Dorsey Dance, Faye Driscoll, Marjani Forte-Saunders + Everett Saunders, Jaamil Olawale Kosoko, Molly Lieber and Eleanor Smith, Colleen Thomas, Kathy Westwater, Raphael Xavier, and Abby Z and The New Utility.
Faye Driscoll
Photo by Maria Baranova
2018-2021 Live Feed Artist Holly Bass Photo by Holly Bass
2017-2019 Live Feed Artists Molly and Eleanor Photo by Maria Baranova
18 | New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20
BY INVITATION Randjelović/Stryker Resident Commissioned Artist Raja Feather Kelly “Mr. Kelly’s fusion of dance and theater shifts seamlessly from absurd to cheeky to the unexpectedly and piercingly sincere.” — New York Times In the new commissioned work, WEDNESDAY, Raja Feather Kelly and the feath3r theory search for the true motivations and outcome behind the bank robbery in the 1975 cinematic-drama Dog Day Afternoon. WEDNESDAY dismantles the film by re-centering the story on Liz Eden, for whom the character Leon in the fllm is loosely based, and the reason why the character Sonny conspires to rob a bank: to fund Eden’s sex change [sic].
WEDNESDAY
Photo by Maria Baranova
In February we presented an in-process showing and a post-performance discussion between Kelly and writer Kate Bornstein. Premiere to follow.
Previous RCA’s: RoseAnne Spradlin Okwui Okpokwasili Kyle Abraham Yasuko Yokoshi The Randjelović/Stryker Resident Commissioned Artist program is byinvitation only and offers a salary, health benefits, two years of residency time and a commission of a new work to premiere at New York Live Arts. Since its inception, the program has received lead support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and has been named for lead donors Jon Stryker and New York Live Arts board Vice- chair Slobodan Randjelović. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation continues to be instrumental in one of Live Arts’ signature programs for artist development, and its ongoing support is vital to the continuation of the program.
RAJA FEATHER KELLY Photo by Maria Baranova
WEDNESDAY
Photo by Maria Baranova
New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20 | 19
INTERRUPTION THE ARTISTS ARE PAID All commissioned artists were paid in full and on schedule, regardless of whether their show was presented in our theater or studios, postponed, cancelled or presented virtually.
LIVE FEED · 12 Artists · Produced 16 In house performances · 2300 Total Audience The 2019-2020 Live Feed mainstage artists: Abby Z and the New Utility, Alexandra Chashin and Zishan Urgulu, Colleen Thomas, Jaamil Olawale Kosoko, Kimberly Bartosik/daela, and Yanira Castro | a canary torsi. 2019-2020 Live Feed residency artists: Ashley R.T. Yergens, Christopher Williams, Daniel Alexander Jones, Holly Bass, and Milka Djordjevich.
FRESH TRACKS · 5 Artists · 2 Performances 2019-2020 Fresh Tracks artists: Anh Vo, Annie Heath, Jordan Lloyd, Kayla Hamilton and Stuart B Meyers.
Fresh Tracks Artist Jordan Lloyd Photo by Maria Baranova
20 | New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20
Fresh Tracks Artist Ahn Vo Photo by Maria Baranova
CULTURE ISN’T CLOSED “What is my art learning from Covid-19? How does my art find the new normal?... We can talk about loneliness, but how do you show it?” - Bill T. Jones in The New York Times
SUPPORTING ARTISTS BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER A PANDEMIC Live Arts Directs an Additional $129.5k to 40 Artists Post Pandemic Closure! Daniel Alexander-Jones, Altar No.5 Virtual Presentation
PIVOT: STAYING ENGAGED · Produced 14 virtual events · Streamed 45 Archival programs · Served ~10,000 Audience Members Bill’s Diary: Pause/Intermission and Friday Live @ 5 ReLive Arts weekly showcase of archival video Shapes with Shane movement instruction on Instagram Live HOLLAND FESTIVAL interactive virtual presentation Holly Bass virtual presentation Daniel Alexander Jones virtual presentation Jaamil Olawale Kosoko virtual presentation The House Party with Everybooty virtual presentation
Action Phase 1 Photo by ??
New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20 | 21
QUESTION EVERYTHING. KEEP MOVING!
#OpenYourLobby Bill T. Jones with Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ “Untitled” (Fortune Cookie Corner), 1990 Curated by Andrea Rosen Photo by Bjorn Amelan
THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR COMPLACENCY New York Live Arts has always been committed to fighting racism, White Supremacy and all forms of its systemic oppression. With Bill T. Jones as our Artistic Director, our thought leader and example, we recommit our board, staff and entire organization to fight implicit bias, prejudice, discrimination and injustice wherever and however it manifests. Organizations like ours, forever committed to diversity in thought, art and action, are still not immune to complicity with the Status Quo and can do even more to make our institution and our community a better place. We believe that an artist 22 | New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20
Our lobby at 219 W 19th Street was open to activists in our community during the June Black Lives Matter protests. We opened our accessible bathrooms and provided water, hand sanitizer, first aid kit, and WiFi & outlets to charge devices.
can play a distinct role in challenging the Status Quo, as a witness to truth, asking difficult questions and participating in the world of ideas through free speech and expression, even at personal risk. We believe this work must be disruptive, drastic, and urgent. This work of fighting White Supremacy never ends. As we recommit to advocating and working for the acknowledgment of and reconciliation around our violent and oppressive history, and to systemic change, we also recommit to further diversify our Board of Directors, our Staff and our Commissioned Artists. These actions affirm our strong belief in the value of art and the positive change it can induce, and we will continue to
provide platforms for diverse and underrepresented voices. There is no excuse for complacency. The time for action is upon us all, the time for action is now. QUESTION EVERYTHING. KEEP MOVING! VOTE!! New York Live Arts Board of Directors Stephen Hendel, Co-Chair Richard H. Levy, Co-Chair Helen Haje, Vice Chair Slobodan Randjelović, Vice Chair Alan Marks, Treasurer Alanna Rutherford, Secretary Kim Cullen, Executive Director & CEO, Ex-Officio Bill T. Jones, Artistic Director, Ex-Officio Bjorn Amelan
Sarah Arison Charla Jones Colleen Keegan Amy Newman Randy Polumbo Ellen M. Poss Matthew Putman Jane Bovingdon Semel Ruby Shang Catharine R. Stimpson Diana Wege
THE HOUSE PARTY WITH EVERYBOOTY New York Live Arts and BAM brought their respective annual PRIDE celebrations together in solidarity for a robust, multi-genre, and free virtual experience.
Migguel Anggelo
Switch n’ Play
Bubble_T
The Illustrious Blacks
House of LaBeija
Hosts: Andre J, Raja Feather Kelly, and Tyler Ashley
OOPS!
RAGGA NYC
· 1500 Audience Views This unprecedented partnership featuring drag, dance, song, storytelling, video collages, and more was inspired by our very own Artistic Director Bill T. Jones, a BAM artist since 1983. The partnership exemplifies the necessity for communities of all kinds to come together and stand proud in honor of our LGBTQIA legacies and in solidarity with those fighting to dismantle systemic racism and end violence against Black and Brown people.
The Line Up Hosted by Andre J, Tyler Ashley (“The Dauphine of Bushwick”), and Raja Feather Kelly. Participating artists: Bill T. Jones; Migguel Anggelo; The Illustrious Blacks; Untitled Queen for Bubble_T; Gyal Tings! ; Overall Mother Summer LaBeija Gulf Coast Mother Coco LaBeija, and NYC Mother Linda LaBeija for the House of LaBeija; West Dakota and Juku for OOPS!; Oscar Nñ for Papi Juice; Viva Ruiz, Martine Gutierrez, and Christopher Udemezue for RAGGA NYC Collective; the Brooklyn drag collective Switch n’ Play; and more. Curatorially organized by the artists, in conjunction with its curatorial committee, including Tyler Ashley, Amy Cassello, Raja Feather Kelly, Andre J, and Janet Wong. Lead support from Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20 | 23
EDUCATION & LIVE CORE
James Baldwin School, After School Program Student Final Project
Elevate program teaching artist, Shaneeka Harrell Photo courtesy of the artist
James Baldwin Live
Elevate at Rikers Island
New York Live Arts partnered with the James Baldwin school to create an afterschool program led by artist Akim Funk Buddha that used hip-hop culture as a way for students to blend dance, movement, writing, and voice into performance. By introducing fundamental step sequencing and combinations, music, terminology and the appreciation of hip-hop technique as a historical performing art form, students were prepared for further study in hip-hop culture and spoken word. Students created a piece of work inspired by their own life experiences, to speak about oppression, violence, identity, culture, and power.
A series of workshops with incarcerated young people, integrating personal narratives and movement technique of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company. Striving for authenticity and originality, participants experiment with poetry, memoir and scene writing as well as dance to create performance that blends writing and movement. In all of our work we seek to strengthen empathy for and from ourselves and others. We value collaboration, support, and transforming adversity into assets in our creative expressions.
24 | New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20
We thank Jody and John Arnhold for their generous support of the James Baldwin Live and Elevate programs, positively impacting our dance education efforts in a meaningful and impactful way.
Live Core Member Artists Adrienne Truscott Alexis Hightower Amadi Washington Andrew Pester Anh Vo Ani Taj Anna Rogovoy Annie Heath Ariel Grossman Ashley Yergens ASTRID BAS Ayako Takahashi Barry Kerollis Beau Rhee Bennyroyce Royon Beth Graczyk Beth Jucovy Beverly Tu J. Bouey Carmen Caceres Carolyn Lord Caterina Rago Catherine Cabeen Celeste Lanuza Charles O’Leary Christine Bonansea
Colleen Thomas Curtis Turney Dancing Crane, Inc. Dan Safer David Thomson Dominika Jezewska Elaine Molinaro Ella Rosewood Ellen Robbins Emma Grace Enzo Celli Erin Landers Daria Faïn Gabrielle Revlock Garnet Henderson Georgia Usborne Germaul Barnes Grazia Capri Gwen Welliver Hadar Ahuvia Hannah Straney Henning Rubsam Hope Boykin Ian Spencer Bell Jaamil Kosoko Jacqueline Bulnes
Jacqueline Carnahan Jamal Jackson Epic Motion Dance Company Jared Katzman Real Magic Jennifer Ding Jennifer Nugent Jeremy McQueen Jessica Gaynor Jessica Phillips-Fein Jessie Winograd Joanna Kotze Johanna LjungQvistBrinson Jonathan Gonzalez Jonathan Levine & Vivane Vagh Jon ONeal Jordan Lloyd Joseph Houseal Josmery Brito Julia Antinozzi Julie Ludwick Karen Bernard-Wixon Kathryn Westwater
Live Core Putting creativity front and center, Live Core artists enliven the ecology of performance in New York City and beyond. · 150 Artist Members · Workshops in Marketing, Fundraising & Professional Development · Over $700,000 Raised for Artist Projects
KatieRose McLaughlin Katt Lissard Kayla Hamilton Keira Heu-Jwyn Chang Kelsey Kramer Kennyth Montes de Oca Kal Mansoor The Short Kuts Show Laurel Snyder Liana Conyers Lola Sanchez Loretta Thomas Lotus Fine Arts Production Inc. Louise Reichlin Manuel Vignoulle Mara Isaacs Marcea Daiter Margaret Wagner Marija Krtolica Marijke Eliasberg Mark DeGarmo Melinda Ring Mercedes Searer Merle Lister Michael Bishop
Michael Frank Flight Path Dance Project Michelle Boule Mur Neelima Kakarlapudi Neil Greenberg Nick Kenkel Nicole Philippidis Nicole von Arx Opera Dolce Dolce Paul Mc Clure Peggy Spina Pele Bauch Petra van Noort Puela Lunaris Raja Feather Kelly Rakia Seaborn Ray Mercer Regina Nejman Regine Roy Rourou Ye Ryan Pierce Salvatore LaRussa Samara Gaev Sameena Mitta Sam Kim
Sonali Skandan-Shroff Sonia Freiberg Sophie Sotsky Stuart Meyers Susana Sarangaya Susan Klein Susan Mar Landau Tanya Goldman Tatiana Desardouin Tatyana Tenenbaum Tina Wang Trina Mannino Trinity Kim Schmidt Valerie Browne Walter Dundervill William Blanken Winston Dynamite Brown Yanira Castro H+ | The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory Yehuda Hyman Yuki Hasegawa Thomas Yuki Ishiguro Ze’eva Ludwig
COVID 19 and the Arts Community - “What Do We Do Now???” Supporting our Live Core community during the pandemic through workshops, discussions, and one on one support. On June 24, 2020, New York Live Arts offered a free online workshop for our Live Core artist community in collaboration with our partners Sonders Financial Group. During the workshop, a representative from SFG and our Membership Services and Education Coordinator, Bianca Bailey, discussed unemployment and what steps we can take to conquer this “new normal.”
Artist services at New York Live Arts position us as a creative incubator, network, and platform for artists to propel their ideas forward. Utilizing the resources of New York Live Arts, this program empowers artists to connect with larger audiences, raise funds through fiscal sponsorship, and engage with industry professionals and fellow members to bolster their professional and artistic development. New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20 | 25
BEST PRACTICES As we prepared to reopen, New York Live Arts took extensive measures to make our space safe for staff, artists, audiences, and supporters.
Training has been provided to all staff and employees for the proper use and disposal of PPE and the disinfection and cleaning of personal items.
Our HVAC system has been thoroughly cleaned, HEPA filters are being used, and we have installed Needlepoint Bi-Polar Ionizers (NBPI) in the duct systems. Needlepoint bipolar ionization technology releases charged atoms that attach to and deactivate harmful substances, in air and on surfaces, like bacteria, mold, allergens, and viruses.
Employees and visitors will be required to complete a health survey with contact tracing information prior to each day’s arrival.
Testing at Microchem Laboratory has confirmed 99.92 % reduction in Coronavirus within 30 minutes of exposure to bi-polar ionization technology. All of the carpet was removed from the second and third floor office spaces and the floor was refinished. This will enable us to clean and disinfect daily. Masks will be REQUIRED to enter our building. There is a touch free temperature monitoring system in the lobby to be used upon entry. Hands free sanitizing stations have been installed at all entrances and high traffic areas. The entire building will be disinfected each morning and throughout the day for high touch areas. All CDC recommendations for cleaning and disinfection of the building are being followed. This will include: isolating possible infection areas for up to 24 hours and cleaning and disinfection of all areas that were in use. Procedures will be updated as new CDC recommendations are released.
26 | New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20
Live Arts has publicly affirmed the NYC Stay Well Pledge.
Anyone who develops symptoms of COVID-19, is infected with COVID-19, or reports close contact with infected individuals will not be welcome not attend, should report their situation to their direct supervisor, follow safety protocols, and seek medical evaluation and care. Anyone who develops symptoms will not be welcomed to attend.
FINANCES 13% Fundraising
10% Fundraising
5% Admin
8% Admin
82% Programming
81% Programming
2019-20 Operating Expenses*
2018-19 Operating Expenses
FY20*
Consolidated Balance Sheet
FY19
ASSETS Operating cash accounts Mortgage cash accounts Board designated reserve fund Restricted Cash Income Deff. Maint. & Cap. reserve PPP Loan Funds Treasury Bond Investment Mortgage required reseve fund Unconditional promises to give Unrestricted Restricted for future programs or periods Accounts Receivable Prepaid expenses & other current assets Property & equipment, at cost, net of accum. depreciation Artwork held available for sale
TOTAL ASSETS
$1,687,072 $303,720 $687,724 $6,526 $66,346 $1,882,957 -
$1,704,367 $5,101 $360,629 $244,080 $87,334 $5,765,913 $95,525
$191,500 $2,618,419
$179,450 $3,779,649
$12,383 $111,886 $6,680,522
$31,334 $95,489 $6,608,820
$358,932
$358,932
$14,607,989
$19,316,623
$477,159 $518,376 $545,539 $1,541,074
$302,647 $39,050 $4,612,113 $4,953,810
$9,907,772 $3,159,143 $13,066,915
$9,984,083 $4,378,729 $14,362,812
$14,607,989
$19,316,623
Liabilities and Net Assets Liabilities Accounts payable & accued expenses Deferred revenue Mortgage payable PPP Loan Payable Total Liabilities
Net Assets Unrestricted Temporarily restricted Total net assets
Post-show at Live Arts Photo by Ian Douglas
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
* unaudited as of September 2020
New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20 | 27
STAFF & BOARD New York Live Arts is defined by the people who contribute their time, talents, and financial support to make us the strong organization we are today. We are fortunate to have a dedicated, diverse, and expanding group of exceptional leaders and board members, and hundreds of generous donors. Board of Directors
Stephen Hendel, Co-Chair Richard H. Levy, Co-Chair Helen Haje, Vice Chair Slobodan Randjelović, Vice Chair Alan Marks,Treasurer Alanna Rutherford, Secretary Bill T. Jones, Artistic Director, Ex-Officio Kim Cullen, Executive Director & CEO, Ex-Officio Bjorn Amelan Sarah Arison Charla Jones Colleen Keegan Amy Newman Randy Polumbo Ellen M. Poss Matthew Putman Jane Bovingdon Semel Ruby Shang Catharine R. Stimpson Diana Wege Derek Brown, Board Emeritus Terence Dougherty, Board Emeritus Eleanor Friedman, Board Emeritus
28 | New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20
Staff
Artistic Leadership Bill T. Jones Artistic Director Janet Wong Associate Artistic Director Programming, Producing & Engagement Kyle Maude Producing Director Hannah Emerson Producing Associate Veronica Falborn Producing Associate & Production Stage Manager Production Hillery Makatura Director of Production Kristiana Cowcer Production Manager Lauren Libretti Lighting Supervisor Ryan Naso Technical Director Lindsay Kipnis Stage Manager Gabriel Esparza, Anya Kopischke, Wendy Kraemer, Rachel Kreidberg Production Apprentices Creative Director Bjorn G. Amelan Communications Tyler Ashley Director of Communications Mayadevi Ross Digital Media Coordinator Candystore Communications Assistant Hannah Seiden Front of House Coordinator Julia Antinozzi, Pamyla Cummings, Paulina Meneses, Lydia Perakis, Nehemoyia Young, Allie Zenwirth Front of House Staff Liliana Dirks-Goodman Graphic Designer Pentagram Pro-Bono Branding
Executive Leadership Kim Cullen Executive Director & CEO Development Dave Archuletta Chief Development Officer Ali Burke Individual Giving & Special Events Manager Lisa Willis Institutional Giving Manager Bianca Bailey Member Services & Education Coordinator Cole Adams Development Assistant Hans Rasch Institutional Giving Assistant Finance & Operations Nupur Dey Director of Finance Artlin Hawthorne Finance Associate Gregory English Rentals Coordinator Alden Henderson Facility Services Coordinator Human Resources ADP TotalSource Legal Services Lowenstein Sandler, PC Pro-Bono Counsel
SUPPORT Membership
New York Live Arts Members deepen their experiences as part of the Live Arts audience with ticket discounts, special events and opportunities to learn about the creative and intellectual forces shaping the future. Membership contributions help us create a place that is vital to the social and cultural fabric of New York City.
Patrons Circle
Patrons of New York Live Arts believe in the transformative power of art, and give generously to foster a home for performers at all levels in their career.
Partners for New Performance
Partners for New Performance is a social opportunity for like-minded individuals to support New York Live Arts’ many platforms for new work creation and live gathering. Serving as a cultural lever for societal change, this group will support emerging and mid-career artists in development and presentation of work, as well as New York Live Arts’ cultural engagement programs. Partners for New Performance supports artists and cultural exchange through the following programs: Live Feed, Fresh Tracks, Bill Chats, Open Spectrum Community Dialogues, and the Live Ideas Festival.
Partners in Creation
Partners in Creation (PIC), a benefactor program of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, gives its members a singular level of access to Bill T. Jones’ legendary artistic process and allows them to develop a relationship with one of the preeminent artists of our time. Partners engage with Bill, his collaborators and the members of his company as they travel the intricate and often revelatory journey of creating or re-envisioning signature works. Their participation and financial support preserves artistic freedom and innovation, while ensuring the company’s financial stability during the unpredictable process of creation. Support for New York Live Arts is provided by the Arnhold Foundation, Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund, Con Edison, Joseph and Joan Cullman Foundation for the Arts, Dance/NYC, the Ford Foundation, Harkness Foundation for Dance, Marta Heflin Foundation, Blanchette Hooker Rockefeller Fund, Howard Gilman Foundation, Alice Lawrence Foundation, Samuel M. Levy Family Foundation, Lambent Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, National Performance Network, New England Foundation for the Arts, NYC COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund in the New York Community Trust, Otter, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Jerome Robbins Foundation, The Fan Fox & Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, Scherman Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
Public support for New York Live Arts is from Humanities New York, National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Correction, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. New York Live Arts is supported by public funds from Humanities New York, National Endowment for the Arts, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with City Council with special thanks to Council Member Corey Johnson, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Dance/NYC’s New York City Dance Rehearsal Space Subsidy Program, made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The creation of new work by Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company is made possible in part by the company’s Partners in Creation: Anonymous, Anne Delaney, Zoe Eskin, Eleanor Friedman, Ruth & Stephen Hendel, James C. Hormel & Michael P. Nguyen, Suzanne Karpas, Ellen M. Poss, Jane Bovingdon Semel, in memory of Linda G. Shapiro, Slobodan Randjelović & Jon Stryker. We thank individual supporters: Alex Katz Foundation, Anonymous, Zaire Baptiste & Voodo Fé, Patricia Blanchet, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Brant Foundation, Inc., Claire Danes & Hugh Dancy, David Dechman & Michele Mercure, Zoe Eskin, Adam Flatto, Eleanor Friedman, Lorraine Gallard & Richard H. Levy*, In Loving Memory of Linda Grass Shapiro, Agnes Gund, Helen* & Peter Haje, Alexes Hazen, Ruth & Stephen Hendel*, James C. Hormel & Michael P. Nguyen, Bill T. Jones* & Bjorn Amelan*, Charla Jones*, Suzanne Karpas, Colleen Keegan*, Jonathan D. Lewis & Mark Zitelli, Jeffrey B. & Wendy Liszt, Barbara & Alan D. Marks*, Amy Newman* & Bud Shulman, Julie Orlando, Pace Prints, Phillips, Randy Polumbo*, Ellen M. Poss*, Matthew Putman*, Slobodan Randjelović* & Jon Stryker, Deborah Ronnen, Andrea Rosen, Alanna Rutherford*, Jane Bovingdon Semel* & Terry Semel, Ruby Shang*, Temple St. Clair & Paul Engler, Nina & Gabe Stricker, Pat Stryker, Billie Tsien & Tod Williams, Diana Wege*. * New York Live Arts Board Member For a full list, please see newyorklivearts.org/support/contributors
New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20 | 29
IMPACT The urgency we feel is real. We are particularly sensitive to the difficulties faced by our artistic community, often regarded as non-essential participants. The majority of artists exist in a gig-economy and rely heavily on live gatherings, theatrical productions, classes, and other public events in order to survive. We cannot remove them and their work from the lived experience of the United States. The lack of understanding of the role that artists and arts institutions play in our society is sometimes astonishing. In addition to serving as a huge economic driver, artists and art institutions have always been leaders in the resiliency of our collective spirits, and architects of social cohesion. This is not the time to abandon our artists and the individuals and organizations that make the creation of live art possible. This is the time for commitment and responsibility. If we believe that social distancing is in many ways the opposite of community building, where do we go now? The world is in desperate need of community and this need will grow deeper during the recovery process.
We ask you to join us in making sure that the community of this important space for performance and live gathering survives and thrives as we support work that has the power to remind us what human beings are capable of. Thank you!
Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company in WHAT PROBLEM? Photo by Maria Baranova
30 | New York Live Arts Annual Report FY20
Rashaad Newsome’s The Champion Ball Photo by Maria Baranova
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