How New York City became a global arts capital — and how we can keep it that way

New York City is a stage, with all New Yorkers as players. For decades, art has occurred on the city’s stages and its streets, sparking participation and connection among residents. The arts have revitalized our democracy and served as a release valve in charged political crises. Following three main themes—who the arts are for, who pays, and where they occur—Julia L. Foulkes takes us behind the curtain and into the intertwining world of artists, politicians, and philanthropists. As she charts the institutions and policies that rooted the arts in the city's infrastructure, she reveals how New Yorkers developed a new form of cultural democracy. The construction of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in the late 1950s and ‘60s symbolized the City’s increased attention to the performing arts but at an imperial scale. Backlash to its grandeur and cost prompted more attempts to broaden access and spread the arts through dedicated support in the city’s budget. These efforts moved the arts to a central role in the economy, shaped the architectural look of the city, drew people from around the world as artists and tourists, and channeled political expression and participation.

New York became a Culture City not by destiny or by accident. New Yorkers fought to widen accessibility, secure public funding, build and then move beyond grand institutions. They came to define themselves not only by their creativity and vision, but by their desire to share that vision with all. But the rise of authoritarianism and dramatic wealth inequality threatens to knock the city off its creative foundations. As theaters close and artists relocate elsewhere, Culture City tells the story of what New Yorkers have created, compromised, and fought for—and what they may lose.