The Future We Create Mural to be Unveiled at Lincoln Center

Image Courtesy of Lincoln Center

The Future We Create Mural to be Unveiled at Lincoln Center

Designed by artist Vanesa Álvarez and assistant artist Derval Fairweather, the artwork was created in collaboration with dozens of community members

On April 13, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) will celebrate the unveiling of a new community-inspired mural, The Future We Create. Installed along Amsterdam Avenue and 62^nd Street, the mural will adorn the construction fencing along the perimeter of Damrosch Park, marking an important milestone in the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Lincoln Center West Initiative.  

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Lincoln Center West Initiative opens Lincoln Center more fully to the city, transforming the western side of campus into a place of welcome, discovery, and daily encounter, with construction beginning in spring of 2026. When open in 2028, the future performance gardens will be a vibrant public destination for gathering, culture, and outstanding free performances, and a new way to experience the arts in the heart of New York.

Designed by artist Vanesa Álvarez and assistant artist Derval Fairweather in collaboration with the public art nonprofit ArtBridge, the mural is a cornerstone of a participatory planning process that engaged local residents, NYCHA neighbors, students and community stakeholders. Through a series of workshops and conversations led by Álvarez, community members helped shape the themes and imagery reflected in the final design.

The mural arrives as construction begins this spring. This campus transformation will remove barriers separating Lincoln Center from Amsterdam Avenue and create welcoming new entrances, vibrant community garden spaces and a world-class outdoor performance venue. The project is slated for opening in summer 2028.

“I’m so thrilled to unveil The Future We Create,” said artist Vanesa Álvarez. “This is more than a piece of art—it’s a story. Behind this mural is a history of community: of joy, of color, of people spending time together, creating together, believing in the arts, and being part of making it.”

“I am honored to be part of this project that is deeply personal to me,” said assistant artist Derval Fairweather. “I grew up around Lincoln Center and the Amsterdam Houses, so being involved in this work truly feels like a homecoming. It’s been a joy to help create a piece of art that brings the community together and points toward a welcoming future where the neighborhood continues to thrive.”

“This mural reflects the joy and pride of New Yorkers and, in particular, of our immediate neighbors,” said Mariko Silver, President and CEO of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. “Together, we’re re-imagining what this campus can be and how we will weave the arts into everyday life. We’re grateful to everyone who contributed to this design and look forward to embarking on this next phase together.”

“Public art has immense power to transform spaces into places of connection and mutual understanding,” said Stephen Pierson, Executive Director of ArtBridge. “This mural is a reflection of the voices, history, and creativity of the community surrounding Lincoln Center. Through our collaboration with Lincoln Center and artists Vanesa Álvarez and Derval Fairweather, we’ve helped turn a construction site into a canvas that invites everyone to see themselves as part of Lincoln Center’s future.”

 
 About ArtBridge

ArtBridge is a New York City-based nonprofit that transforms urban infrastructure, such as construction sites, into canvases for public art and community expression. Through deep partnerships with local artists, residents, developers, and city agencies, ArtBridge creates site-specific installations that reflect neighborhood identity and foster connection. Since 2009, ArtBridge has completed over 100 public art projects across NYC.

 About Lincoln Center

Lincoln Center is a premier performing arts center and iconic civic cultural campus. A beacon for the arts in New York City and around the world, Lincoln Center believes the arts are fundamental to our humanity and should be accessible to all — connecting us to one another, expanding our individual and collective imaginations, and elevating our spirit. Opened in 1962, the 16-acre campus is home to eleven resident arts organizations dedicated to uplifting the role of art and artists in our society, providing a destination for global artistic voices, training the next generation of great artists, and creating unforgettable experiences for all New Yorkers: The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Film at Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Juilliard School, Lincoln Center Theater, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and School of American Ballet. Lincoln Center welcomes millions of people for thousands of performances each year, anchoring New York City’s legendary creative life and greatly impacting its civic and economic wellbeing.

About Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts 

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) is a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring the Lincoln Center campus is a destination that welcomes all — where every visitor, whether a native New Yorker or New Yorker for a day, can find inspiration, artistic innovation, and community in the creative achievements realized on campus. Year-round, we offer robust seasons of programming, representing a broad spectrum of performing arts disciplines and complementing the artistic and educational activities of the 10 fellow resident arts organizations with whom we share a home. LCPA presents hundreds of programs each year, offered primarily for free and Choose-What-You-Pay, helping ensure that the arts are at the center of civic life for all. 

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) is a Founding Partner of the 

SNF-Lincoln Center West Initiative’s visionary process, building upon their support of 

free programming throughout Summer for the City and the ongoing Legacies of San Juan Hill initiative

Contemporary Dance is made possible by the Pasculano Collaborative for Contemporary Dance – Lynne and Richard Pasculano, Founding Donors

NewYork-Presbyterian is the Official Hospital of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

United is the Preferred Airline of Lincoln Center Presents

Steinway & Sons is the Preferred Piano Partner of Lincoln Center

Lead support for Lincoln Center Presents is provided by the Ford Foundation

Major support is provided by the Mellon Foundation and The Shubert Foundation

Additional support is provided by Park Lane New York

We are grateful to our Board of Directors for their leadership and generous support in making our work possible

Operation of Lincoln Center’s public plazas is supported in part with public funds provided by the City of New York

Programs are made possible, in part, with public funds provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor, Mayor of the City of New York, the New York State Legislature and the New York City Council

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