This page features Columbia faculty and research related to the arts and humanities, and highlights cultural events happening at Columbia's four campuses.
Following in the Footsteps of Alexander Hamilton
As the new chair of the Economics Department, Harrison Hong has big shoes to fill.
The executive producer, writer, and director shares her unusual path to the top.
Natalia Winkelman (’15CC), a film critic, podcast writer, and producer, pens several reviews per month for The New York Times and other outlets.
Recent Supreme Court rulings have hollowed out the landmark 1965 legislation, which sought to prevent racial discrimination in voting. Columbia experts weigh in on a massive legal shift.
Exhibitions
School of the Arts presents We be the luminous blues… by Assistant Professor Adama Delphine Fawundu, whose 11 banners are installed in the lobby of the Lenfest Center for the Arts. The exhibition celebrates ancestors and alumni of Columbia who transformed the world in remarkable ways: anthropologist Ruth Benedict; biochemist Marie Maynard Daly; dentist Annie Elizabeth "Bessie" Delany and her sister, educator Sarah Louise "Sadie" Delany; cultural preservationist Ella Cara Deloria; folklorist, novelist, and writer Zora Neale Hurston; minister and suffragist Mabel Ping-Hua Lee; organizer and social worker Antonia Pantoja; actor and singer Paul Robeson; attorney and advocate Frederick Wells; and Jamaica, Cuffy, Prida, Caesar, Jenny, Betsy, Pompey, and Richard Jenkins—all of whom were enslaved by Samuel Bard and his family—as well as James, who escaped in 1776.
This exhibition at the Wallach Art Gallery is devoted to Fish Story by photographer, writer, and critic Allan Sekula (1951–2013), who was one of the most influential visual theorists of his generation. His work profoundly impacted conceptual uses of photography and challenged assumptions about the image's role in creating meanings. Conceived as both an exhibition and a book, the project comprises 105 photographs, two slide projections, and 26 accompanying texts written by the artist, which challenge and expand both the tradition of documentary photography and romantic notions of the sea. Until now, Fish Story has rarely been exhibited in its entirety.
This exhibition of photographs in the lobby of Miller Theatre showcases the community, artistry, and themes behind the beloved annual lantern procession. Carried by Light: Celebrating 15 Years of Morningside Lights gathers photographs from every year of the event. Curated by Lauren Bailey Cognetti, Miller's director of marketing and engagement, the show traces the project’s evolution from its inaugural procession in 2012 to its emergence as one of New York City's most distinctive community-based public art events. Through images of lantern-making workshops, shared moments in Morningside Park, and vibrant illuminated processions, visitors will encounter the artistry, joy, and imagination that have sustained Morningside Lights across 15 years.
More Arts News
Following in the Footsteps of Alexander Hamilton
As the new chair of the Economics Department, Harrison Hong has big shoes to fill.
Madeleine Dobie Is the New Chair of the French Department
Her plans include helping her colleagues flourish and encouraging undergrads to broaden their thinking about French.
The Story Behind African Immigration to America
In her book, Neeraj Kaushal chronicles how the rise in African immigrants to the U.S. can be a positive force for change.
