Arts & Humanities

This page features Columbia faculty and research related to the arts and humanities, and highlights cultural events happening at Columbia's four campuses. 

A collage of arts and humanities images

Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Is in Theaters This Summer. Columbia University ‘Lit Hum’ Professors Have Thoughts.

Faculty members reflect on Homer’s epic poem and its latest transfer to the big screen.

Columbia university alum Aimee Ng
Aimee Ng (photo by Joseph Coscia Jr.)
5 Alumni Museum Curators Shaping the Art World Today

Through visionary exhibitions and programming, Columbia graduates are steering the direction of some of New York City’s top museums.

Declaration of Independence authors Adams, Sherman, Livingston, Jefferson, and Franklin (National Portrait Gallery).
Declaration of Independence authors Adams, Sherman, Livingston, Jefferson, and Franklin (National Portrait Gallery).
The Columbia-Educated Lawyer Who Helped Write the Declaration of Independence

Robert Livingston (1765,KC) may have missed the document’s official signing, but his anti-tyranny legal philosophy still resonates today. 

Late-nineteenth-century dresses from the French couturiers Maison Lévilion (left) and House of Worth. (Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland / 2026 Shayla Oliver-Tuma)
Late-19th-century dresses from the French couturiers Maison Lévilion (left) and House of Worth. (Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland / 2026 Shayla Oliver-Tuma.)
The Fashionable Legacy of the Gilded Age

Elizabeth Block (GSAS'04), senior editor in the publications and editorial department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, recently published Gilded Age Fashion, a book showcasing over 50 dresses and accessories from the 1870s through 1900.       

Exhibitions

GSAPP end of year show, Columbia University
GSAPP end-of-year show, Avery Hall, Columbia University. Photo by Amy Suzuki.
End of Year Show 2026, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation

With over 1,000 student works, Columbia GSAPP's End of Year Show 2026 occupies all of Avery Hall during commencement week, as well as this online platform.

More Arts News