The ArtIST of the Ask: Reynold Levy at the Lincoln Center

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Robin Pogrebin

NEW YORK---There are many artists at Lincoln Center. Reynold Levy, president of the performing arts center, likes to think of himself as one of them. His art is putting the arm on donors, and he is acknowledged to be one of the very best nudges in New York. “I’ve asked everyone for money,” Mr. Levy said in an interview. “They hide behind pillars when they see me.” The personal letter. The luncheon confab. The pure play to vanity. These are among Mr. Levy’s tools. The gala, he writes in his 2009 fund-raising guide, “Yours for the Asking,” gives men and women “an excuse to wear those new cuff links and display that new gown.” He is also a glutton for “the ask.” Many arts officials consider solicitation conversations a necessary evil; Reynold Levy relishes them. [link]