How This Marketing Leader Makes the Arts More Welcoming for Everyone—Here’s Why That Matters

Amelia Liberatore’s artistic aspirations began early in life. “I took dance classes, and as a young girl, I always dreamed of dancing at Lincoln Center,” she says.

She had visited Lincoln Center’s campus many times—growing up, she and her family looked forward to attending The Nutcracker at New York City Ballet every winter. These cherished experiences, combined with a degree in marketing and international business, eventually led her to a performance marketing internship at Lincoln Center. 

Over the past five years, Liberatore’s role has steadily expanded, and she is now the Associate Director of Marketing, leading the planning and execution of Lincoln Center’s marketing strategies with a focus on Lincoln Center’s educational and accessibility programs, as well as those designed for children, teenagers, and families. 

“It’s exciting that I get to contribute to this organization and be part of inspiring other young dreamers,” she says. “It’s a beautiful responsibility to share our story and make people feel comfortable and excited to experience what we offer.”

Here, Liberatore shares her insights on the positive impact of the arts, why she’s dedicated to cultivating a welcoming environment for audience members, and her valuable advice on pursuing a career that aligns with one’s values and passions.

I had just graduated from the University of Wisconsin, where I majored in marketing and international business, and I felt pressured to find a job. I accepted one of the first offers I received—a role in sales—but I knew after a few weeks it wasn’t a match. I began researching companies that aligned with my interests, hobbies, and values. That’s when I noticed Lincoln Center was hiring a performance marketing intern. I was so excited when I got the role.

Lincoln Center’s mission is to provide the best of the best in the arts for all. That’s one of the main reasons I’ve stayed here for so long and continue to love my work. I’ve personally experienced the power of the arts and how they can feed your soul, make you more empathetic, and help you become a more civically engaged person. I believe everyone can benefit from experiencing the arts, even if it’s just once, and having the opportunity to do so in a way that works for them—whether financially or in terms of accommodations or finding an event that suits their interests. It leads to inspiration for future artistry and in all aspects of life. Lincoln Center shares that belief, and being a part of it has been so exciting.

Professionally, working in marketing has been a fulfilling experience because it’s such a broad field—I could be doing so many things—but because my values align with the organization’s, I’ve never felt like I was selling something I didn’t believe in, which makes a huge difference. Here, I’m not really “selling” at all; most of our shows are free or “choose what you pay,” so it’s more about inviting and welcoming people in. It’s a beautiful responsibility to share our story and make people feel comfortable and excited to experience what we offer.

As an intern, I took it upon myself to ask for more responsibility, complete the work that needed to be done, do it to the best of my ability, and try to exceed expectations. Hard work has always been recognized at Lincoln Center, and I’ve been rewarded for it. People appreciate going above and beyond. I’ve also always strived to maintain good relationships with colleagues across all the departments, even if it’s not someone I regularly work with. It makes collaboration easier and fun.

Last year at Lincoln Center’s Curriculum for Change Conference with the Juilliard School, I heard, “If you’re really good at your job but you’re not a kind person to those around you, you’re not really that good at your job.” That resonated with me. I think it’s important to be both of those things. Many people are skilled at marketing, and there are many nice people, but combining both delivers a quality product, and how you get there matters.

From the start of my internship, my manager has always been an advocate for me and supportive of my growth. Having a strong manager makes a huge difference, not just in your growth and development, but also in how you feel about showing up to work every day. I’ve also had the pleasure of representing Lincoln Center annually at the Capacity Interactive Boot Camp, a conference focused on arts marketing. It’s been a significant opportunity for professional development and networking.

I’ve been most proud to work on the Big Umbrella Festival, an annual arts experience designed with and for neurodiverse audiences. We have an amazing breadth of accommodations available. Some artists identify as having a disability, but it’s an open and welcoming environment for anyone to experience the performing arts. Big Umbrella began before I joined Lincoln Center, but it’s been exciting to contribute and to watch the festival grow during my time here.

I have a brother with autism, so it’s meant a great deal to me to be a part of something that allows people with disabilities to feel calm and relaxed, and have an outlet and opportunity to experience the performing arts without feeling judged by anyone around them.

Additionally, the benefits for the families of those kids and young adults to be able to have a family activity can’t be overstated: attending without the anxiety of feeling you might be shushed or judged for making some noise. Big Umbrella has been one of the joys of my career. Our accessibility work is some of the best in our field. Everyone can benefit from it, not only those who identify as having a disability. I’ve learned so much about accessibility through collaborating with our Accessibility team.

The idea is that these small steps toward accessibility truly benefit us all and can also be part of the artistry. For example, audio description is another artistic element and a complement to any work, or to experience accommodations in dance used as another artistic medium.

Try to balance the urgency of securing a job with taking the time to find the right one. Consider what you’re passionate about and look for companies that align with your interests. Research places and businesses you like to frequent, or the products you like to buy. What do they stand for? Who works there, and who are the leaders? Does that seem like a good environment that you want to be in? Use the answers to those questions and look at the available job opportunities. Starting there helps narrow the search.

Be open to new opportunities and experiences. Staff events are a great way to get to know people within your company that you may not see on a day-to-day basis, and then understand how you could work together or help each other.

I recently attended Boy Blue Presents Cycles, a hip-hop dance company from the U.K. It’s amazing to see Lincoln Center’s commitment to amplifying the hip-hop art form alongside classical music, opera, and dance. It’s been powerful to witness. It reminds me of when jazz was first emerging—people didn’t see it as something that would be presented at a major arts organization like Lincoln Center. Now it has its own resident organization. It’s exciting to see our organization grow in that way and embrace more and more art forms.

I saw Illinoise when it was on Broadway. It’s based on Sufjan Stevens’s album Illinois. He wrote the music and lyrics, and it was choreographed by Justin Peck. It was a beautiful show that told the story through dance, which I enjoyed, especially because of my background in dance. I also went to school in the Midwest, so it felt familiar and was very moving. One of the characters reads from his diary throughout the show, and the experience included an insert in the Playbill with excerpts and drawings from his diary. I thought that was such a beautiful and material addition. I love dance, and I love this way of opening dance to more people through Broadway.