“I feel like it’s our soul that’s been given back to us, in a way,” Gibbs said, “which is super dramatic, but it is kind of like that.”But some of the greatest tests for the city’s cultural scene lie ahead. Hunkering down — cutting staff, slashing programming — turned out to be a brutal but effective survival strategy. Now that it’s time to start hiring and spending again, many cultural leaders are worried: Can they thrive with fewer tourists and commuters? Will the donors who stepped up during the emergency stick around for a less glamorous period of rebuilding? It’s like starting all over again.”The fall season is shaping up to be the big test.

Source: New York Times July 17, 2021 09:00 UTC