CI to Eye with Monica Holt Shanta Thake on Curiosity, Collaboration, and Building the Next Chapter of Lincoln Center
Oct 30, 2025
Shanta Thake, Chief Artistic Officer at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, shares her vision for democratizing arts programming and enhancing community connection. She discusses transformative initiatives like Summer for the City, aimed at boosting civic engagement through arts. Shanta reflects on her journey from the Public Theater to Lincoln Center, emphasizing collaboration over silos and the importance of community input in projects like the West Side Expansion. Her insights highlight the vital role of the arts in promoting wellbeing and innovation in a post-pandemic landscape.
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From Aspiring Actress To Joe's Pub Leader
- Shanta Thake moved to NYC in 2002 to be an actress but quickly found a home at The Public as an intern and Joe's Pub downstairs.
- She stayed, learned by showing up, and later spent 16 years programming and leading Joe's Pub.
Democratize Curation Across Many Voices
- No single curator can represent a city's full taste; curation should be distributed across many voices.
- Lincoln Center makes curation visible by inviting artist-curators and elevating diverse perspectives.
One Festival To Build Cross‑Community Audiences
- Summer for the City unified separate festivals into one nine-week civic festival to reach broader audiences.
- The festival aims to connect people across tastes rather than algorithmically segmenting them.