Important Information about Class of 2020 Thesis Proposals
Dear all,
Please read the letter below. If you have questions, you can either ask Amy during your studio visit or email your question to the the following: Matthew, Leeza, Aliza, Amy, Peter, Rider and myself. I have also cc'ed the Thesis Advisors.
Best,
Carrie
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Greetings everyone,
Thank you so much for submitting your proposals for the Thesis exhibition. We look forward to working with you to mount the Thesis Exhibition for the Class of 2020. We are writing to begin the process of figuring out how your ideas can be adapted to the conditions we must all work within to create a safe environment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Leeza, Aliza, Carrie, Peter, Rider, Amy Sadao and I have reviewed the proposals carefully and have together determined that we are not able to mount the show as currently proposed and maintain a safe work environment. Listed below are ways that we are asking for you to rethink your proposal and exhibition. In the meantime, Claire will reach out to you to schedule studio visits with Amy (and Peter and Rider). You will be asked to resubmit your proposal after you meet with Amy. We will also be in touch with you in the coming days to work out shop access.
The show’s installation will need to follow the University protocols to maintain low-density and to create a safe work environment. The University allows for a maximum of 10 people on each floor of the Lenfest Center at any given moment. This includes install staff, the curator, and the Wallach and VA staff. The only way we can successfully mount the show is to limit the number of students that are allowed to install their own work, and have the hired install team install most of the work. You will meet with Amy in the gallery at the start of install and be in touch with her as needed afterward. There will also be a time at which you can come back into the gallery to check your work. All of these meetings will need to be staggered to adhere to low density.
Many of your proposals asked for significant installation time and space, which included closed-off private rooms, multiple installed elements interfacing with the gallery floor, walls, and ceiling, ambitious technological installations, and challenging materials.
Private rooms and installations need to be scaled back. It takes a significant amount of time to construct a single private room, fabricating the ceiling and covering it with black fabric. Also, if such spaces were to be built, their room capacity would limit how and what we could install within them. We have similar concerns with elements that hang from the ceiling and with installing multi-channel projections. In order to hang something from the ceiling, we have to mount steel unistrut beams to the existing ceiling grid, which requires multiple people working in close proximity on genie lifts. Realizing multi-channel projections that involve synchronized media players takes an incredible amount of gallery time. Additionally, we've learned that headphones are not feasible with Columbia's COVID restrictions, so sound bleed between works will be a challenge.
In order to move forward, we need to ask that you reimagine your project taking into account some very concrete guidelines. At this stage, we do not know how much flexibility there is on these points, but we are asking you to think of these obstructions as creatively as possible. Proposals will be due after you meet with Amy Sadao.
Please resubmit your Thesis proposal following these guidelines:
- Please submit a proposal that can work in a space with one wall, two walls that form a corner or a free-standing floor work, rather than a three- or four-walled space
- If your proposal includes something hung from the ceiling you must also provide an alternate plan without this.
- If your proposal includes multi-channel synchronized video you must also provide an alternate plan without this.
Amy may have additional items for you to consider when you meet with her.
New proposals will be due after you meet with Amy. Here is the link:
We want to reiterate our commitment to making this show a profound success in spite of the challenges we're facing, and to supporting your work in the best way that we can. Columbia has never mounted a Thesis exhibition during a situation like this, and we are doing everything we can to creatively think through these continuing and shifting challenges while also prioritizing safety.
We also want to remind everyone that the Thesis exhibition does not cover the full scope of your Thesis project, and any works that will need to be excluded from the show can still be included in your Thesis review.
We realize these will be challenging limitations for many of you. We are available to meet with you to discuss your new plans if it's useful. Feel free to reach out to any of us with any questions that arise. Our top priority in this difficult time must be following Columbia’s COVID guidelines and ensuring the safety of students, staff and visitors as we work to make this exhibition.
Best,
Matthew
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Carrie Gundersdorf
she/her/hers
Director of Academic Administration
Visual Arts Department
Columbia University School of the Arts
310 Dodge Hall I 2960 Broadway
New York, NY 10027