By Marina Harss
To the layperson, the idea of working in arts administration may sound dry, but, as Sonja Kostich makes clear, it is anything but. The potential for big, transformative ideas is everywhere. Kostich, who in August 2022 was named the Baryshnikov Arts Center’s new executive director, has always thought of herself as a creative person. At first that creativity was expressed through performing, as a dancer at American Ballet Theatre and later at Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project. Inspired by White Oak, Kostich co-founded her own company, OtherShore, where she commissioned and danced in works by choreographers like Annie-B Parson and Jodi Melnick.
Her desire to become a more strategic leader convinced her that it was time to go to college to study business, and then to earn a degree in arts administration. Add to that two years at the investment firm Goldman Sachs, and it’s easy to see why Kostich has revealed herself to be such a force within the arts world…
