School of the Arts 2023 Spring Party Honoring Dean Carol Becker

This year’s Spring Party and Scholarship Benefit honors the 16 years of tremendous leadership from Carol Becker, Dean of Columbia University School of the Arts. Chaired by alumna Katharina Otto-Bernstein ’92 (CC ’86) and the Columbia University School of the Arts Dean's Council, the gala will feature a live performance by Pulitzer prize winner and alumnus, Tom Kitt (CC ’96), and "The Moon Here," a duet from the opera An American Soldier, libretto by Professor David Henry Hwang, music by Huang Ruo, sung by Yulan Piao (soprano), Wooyoung Yoon (tenor), and Stephen Buck (piano).

Becker joined the School of the Arts as Dean in 2007 and will end her tenure this June. In a message to the University, President Lee C. Bollinger notes that “Carol has led the School with warmth, grit, and skill, shining a bright light on the central role that art and artists play in furthering the University’s mission and in serving the interests of our global society.” 

The party will take place on Thursday, March 30 at the Lenfest Center for the Arts. Tickets and tables are currently available for purchase. All gifts raised will go directly to support the newly established Dean Carol Becker Fellowship Fund for student artists.

For more information about this event and other fundraising efforts at the School of the Arts, contact the Office of Development at 212-854-4849 or [email protected].

About the Honoree, Dean Carol Becker

Carol Becker is Professor of the Arts and Dean of Columbia University School of the Arts. She received her PhD in English and American Literature from the University of California, San Diego. After 16 years of distinguished leadership, she will be stepping down as Dean of the School of the Arts and returning to the Faculty as Professor of the Arts in June 2023.

Carol is the author of numerous articles and several books including: The Invisible Drama: Women and the Anxiety of Change (Prentice Hall & IBD, 1987); The Subversive Imagination: Artists, Society and Social Responsibility (Routledge, 1994); Zones of Contention: Essays on Art, Institutions, Gender, and Anxiety (State University of New York Press, 1996); Surpassing the Spectacle: Global Transformations and the Changing Politics of Art (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2002); Thinking in Place: Art, Action, and Cultural Production (Paradigm Publishers/Routledge, 2009); and her most recent long essay/memoir, Losing Helen (Red Hen Press, 2016). She travels widely, often lecturing on art, artists, their place in society, and feminist theory. She works closely with the World Economic Forum's program on art, culture, and leadership.

About Columbia University School of the Arts

Columbia University School of the Arts awards the Master of Fine Arts degree in Film, Theatre, Visual Arts, and Writing and the Master of Arts degree in Film and Media Studies; it also offers an interdisciplinary program in Sound Art; and also maintains a strong commitment to undergraduate education in the arts by offering majors in Creative Writing, Film and Media Studies, and Visual Arts that lead to the Bachelor of Arts, awarded by Columbia College and the School of General Studies.

About the School of the Arts Dean’s Council

The Dean’s Council for Columbia University School of the Arts is a valuable asset in helping to expand the reach of the School’s work, and serves as an important resource to provide advice, counsel, and support. The Dean benefits from the extensive knowledge and experience of the council members from the business, government, and non-profit sectors. Council members serve as ambassadors for the School among friends, associates, and colleagues, and increase awareness of the work of the School, our alumni, and our faculty.

Ramona Bronkar Bannayan ’86
Albert Berger ’83
Janice Chan-Choy
Jacob Collins (CC ’86)
Erik Feig (CC ’92)
Wendy Finerman
Candia Fisher
Michel Hausmann ’14
Hugh Hayden ’18
Nancy Lemann ’84
Grace Leone, Parent (CC '19, '21, '24)
Carolyn Lowe
Winston Lowe (LW ’75)
Katharina Otto-Bernstein (Chair) ’92 (CC ’86)
Lauren Rosenkranz
Eric Roth
Steve Schwartz ’73
Jeffrey Sharp ’01
Ron Simons (CC ’82, BU ’89)
Patricia M. Sovern, D.A.
Jeremy Smith
Betty Lee Stern
Leonard Tow, Ph.D. (GF ’52, GF ’60)
Barbara Whitman ’05
Beau Willimon ’03 (CC ’99)
Henry Woo (SIPA ’03)