From the outset of his administration, President Bollinger has said that the arts are essential to the Columbia experience, and that the University’s New York City location provided a unique opportunity for achieving this goal. The University’s renowned School of the Arts is home to a remarkable collection of admired faculty artists that include a long list of Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award and Oscar-winners. Its Miller Theatre has carved out a unique niche in New York’s world of new and classical music. To expand student access and engagement in the cultural opportunities provide by the city, President Bollinger created the Columbia Arts Initiative.
By design, both the School of the Arts and the Wallach Art Gallery will be at the center of the University’s new Manhattanville campus in the Lenfest Center for the Arts that will welcome the public to innovative exhibitions and performances in fine art, music, film, dance, creative writing and theater.
The home of state-of-the-art performance, screening and presentation spaces for students, faculty and the surrounding community in West Harlem.
A thriving, diverse community of visionary artists from around the world and a faculty comprised of acclaimed and internationally renowned creative artists, filmmakers, writers, critics and scholars.
A pioneering venture to encourage students, faculty and staff to experience the creative life of the campus, engage the cultural riches of New York City and the world, and create arts and performance.
Morningside Lights
Each new fall semester on the Morningside Heights campus brings Morningside Lights, a community celebration of the arts organized by Processional Arts Workshop with the Miller Theater and the Columbia Arts Initiative. Community members and Columbians gather to build hand-crafted lanterns that illuminate a theme, and parade them through the surrounding neighborhood in a festival of light.