Lincoln Center Commissions Work By Kambui Olujimi, Marking Decade Of Free Performances

Lincoln Center's David Rubenstein Atrium is marking a decade as home to free, eclectic performances and public gathering space. To mark the milestone, Lincoln Center has commissioned interdisciplinary and highly imaginative Brooklyn-born visual artist Kambui Olujimi to create an original video work that will premiere November 19 at 8pm ET on Lincoln Center's Facebook and Instagram account, @LincolnCenter.

The Atrium, a successful public-private partnership, is one of over 500 Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS) in New York City. Managed by Lincoln Center, the location is home to programming featuring artistic voices from a range of cultures, viewpoints, and disciplines. Always free, the Atrium hosts at least one performance each week, all year round.

Over the past 10 years, the Atrium has hosted performances by artists from 98 countries; commissioned 45 pieces of original work from beloved creatives like Taylor Mac, Burnt Sugar, Martha Redbone, and Eddie Palmieri; hosted artists such as Meredith Monk, Rubén Blades, Viggo Mortensen, and Audra McDonald; partnered with local and international organizations, including HBO, VICE Media, Rockwood, Joe's Pub, Celebrate Mexico Now, India Center Foundation, Korean Cultural Center, Brasil Summerfest, and France Rocks; and welcomed over 3 and a half million New Yorkers and visitors, bringing the best of established and emerging artists to New York City.

"Whether people are gathering for their morning coffee, engaging in a panel discussion, or dancing the night away at our popular ¡VAYA! 63 series, the many communities that come together at the Atrium are truly what make it special," said Jordana Leigh, Director of the David Rubenstein Atrium. "We strive to reflect the vibrancy and diversity of our international city in our programming and have presented artists from more than half the countries on the planet in our first decade-many for the first time here at Lincoln Center. I am truly grateful to the artists who share their work with us and the audiences who join us each week."

"For many who visit Lincoln Center, the David Rubenstein Atrium is their first hello on campus. Warm, joyful, and kinetic, it's the starting point of our tours and a gathering space available to all," said Henry Timms, President and CEO of Lincoln Center. "For New Yorkers from across the five boroughs, it is also where we come together for free music, films, kids' bands, dance parties, and fun nights with community partners from around the city. I hope that everyone will join us and find something that speaks to them here. You are most welcome."

The newly commissioned short video is inspired by voguing in ballroom battle culture and traditional rhythmic steps of the Filipino folk dance Singkil. "Melding these two very rich yet, in many ways, very different forms of movement has been a fascinating way to explore the ways in which New York's cultural traditions overlap, remix, and mash up." said artist Kambui Olujimi. "Lincoln Center is, and aspires to be, a home for all types of cultural exchange. I hope this spirit is captured in "To Catch the Rain." [Working title] The piece will premiere November 19 on Lincoln Center's Facebook and Instagram account, @LincolnCenter, marking the exact day ten years ago when Lincoln Center first presented a performance at the Atrium.

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