Tom Finkelpearl Selected as Featured Speaker at Purchase College

The School of the Arts at Purchase College, SUNY, is pleased to announce that Tom Finkelpearl, the former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, will be presenting this year’s Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture. His lecture will focus on Progressive Cultural Policy and Social Justice.

This free event will take place on Tuesday, March 24 at 6:30 pm in the Humanities Theatre at Purchase College.

Tom Finkelpearl is the former Commissioner of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA). In this role he oversaw City funding for non-profit arts organizations across the five boroughs and directs cultural policy for the City of New York. Under his leadership, DCLA embarked on major new efforts to advance equity in the cultural sector, including a cultural workforce diversity initiative to promote a more inclusive arts sector; a collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania’s Social Impact of the Arts Project to examine the effects of culture on New York’s communities; and, alongside Mayor de Blasio, the launch of CreateNYC, NYC’s first-ever comprehensive cultural plan. Prior to his work at DCLA, he served as director of the Queens Museum for 12 years.

Lorenzo Candelaria, Dean of the School of the Arts, said, “At Purchase College, we encourage our students to use their talents for the public good, to promote more inclusive cultural policies, and to widen the arts landscape. This year's annual Jandon Business of the Arts lecturer, Tom Finkelpearl, perfectly embodies those values. We look forward to hearing from him as he inspires a new generation of arts leaders.”

Established in 2012 through a generous gift from the Jandon Foundation to mark the occasion of Donald Cecil’s 85th birthday, the Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture Fund supports bringing notable leaders in the arts to speak at Purchase College and helps students in the Arts Management program and arts conservatories to develop relationships with accomplished professionals who are practicing in the fields of study in which they aspire to practice. This endowed lecture reflects Don’s lifelong commitment to excellence in education, leadership in business, and passion for the arts. The Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture Fund also supports the Jandon Business of the Arts Student Achievement Award, which is given to a student in the Arts Management B.A. program. This year’s recipient is Sonya Rio-Glick. Over the past years, the Jandon Lecture series has highlighted the world of noted leaders, scholars, authors, and public figures from New York City and around the globe.

For updates, please refer to www.purchase.edu/jandon.

About Arts Management and Entrepreneurship in the Arts at Purchase College

The Arts Management and Entrepreneurship in the Arts programs at Purchase College offer a strategic mix of classroom-based and experiential learning opportunities to prepare thoughtful, innovative, and dynamic professionals across the creative industries. Offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees, the programs are led by a faculty of scholars and field practitioners, emphasizing rigorous critical inquiry while developing the problem-solving and communication skills necessary to engage meaningfully as arts managers and entrepreneurs in an ever-changing environment.

About the School of the Arts

The School of the Arts at Purchase College provides the highest level of education and professional training in both established and emerging fields in the arts. The School prepares students for careers by emphasizing technique, history, inquiry, and innovation: thereby engaging the next generation of cultural producers and managers with a dialogue about the future. Purchase alumni work to instill broad public value for the arts through the creation and investigation of culture in New York City and beyond: they can be found working in major and emerging organizations around the world.

About Purchase College, SUNY

Purchase College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) network of 64 universities and colleges, was founded in 1967 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller. His aspiration for Purchase was to create a dynamic campus that combined conservatory training in the visual and performing arts with programs in the liberal arts and sciences, in order to inspire an appreciation for both intellectual and artistic talents in all students. Today, Purchase College, SUNY is a community of students, faculty, and friends where open-minded engagement with the creative process leads to a lifetime of intellectual growth and professional opportunity. For more information about the College, visit www.purchase.edu.