The pandemic has brought a series of changes to Manhattan’s Baryshnikov Art Center, forcing it to find new ways to connect with the public, including canceling two years of live performances and launching a streaming platform.
Now, as we look to the next chapter, the center announced on Friday that it has chosen a new executive director: Sonja Kostich, a veteran arts director and dancer. He will replace Cora Cahan, a dynamic person in arts management who is on the job.
Kostich, who is now chief executive and artistic director of Kurtsbahn, a cultural park in Tivoli, New York, said in interviews that he wants to expand audiences and attract a wide variety of artists to the group’s residencies and other programs. She plans to start in October.
“It should be an art center for everyone,” said Kostich, 50. “I want it to be a place where everyone wants to come, whether you’re a die-hard dance fan or someone from a completely different field.”
With an annual operating budget of $3.5 million and a staff of more than 12, the center was founded in 2005 by ballet star Mikhail Baryshnikov, who fled the Soviet Union in 1974 and took the dance world by surprise. He praised Kostich’s choice, saying she had the expertise to lead the center during the pandemic and beyond.
“We are honored to have her bring her talents to BAC. We are confident that her creative vision, financial knowledge and love for the arts are exactly what BAC needs for the future.” I do,” he said in a statement.
The center, which presents dance, music and other programs, resumed live performances in March, later than many other performing arts groups.
In 2020, when the coronavirus forced cultural institutions to suspend live performances, the center turned its focus to digital works as a way to stay organized and encourage artists to continue producing during the pandemic. We have started a commissioned program.
The fall season kicks off in October with a series of salon concerts. Among the performers are the string quartet Owls and the brass quartet Westerlys.