The Polish Cultural Institute, established in New York in 2000, is a diplomatic mission to the United States, serving under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.
The Institute is dedicated to nurturing and promoting cultural ties between the United States and Poland, both through American exposure to Poland's cultural achievements, and through exposure of Polish artists and scholars to American trends, institutions, and professional counterparts.
The Institute takes an active collaborative role in the organization, promotion, and actual production of a broad range of cultural events in theater, music, film, literature, and the fine arts. Its events range in scope from the 160-seat Joe’s Pub to the 2,700-seat Avery Fisher Hall. It has collaborated with such cultural institutions as the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Art at St. Ann’s, La MaMa E.T.C., Lincoln Center, Museum of Modern Art, PEN World Voices Festival, Poetry Society of America, Yale University, and many more.
With its extensive contacts in both America and Poland, the Institute is in an excellent position to help such initiatives in a variety of ways that include fund-raising, facilitating contacts in both Poland and the United States, organizing cultural events and concurrent panels of artists and scholars, generating press coverage, and developing public outreach.
Staff:
Monika Fabijanska – Director
Visual Arts, Literature, and Historical Programming
Monika Fabijanska (b. Warsaw, Poland, 1971) has been Director of the Polish Cultural Institute in New York since October 1, 2005. She was PCI’s Deputy Director from its founding in October 2000. Apart from her duties as Director, Ms. Fabijanska is in charge of visual arts, literature, historical, and Polish-Jewish relations programming at the Institute.
She graduated from History of Art Department of the University of Warsaw in 1998. During her studies she worked for Polish TV and the film industry in Poland, was chief editor at Film-Radio-TV Professional, a magazine devoted to film technology, and also worked as a free-lance journalist. She entered the Department of Cultural and Science Policy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland in 1999. In 2000, she served for a short period of time as acting director of the Polish Cultural Institute in London, U.K.
Agata Grenda – Deputy Director, Theatre and Dance Programming
Agata Grenda (b. Kalisz, Poland, 1976) has been Deputy Director of the Polish Cultural Institute since March 2006. Apart from her duties as Deputy Director, Ms. Grenda is in charge of theatre and dance programming at the Institute.
She graduated in Polish philology from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland, in 2000, and in 2001 completed her postgraduate studies there in Psychology in Marketing and Administration, in the Social Sciences Department. In the year 2005-2006 she taught the course “Organizing Cultural Events” in the postgraduate program on cultural management at The Poznan School of Social Sciences. In the years 2004–2006 she was international relations manager at the Teatr Nowy – the biggest repertoire theater in Poznan. In the years 2003-2004 she was public relations manager at the Foundation Vox-Artis – Promotion of Polish Contemporary Art in Poznan.
Anna Perzanowska – Music Programming
Anna Perzanowska (b. Warsaw, Poland, 1979) has been Music Programmer at the Polish Cultural Institute in New York since January 1, 2007.
Anna Perzanowska is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in ethnomusicology at the City University of New York at Hunter College. Music has been her passion since her very early years; she began her music education at the age of five at the Fryderyk Chopin Elementary Music School in Warsaw. After immigrating to New York at the age of 14, she continued her studies at the LaGuardia High School of Music, Art and Performing Arts. Upon attending music classes at Hunter College, Anna graduated from Baruch College with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing in 2003. In order to combine her interests, Anna worked with numerous New York institutions and musicians in preparation of concerts and various cultural events.
Lenka Panak – Film and TV Programming
Lenka Panak (b. Skierniewice, Poland, 1974) has been Film and TV Programmer at the Polish Cultural Institute in New York since January 1, 2007.
Lenka Panak completed her studies in music marketing at Warsaw University. While studying she established her credentials as both host and producer of her own weekly radio show, "Face to Face". The program focused on interviews with Polish musicians, eventually leading to an offer of employment from New York's Polish Radio in 2001. While continuing her studies at New York University, Lenka witnessed and participated in the blossoming of the then-nascent Brooklyn music scene. In 2003 she started promoting independent Polish cinema via Brooklyn's Galapagos Art Space. After 5 years with Polish Radio, Lenka was engaged by the Polish Cultural Institute in January 2007 to head up Film & TV Programming.
Marcelina Knitter – Marketing, Graphic Design, and Website Manager
Marcelina Knitter (b. Bydgoszcz, Poland, 1985) has been Marketing, Graphic Design, and Website Manager at the Polish Cultural Institute in New York since August 15, 2007.
Marcelina Knitter earned a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Graphic Communications from New York University in May of 2007. She has studied politics at both NYU and New York University in Prague. Her previous work experience has included everything from at a law office, internships in companies such as Penn, Schoen & Berland Inc., coordinating lectures and meetings for NYU’s Humanities Department, and working at a prestigious antique art gallery on the Upper West Side.
Richard W. Adams - English Language Consultant
Richard W. Adams is a documentary filmmaker who majored in English and German at Yale University and spent a year at Warsaw’s Documentary Film Studio on a Fulbright in 1964-65. His films include “Exchange of Words”, shot in Poznan in 1965, “Citizens”, a portrait of the Solidarity movement, and “Democracy and Diversity”, on a graduate summer institute in Krakow.
Piotr Rogulski – Chief Administrative Officer
Piotr Rogulski (b. Warsaw, Poland, 1974) has been Chief Administrative Officer of the Polish Cultural Institute in New York since January 20, 2007.
Piotr Rogulski earned a Master of Science degree in Management and Information Systems at Warsaw University of Technology in May of 1999. He finished his MBA studies at ESSEC (France) and SGGW in Warsaw in June of 2000. In 2006, after 6 years of working for Alcatel-Lucent, he decided to leave Warsaw and take on a new role as Chief Administrative Officer at the Polish Cultural Institute in New York City.
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