Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts has announced the expansion of its “Lincoln Center Activate” initiative, offering arts professionals in education and community engagement the chance to develop their creative and professional skills with the intent to spark change throughout the arts.

The initiative will focus itself around a single prompt: “How do we achieve radical welcoming that will help us rebuild and reconnect? How do we create spaces that foster belonging?”

Last year, a network of thousands of arts professionals from over 30 countries virtually came together to connect during the pandemic. Now, “Activate” is expanding into a year-round program of explorations, beginning with a week-long series of virtual and in-person events on July 12, 2021. The workshops will be led by Dr. Emdin, the New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, New York Library for the Performing Arts, artist Andrew Miller, and more.

Among the events will be “Make a Joyful Noize,” described as a multimedia universe created by Soul Science Lab which blends music, film, interviews, spoken word, and dance. Dr. Emdin, who led the spring program in exploring and reimagining education in the arts, will collaborate with a team of technical experts to design a prototype classroom environment, said to integrate the tenets of radical welcoming. The endeavor comes as part of Dr. Emdin’s work with Lincoln Center’s new R&D Lab for the arts, The Collider.

“The practice of putting extraordinary effort and emphasis on making people feel welcome, on being open to new ideas and fresh collaborations, is our focus for ‘Activate’ this year,” said Jean E. Taylor, Assistant Director of Education at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. “For the arts, in particular, we know that there can be many barriers to participation. Some of these are practical, but some may be less clear. We must hold this consciousness in our commitment, find the roots that will allow us to truly achieve belonging, and do so in concert with our extraordinary network of teachers and learners.”