Tom Finkelpearl | |
---|---|
Commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs | |
In office April 7, 2014 [1] –December 31, 2019 | |
Mayor | Bill De Blasio |
Preceded by | Kate Levin |
Succeeded by | Gonzalo Casals |
Personal details | |
Born | February 1,1956 |
Nationality | American |
Residence(s) | New York,New York,U.S. |
Education | Phillips Academy Princeton University (BA) 1979 Hunter College (MFA) |
Tom Finkelpearl (born February 1,1956) is an American arts promoter,former museum director,and former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. [2] He was appointed in 2014 by the New York City mayor,Bill de Blasio, [3] and served through the end of 2019. [4]
He graduated from Phillips Academy in Andover,Massachusetts in 1974,from Princeton University in 1979 and from Hunter College (MFA) in 1983.
Before joining city government,Finkelpearl served for 12 years as director of the Queens Museum from 2002 to 2014. [5] While serving as director,he hired community organizers to emphasize the diversity of the immigrant population. [6] He presided over the museum's $68 million renovation effort. [6] He doubled the size of the Queens Museum and saw its budget grow from $2.3 million to $4.9 million. [7] He served under mayor David Dinkins and Rudy Giuliani by running the city's Percent for Art program. [7]
As commissioner,he oversaw city funding of nonprofit arts organizations,and is leading an effort to promote cultural diversity in arts programs citywide. [5] [8] His department is in charge of a $156 million budget. [6] His approach to arts has been described as populist [7] and he sees art and artists as making a valuable contribution to the overall economic health of the city. [9]
In July 2017,Mayor de Blasio and Commissioner Finkelpearl announced the launch of CreateNYC,a 10-year cultural plan to increase access to arts and culture programming in all five boroughs and help make New York's cultural institutions more reflective of the city’s multiethnic,multicultural population, [10] having previously stated that "every corner of this city needs to have art." [11] He introduced a program to offer free access to member institutions using a municipal identification card. [8]
Finkelpearl was criticized for his disagreements with public opinion of two future public monuments in Central Park:a women's suffrage monument that will be the park's first depicting real women,as well as a statue to replace J. Marion Sims,one of the first gynecologists who also performed experimental surgeries on enslaved women. [12]
On October 31,2019,Finkelpearl announced his resignation as Commissioner,effective at the end of 2019. [4]
The Mayor of New York City,officially Mayor of the City of New York,is head of the executive branch of the Government of New York City and the Chief Excutive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services,public property,police and fire protection,most public agencies,and enforces all city and state laws within New York City.
David Norman Dinkins was an American politician,lawyer,and author who served as the 106th Mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993,becoming the first African American to hold the office.
New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) is a nonprofit corporation whose stated mission is to "leverage the City’s assets to create good jobs and drive growth,ensuring equitable and sustainable development across all five boroughs."
Julie Menin is a member of the New York City Council from District 5. Before she was elected to this position,she served as an American attorney,civil servant,non-profit executive,professor and small business owner. In January 2019,she was appointed Director of the Census for NYC and Executive Assistant Corporation Counsel for Strategic Advocacy. Previously,she had worked as the Commissioner of the New York City Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and Commissioner of New York City's Department of Consumer Affairs.
Mary Schmidt Campbell,is an American academic administrator and museum curator. She began her tenure as the 10th president of Spelman College on August 1,2015. Prior to this position,Schmidt Campbell held several positions in New York City's cultural sector.
Public Art Fund is an independent,non-profit arts organization founded in 1977 by Doris C. Freedman. The organization presents contemporary art in New York City's public spaces through a series of highly visible artists' projects,new commissions,installations,and exhibitions that are emblematic of the organization's mission and innovative history.
Bill de Blasio is an American politician who served as the 109th mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party,he held the office of New York City Public Advocate from 2010 to 2013.
Simi Linton is an arts consultant,author,filmmaker,and activist. Her work focuses on disability in the arts,disability studies,and ways that disability rights and disability justice perspectives can be brought to bear on the arts.
The Cultural Institutions Group (CIG) is a coalition of institutions providing cultural and educational resources to the public in New York City that are subsidized by the city. The group originated in the last quarter of the 19th century with planning efforts by New York City to cope with becoming a major city. The organizations joined together in the mid-20th century to discuss and improve working conditions in New York City. Today,the CIG includes 34 cultural institutions.
Eric Ulrich is a former member of the New York City Council representing the 32nd district. His constituency includes the neighborhoods of Belle Harbor,Breezy Point,Broad Channel,Hamilton Beach,Howard Beach,Lindenwood,Neponsit,Ozone Park,Rockaway Beach,Rockaway Park,South Ozone Park and Woodhaven in Queens. He is a Republican.
Thelma Golden is the Director and Chief Curator of The Studio Museum in Harlem,New York City,United States. Golden joined the Museum as Deputy Director for Exhibitions and Programs in 2000 before succeeding Dr. Lowery Stokes Sims,the Museum's former Director and President,in 2005. She is noted as one of the originators of the term Post-Blackness.
The 2013 New York City mayoral election occurred on November 5,2013,along with elections for Comptroller,Public Advocate,Borough President,and members of the New York City Council. The incumbent mayor of New York City,Michael Bloomberg,a Republican-turned-Independent,was term-limited and thus unable to seek re-election to a fourth term in office.
Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel is an American preservationist,historian,author,and television producer. She is an advocate for the preservation of the historic built environment. She has worked in the fields of art,architecture,crafts,historic preservation,fashion,and public policy in the U.S. She is the author of 24 books,numerous articles and essays,and recipient of many honors and awards. She is a former White House Assistant,the first Director of Cultural Affairs in New York City,and the longest serving New York City Landmarks Preservation Commissioner.
Loree K. Sutton is an American psychiatrist and retired military officer who served as a brigadier general in the United States Army. Sutton served for over 20 years and was awarded a Bronze Star. From 2007 to 2010,She was the Army's highest-ranking psychiatrist. In 2014,New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Sutton as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Veterans' Services. Sutton was a candidate in the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary.
Chirlane Irene McCray is an American writer,editor,and activist. She is married to former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and had been described as de Blasio's "closest advisor." She chaired the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City and was appointed by her husband to lead a billion-dollar initiative called ThriveNYC. She has also published poetry and worked in politics as a speechwriter.
The Shed is a cultural center in Hudson Yards,Manhattan,New York City. Opened on April 5,2019,the Shed commissions,produces,and presents a wide range of activities in performing arts,visual arts,and pop culture.
An election for Mayor of New York City was held on November 7,2017. Incumbent Democrat Bill de Blasio won reelection to a second term with 66.2% of the vote against Republican Nicole Malliotakis.
Gonzalo E. Casals is an Argentine-American museum director and professor based in New York City. He is the former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs,and previously held the executive director position at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art in New York. He was the Vice President of Programs and Community Engagement at Friends of the High Line,as well as the Deputy and Interim Director of El Museo del Barrio in East Harlem. He is a resident of Jackson Heights,Queens.
Dave Ashok Chokshi is an American physician and former public health official who served as the 43rd health commissioner of New York City. He is the first health commissioner of Asian descent. Chokshi previously served as the inaugural chief population health officer for NYC Health + Hospitals and as a White House fellow in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
Vincent Sapienza is an American civil servant who is serving as the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.