LAMAMIMET

Robert Randall Bourscheidt was born on July 28, 1944, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After graduating from Columbia University in 1969 with a history degree, he moved to New York City, where he appeared in three Andy Warhol experimental films in 1966, including "Chelsea Girls," "Hedy," and "The Closet." He entered municipal service, becoming deputy commissioner of cultural affairs for New York City in 1981 and serving as acting commissioner in 1982‑83. In that role he was instrumental in securing a nearly three‑fold increase in the city’s arts budget under Mayor Ed Koch. From 1989 to 2010 he led the Alliance for the Arts, producing influential economic impact studies that became essential tools for grant seekers and arts administrators. He also co‑founded the Estate Project for Artists with AIDS, preserving the work of artists affected by the epidemic. Bourscheidt lived on Manhattan’s Upper West Side and in Stuyvesant, New York, with his husband, architect Josef Asteinza. He died of lung‑cancer complications on April 19, 2026, in Albany at the age of 81.