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Lincoln Center Launches Outdoor Civic Hub and Announces Transformation of its Space as Part of SNF-LC Agora Initiative

Apr 13, 2021
Four people play french horns outside of the Lincoln Center
Source: Lincoln Center
Restart Stages, a new effort from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, launched last week on World Health Day. Today, as part of the effort, Lincoln Center announced a commission to set designer and MacArthur Fellow Mimi Lien to create a park-like installation, “The GREEN,” transforming a huge plaza on its campus into a new sort of public space.

Made possible through the Stavros Niarchos Foundation-Lincoln Center (SNF-LC) Agora Initiative, a collaboration to reactivate and reimagine public space in the new era we’re entering, Restart Stages aims to transform Lincoln Center’s campus into a hub of arts access and civic engagement. Ten new outdoor venues will host music and dance performances, film screenings, cultural events, a reading room, and public services like food bank distributions.

“Remaking this space is an invitation to New Yorkers see their surroundings in new ways, to rethink public spaces so that they truly welcome and work for everyone,” said SNF Co-President Andreas Dracopoulos. “Making the familiar unfamiliar as a catalyst for necessary change is one of the most important roles art can play, and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation is very proud to be a part of this effort. We can’t wait to experience, along with everyone else in the city, what Mimi Lien and Lincoln Center create.”

The launch celebration, in recognition of World Health Day and the immeasurable contribution of health workers during the pandemic and beyond, included a special performance for health workers. Re-envisioning public spaces and arts activities in a way meets current public health needs is a core element of the SNF-LC Agora Initiative.

“Though we’re calling it a restart, we know that the creative spirit that animates New York never stopped; it was only awaiting its chance to burst forth refreshed, as it does here today,” said Group SNF Chief Administrative Officer and New York Chief Financial Officer Vasili Tsamis. “And we know that something deeper and bigger is happening here at Lincoln Center than simply returning to the old ways.”

In December 2020, SNF announced support for the SNF-LC Agora Initiative as part of its $100 million global COVID-19 relief initiative. This summer, the Faces of the Hero exhibition, the inaugural collaboration between the Lincoln Center and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Athens as part of the initiative, will come to both institutions.

A rendered image of people relaxing within a green space
"The Green" designed by Mimi Lien; rendering by Timothy Leung
A man makes a speech in front of a band
Vasili Tsamis, SNF Chief Administrative Officer & New York Chief Financial Officer - Source: Lincoln Center
Two people playing musical instruments outside Lincoln Center
Source: Lincoln Center
A man playing the horn outside of the Lincoln Center
Source: Lincoln Center
A woman plays the flute outside of the Lincoln Center
Source: Lincoln Center
Three people tend to artificial sheep outside the Lincoln Center
Source: Lincoln Center
A man talks into the microphone
Vasili Tsamis, SNF Chief Administrative Officer & New York Chief Financial Officer - Source: Lincoln Center
A man plays the trombone outside the Lincoln Center
Source: Lincoln Center
Three people play musical instruments in front of a seated crowd outside of the Lincoln Center
Source: Lincoln Center
A man plays the french horn in front of a seated crowd outside of the Lincoln Center
Source: Lincoln Center
A 3D model of a green area where people sit and relax
"The Green" designed by Mimi Lien; rendering by Timothy Leung
Restart Stages at Lincoln Center
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