Lincoln Center: Celebrating 50 Years, the first exhibition to focus exclusively on the evolution and influence of America's first performing arts center, will feature an extensive collection of some 400 historic and contemporary objects including photographs, ephemera, correspondence, costumes, set pieces, props and video recordings. Curated by Thomas Mellins, co-author of the book New York 1960, the free exhibition will be presented at the Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center in collaboration with Lincoln Center, October 15, 2009 through January 16, 2010. Mr. Mellins will discuss key exhibition themes in a free lecture on opening day, October 15 at 6:00 pm in the Library's Bruno Walter Auditorium.
From its inception in the mid 1950s, Lincoln Center has been a powerful symbol of New York's core substance and style. Its scale, its architecture and urbanism, its concentration of talent culled from the realms of government, philanthropy, academia, architecture, art, and a broad spectrum of the performing arts, all powerfully embody main currents that run throughout New York City's history and collective character. Lincoln Center: Celebrating 50 Years will show the complex and symbiotic relationship between Lincoln Center and New York City over the course of a half century and the key role Lincoln Center has played in New York's development as an international cultural capital.
The exhibition will explore seven themes in connection with Lincoln Centers history: origins and urban renewal, architecture, iconic personalities, landmark performances, innovative technologies, media and commerce, and educational initiatives. Among the substantial range of objects on display featuring all 12 of Lincoln Centers resident organizations, some highlights include Leonard Bernsteins concert tuxedo, a signed copy of John Adams' score “On the Transmigration of Souls," the feathered and sequined gown Beverly Sills wore at her farewell gala performance, a poster designed by Andy Warhol for the fifth New York Film Festival in 1967, and the iconic yellow dress from Lincoln Center Theater's Tony award-winning production, Contact.
“Many people who visit the exhibit will come equipped with memories of favorite artists or performances and will find a number of them represented. In that respect, the exhibit will reach across time to bring those memories to life," says exhibit curator Thomas Mellins. “In addition to this sense of familiarity, what will be surprising is the kaleidoscopic array of offerings not only in all of Lincoln Center's lively arts, but also in terms of its scholarly resources, pioneering film series, its ambitious visual arts program, and a dynamic architecture that continues to evolve as the worlds leading performing arts center embraces the 21st century."
Exhibition Themes
Origins: Historic photographs, objects, reports and press clippings will document the origins of Lincoln Center as it evolved from the far-sighted dream of its founders into the performing arts leader it is today. Images and memorabilia from the May 14, 1959 Groundbreaking Ceremony, including a signed photograph of President Dwight D. Eisenhower breaking ground on the site as well as the very shovel he wielded at the event, will be among the items on display.
Architecture: A selection of architectural renderings and photographed models will offer a full look at Lincoln Center's architecture and planning from the original vision of the late 1950s to the current revitalization projects now underway. Unrealized schemes in the form of ink sketches and watercolor prints will also be presented.
Personalities: The cast of luminaries that have shaped Lincoln Center's history will be brought to life in a wide selection of rare performance images, video excerpts and personal correspondences. Those who will be highlighted include Leonard Bernstein, Beverly Sills, Julius Rudel, John D. Rockefeller, George Balanchine, Pierre Boulez, Rudolph Bing, Placido Domingo, Alan Gilbert, Leontyne Price, Luciano Pavarotti, James Levine, Lincoln Kirstein, Lorin Maazel, Wynton Marsalis, Peter Martins, Audra McDonald and Jessye Norman, among others.
Performances: The landmark performances and commissions that have come to define Lincoln Center as the world's leading performing arts center will be documented in breathtaking photographs and set pieces as well as signed scores, programs, memorabilia and selections of striking costumes and intricate set designs. Among those items on display, an oversized set piece of a fanciful character, designed by Maurice Sendak for New York City Opera's production of The Love for Three Oranges, will be a powerful presence within the gallery space.
Technology: Behind-the-scenes photographs, video clips and documents will illuminate Lincoln Center's historic and continuing dedication to innovative technology. From its pioneering role in introducing opera supertitles to its award winning broadcast series Live From Lincoln Center and The Met: Live in HD, Lincoln Centers pursuit of state-of-the-art technology has been and continues to be a vital ingredient in Lincoln Center's defining synthesis of innovation and tradition.
Education: Lincoln Center's strong commitment to arts education will also be highlighted. Photographs of artists who trained and studied at Lincoln Center will include a youthful Martin Scorsese, winner at the Film Society's first National Student Film Festival in 1965, a young Darci Kistler in class at the School of American Ballet with teacher Suki Schorer, as well as Van Cliburn, Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, and Robin Williams during their Juilliard years. Also on view will be student art work and letters as well a listing of musical cues for a 1962 Young People's Concert notated front and back with Leonard Bernstein's own edits.
Media and Commerce: The role of the press and the city's commercial interests in promoting and marketing Lincoln Center will be documented with media featuring department store window displays designed in tribute to Lincoln Center and a line of ladies' hats inspired by the architecture of Lincoln Center's buildings. Advertisements and cartoons will demonstrate how Lincoln Center has entered the popular imagination and become an instantly recognizable symbol of the cultural life of the city.
Exhibition Location and Hours
The Donald and Mary Oenslager Gallery of the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza. Exhibition hours are Monday and Thursday from 12:00pm to 8pm; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11:00am to 6pm; and Saturday from 10am to 6:00pm; closed Sundays and holidays. Admission is free. For exhibition information, call 212.870.1630 or visit the Library's website at www.nypl.org/lpa.
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center houses the world's most extensive combination of circulating, reference, and rare archival collections in its field. Its divisions are the Circulating Collections, Jerome Robbins Dance Division, Music Division, Billy Rose Theatre Division, and the Rodgers & Hammerstein Archives of Recorded Sound. The materials in its collections are available free of charge, along with a wide range of special programs, including exhibitions, seminars, and performances. An essential resource for everyone with an interest in the arts -- whether professional or amateur -- the Library is known particularly for its prodigious collections of non-book materials such as historic recordings, videotapes, autograph manuscripts, correspondence, sheet music, stage designs, press clippings, programs, posters, and photographs.
The New York Public Library
The New York Public Library was created in 1895 with the consolidation of the private libraries of John Jacob Astor and James Lenox with the Samuel Jones Tilden Trust. The Library provides free and open access to its physical and electronic collections and information, as well as to its services. Its renowned research collections are located in the The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center; Stephen A. Schwarzman Building at Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street; the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem; and the Science, Industry and Business Library at 34th Street and Madison Avenue. Eighty-seven branch libraries provide access to circulating collections and a wide range of other services in neighborhoods throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Research and circulating collections combined total more than 50 million items. In addition, each year the Library presents thousands of exhibitions and public programs, which include classes in technology, literacy, and English for speakers of other languages. The New York Public Library serves more than 17 million patrons who come through its doors annually; the Library's website, www.nypl.org, receives 25 million visits annually from users in more than 200 countries.
Lincoln Center's 50th Anniversary
Fifty years ago, Lincoln Center pioneered the concept of a performing arts campus as a catalyst for urban renewal and played a significant role in reviving its Upper West Side neighborhood. Now a model for performing arts centers around the world, Lincoln Center is home to twelve world class resident organizations representing the highest standards of excellence in opera, symphonic and chamber music, theater, jazz, dance, film, and arts education.
Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. (LCPA), serves three primary roles: presenter of superb artistic programming, national leader in arts and education and community relations, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. As a presenter of over 400 events annually, LCPA's programs include American Songbook, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Midsummer Night Swing, the Mostly Mozart Festival, and Live From Lincoln Center. In addition, LCPA is leading a series of major capital projects on behalf of the resident organizations across the campus.
Lincoln Center is committed to providing and improving accessibility for people with disabilities. For information, call the Department of Programs and Services for People with Disabilities at (212) 875-5375.
The exhibition is generously underwritten by BNY Mellon.
Movado is an Official Sponsor of Lincoln Center, Inc.
WNBC/WNJU are Official Broadcast Partners of Lincoln Center, Inc.
Continental Airlines is the Official Airline of Lincoln Center, Inc.
Nokia is the Official Mobile Equipment Provider of Lincoln Center, Inc.
MetLife is the National Sponsor of Lincoln Center, Inc.
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts gratefully acknowledges the leadership support of Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman. Additional support for exhibitions has been provided by Judy R. and Alfred A. Rosenberg and the Miriam and Harold Steinberg Foundation.
