Preface ｜ Beyond the Formula: It’s All About the People
I arrived in New York as a Fulbright scholar with a suitcase full of notebooks and a naïve ambition: to decode the “secret sauce” behind this global cultural capital. I assumed there must be a formula—a replicable, teachable Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that I could bring back to Taiwan as a blueprint for cultural development.
New York dismantled that illusion quickly. Within weeks, it became clear that the city’s cultural vitality does not stem from a flawless SOP. Instead, it pulses through people—living, contradictory, passionate, and resilient individuals. They maneuver through rigid systems, carve out creative space amid scarcity, and quietly shape the city’s cultural landscape from their own vantage points.
This report records those encounters. It is not a dry compilation of policy clauses, but a collection of conversations—held in conference rooms, backstage corridors, and neighborhood cafés. My fieldwork stretched from Manhattan’s concrete jungle to the Freedom Trail in Boston, and onward to the historic battlefields of Pennsylvania and Virginia. These landscapes lent historical resonance to contemporary New York, revealing how ideals, endurance, and collective effort continue to sustain its cultural ecosystem.
To understand these people, one must first examine the system they rely on—and, in true New Yorker fashion, constantly complain about.
The Engine Room ｜ A Funding System Designed for Productive Friction
New York City’s cultural ecology is defined by a deliberately segmented public funding system. Rather than bundling diverse needs together, the system separates them into distinct tracks, sharpening professional evaluation and shaping strategic behavior among arts organizations.
The Three‑Track Funding Structure
New York’s cultural budget flows through three primary channels:
- Capital (Infrastructure)
Supports building renovations, expansions, and equipment upgrades. Applicants must submit detailed business plans demonstrating five‑ to ten‑year operational sustainability. Funding is often multi‑year, with inflation risks borne by applicants. - Program (Artistic & Community)
Annual competitive grants supporting artistic production and community engagement. Award levels fluctuate based on budget availability and proposal quality. - Percent for Art (Public Art)
Allocates a fixed percentage of public construction budgets to public art, embedding culture into everyday urban life.
This clear separation contrasts sharply with Taiwan’s frequent mixing of hardware and software funding, a practice that often blurs professional standards and weakens long‑term planning.
Major Tenants vs. Independent Applicants ｜ A Shifting Dynamic
The ecosystem is shaped by two major groups:
- Cultural Institution Groups (CIGs): 39 large institutions—such as Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art—operating on city‑owned land and receiving stable, line‑item funding for facilities and overhead.
- Program Applicants: Independent organizations and artists who must reapply annually for project‑based funding.
Historically, CIGs dominated cultural budgets through political leverage. Over the past two decades, however, a strategic shift occurred. Large institutions and smaller organizations stopped competing over a fixed pie and instead lobbied collectively. This alliance expanded the Program budget from USD 10 million to USD 40 million, strengthening the entire ecosystem.
Portraits of Cultural Pathbreakers
1. The Founder ｜ Process Over Product
Barbara Zinn Krieger
Founder, New York City Children’s Theater (NYCCT)
Barbara founded NYCCT as a counterweight to the commercialization of children’s entertainment. She believes theater for young audiences should provoke critical thinking rather than serve as mere distraction.
Her philosophy—Process over Product—means productions often take two to three years to develop, prioritizing script commissions and workshops over quick results. Her advice to young artists is simple yet expansive:
“Follow your heart. Say yes. You never know where opportunity will take you.”
2. The Builder ｜ Digging Deep to Build High
Cathy Hung
Executive Director, NYCCT
Cathy’s professional trajectory reflects a broader immigrant experience. Feeling constrained by hierarchical structures in Taiwan, she rebuilt her career in New York through persistence and long-term commitment, and was recently recognized by City & State magazine as one of the 2025 Trailblazers in Arts and Culture.
She was also named to the Arts and Culture Power 100 in 2024 and recognized as a Power Player in Arts & Culture by PoliticsNY and amNewYork.
3. The Bridge‑Builder ｜ Three Buckets and One Surprise
Karen Newell & Andrew M. Alness Olson
Mid Atlantic Arts
Karen frames corporate funding through three distinct buckets:
- Marketing
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
- Foundations
Each comes with different expectations and success metrics. Her fundraising mantra—“Promise less, deliver more”—prioritizes long‑term relationships over transactional requests.
Andrew adds a sobering observation on international exchange: the greatest barriers are often not artistic ambition, but the slow and costly U.S. visa system.
4. The Activist ｜ Art as Social Action
Dennis Lee & Lin Shih‑Pao
Dennis critiques Taiwan’s creative scene for playing it too safe. Artist Lin Shih‑Pao responds through direct action. Via One Paint Ukraine, Lin has produced over 1,500 paintings to fund humanitarian aid.
His next project—casting a peace bell from missile debris—aims to transform remnants of violence into a lasting resonance for peace.
The Soul of the Machine ｜ History as Cultural Backbone
Tracing American cultural resilience led me through Boston, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Standing on revolutionary routes and battlefields, I sensed a confidence rooted in the willingness to fight for ideals, endure failure, and self‑correct.
George Washington’s perseverance at Valley Forge embodies this ethos. That same spirit echoes in New York’s cultural funding battles today: activists challenge norms, immigrants dig foundations, and institutions collaborate to expand shared resources.
Conclusion ｜ Keep Digging
After three months, I found no universal SOP. New York’s cultural strength lies in a shared belief in progress, experimentation, and collective effort.
The founders, administrators, and activists I met share one defining trait: they keep digging foundations, often far from the spotlight.
For Taiwan, the lesson is not to replicate New York’s policies, but to cultivate an environment that allows friction, encourages debate, and establishes clear rules so confidence can grow organically. Perhaps most crucial is learning to recognize—and protect—our own community of diggers: those willing to do the invisible work that sustains culture.
Acknowledgements
This report was made possible through the generous support of the Fulbright‑Taiwan Ministry of Culture Arts Professionals Program.
I extend my sincere gratitude to the many professionals across New York City’s arts and cultural ecosystem who shared their time and insights.
Special thanks to:
Barbara Zinn Krieger, Cathy Hung, Karen Newell, Andrew M. Alness Olson, Li‑Hsiang Huang, Dennis Lee, Shih‑Pao Lin, Madeline Calandrillo, Aurie Ceylon, and Remy Feldman.
Particular appreciation goes to Cathy Hung, Executive Director of New York City Children’s Theater, whose guidance exemplifies Taiwanese cultural leadership on the international stage.
With Gratitude
Thank you to New York City Children’s Theater (NYCCT) for generously hosting my Fulbright research in New York and for the openness, trust, and support throughout this journey.
