Metropolitan Museum receives $10m donation to help fund performance art scheme
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has been given $10 million donation from philanthropist Adrienne Arsht, who has pledged the funds towards their Met Live Art series.
The series by the New York museum has previously included a performance from Patti Smith. Meanwhile, the current 2022/23 series of Met Live Art features the premiere in January 2023 of Songs in Flight with Rhiannon Giddens and also spectacles thanks to poet Crystal Simone Smith and composer Shawn Okpebholo.
Previously speaking about the current season, Limor Tomer, Lulu C. and Anthony W. Wang, General Manager of Live Arts, commented: “This season we invite a group of singular artists – all very different from one another – to see and feel the collection, source inspiration, discover what resonates with their practice, and then translate that experience into moving performances that connect the artists with audiences in new ways.”
Now, thanks to Arsht’s funding, they can continue to bring immersive live art experiences for many more years. In a statement, the philanthropist said the donation will allow the Met to “continue to embrace resilience as a primary organising principle, creating opportunities for trail-blazing artists to conceive daring and innovative work, and encouraging audiences to see the world through a different lens”.
The 80-year-old has been the saviour for many cultural spaces across America. In 2008, she donated $30 million to Miami’s Performing Arts Center, which was subsequently renamed after Arsht. Meanwhile, she also handed $10 million to the Lincoln Center in New York in 2012 and also recently provided $10 million to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
Arsht has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with the Met and has previously helped fund projects, including their first sound installation, the Vessel Orchestra by Oliver Beer.
