Arlene Shuler will step down as president and CEO at New York City Center at the end of the 2021–2022 season. She has held the position since June 2003.
Many of the cultural institution’s developments during Shuler’s tenure trace back to Shuler’s time as a member of The Joffrey Ballet, during which she would perform at the midtown venue. During her second year as president and CEO, she established the Fall for Dance Festival, with the goal of building a new audience for the art form and championing rising companies and artists not traditionally given the opportunity to perform on such a stage. Several international companies have taken up residency at the venue since, including Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures.
City Center also expanded its popular Encores! series during Shuler’s leadership, including the launch of the Encores! Off-Center summer programming and gala presentations of Sunday in the Park With George, A Chorus Line, and Evita.
Prior to New York City Center, Shuler’s career in arts administration saw her in leadership positions at the National Endowment for the Arts, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, and Lincoln Center.
“City Center has been part of my life for almost as long as I can remember, first as a young dancer to a frequent audience member and then leading this historic institution for nearly two decades,” she said in a statement. “It has truly been a privilege and the opportunity of my lifetime. To see how much has been accomplished is just so gratifying.”
The board of directors has formed a search committee to determine a successor.
