Community Engagement
The School of the Arts values the creative vision, free expression, and societal commitment of artists. Our strength derives from the rich panoply of people and ideas that make up our community. Our job as a School is to nurture a creative environment for our faculty and students who come from all over the world, including from every region of the United States. From courses to programming, and from admissions to hiring, we work to provide a space that is inclusive and that, above all, supports the freedom of every artist to make their art. We recognize that while these goals can be difficult to attain, we remain committed, as a School, to fostering an atmosphere that is respectful of all and attentive to the realities and histories of all people. We invite the artists and scholars in our community to take on the most difficult problems of our day, we champion the way they bring myriad traditions and histories to bear on their work, and we hope to enrich the world through their voices and their vision.
We recognize ourselves as part of many overlapping communities, including those of Columbia University, our local communities in Harlem and other parts of Upper Manhattan, and the many more distant areas across the globe to which we connect through our faculty, staff, and students. Please click below to see some of what we are doing to engage with our local communities.
Many events, programs, and in-kind donations of Lenfest space to community organizations that include Bridge Lab/The Boys and Girls Club of Harlem, The Lapidus Center for the Historical Analysis of Transatlantic Slavery at the Schomburg Center (NYPL), The Studio Museum in Harlem, West Harlem Group Assistance area artists, tenant associations, public schools and students, local government bodies, and elected officials.
During the 60th anniversary year of the School of the Arts, Public Programs and Engagement offers a season of readings, screenings, conversations, and more with extraordinary artists from a variety of disciplines and perspectives.
IMPACT Repertory Theater
Professor Jamal Joseph is the artistic director of this Harlem-based organization. The School of the Arts offers rehearsal space to IMPACT in Prentis Hall. “IMPACT Repertory Theatre Performance Company is a safe space where young people use current events and their own personal experiences as material to explore the issues facing young people in America.”
The Young Company
“For almost 15 years, The Young Company has been forging a dynamic relationship between the MFA Acting students of Columbia University School of the Arts and the youth of New York City....Through a community partnership with The Classical Theatre of Harlem, each year Columbia's third-year MFA Acting students present a 90-minute production of a Shakespeare play that is designed specifically for young audiences.”
Columbia Artist/Teachers (CA/T)
Founded in May 2002, Columbia Artist/Teachers (CA/T) is a faculty of MFA Writing candidates. It provides MFA teachers with training and teaching opportunities on and off campus, with students of all ages and levels. “We collaborate with local schools and various community organizations in New York to establish no-cost arts education programs designed specifically to the needs and goals of the institutions.” Recent teaching sites include Rikers Island, Hudson County Correctional Facility, Double Discovery Center, Columbia Veterans Workshop, and Breaking Ground (Prince George). CA/T is advised by Professors Alan Ziegler and Dorothea Lasky.
The Wallach Art Gallery regularly presents exhibitions that are free and open to the public, featuring art and artists from around the world.