PENTACLE'S MISSION is to design and provide unique and robust programs for performing artists at critical stages in their careers. At the same time, Pentacle enriches the cultural landscape through cross-sector partnerships in multiple communities across the city of New York and the United States.
WHAT PENTACLE DOES
Since 1976, Pentacle has been a model in the arts administration field, enabling performing artists to focus on what they do best—create art and engage with audiences.
We believe that providing artists with individually tailored support contributes to the dynamic flow of ideas so necessary for a healthy, equitable society. To that end, Pentacle strives to ensure that the most vulnerable artists among us, those that have been routinely marginalized, or shut out of the traditional patron model of support, are able to access the resources needed to persist with their art. We are committed to our work towards becoming a Race Equity Culture and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion through our programs by offering unique opportunities, new models of support, and mentorship to artists who are Black and/or Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC).
Pentacle’s multifaceted Artist Services include: Fiscal Services, empowering artists with the financial tools they need for success through programs that fit every size and business type; Booking Services, creating pathways for a Roster of both established and emerging artists from diverse backgrounds and with distinct artistic practices to bring their excellence to the stage while also enriching the communities they visit; and Infrastructure Services through the Administrative Support Program, helping artists build more sustainable operations under the guidance of Pentacle and alongside a cohort of artists with similar goals. Since 1981, the mission of Pentacle’s Education & Outreach programs has been to give youth the tools they need to grow into the next generation of performing artists, arts administrators, and audiences. Pentacle’s groundbreaking New Initiatives are created out of the needs of our constituents and transformational changes occurring in the cultural landscape. Currently, these programs include a new, capacity-building online administrative support platform for arts groups called nextSteps, in addition to partnerships with new, non-traditional venues for dance and peer arts organizations for the purposes of conducting research for the benefit of the field.
Pentacle’s artists are consistently awarded top recognition in the field with honors including 9 MacArthur winners, 25 Doris Duke Artists, 10 Herb Alpert Awardees, and 68 Guggenheim Fellows to date. Pentacle’s fiscal sponsorship programs enable artists to expand their activities, most recently enabling sponsored artists and projects to garner $4M dollars in institutional support for their work.
With an unwavering focus on providing artists with individualized administrative support and tools to build their infrastructure, Pentacle’s hands-on programs and services each year directly serve over 300 companies and project-based artistic entities providing employment to more than 1,500 artists and providing work to more than 750 independent contractors; 350 youth are served through its Education & Outreach programs; and more than 1,300 audience members attend its performances and showcases.