Fall 2026
Columbia University School of the Arts Presents...
Adama Delphine Fawundu, For Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, 2026, UV print on UltraPoplin, 69 x 54 inches. Courtesy of the artist.
“Please join us for a season of readings, screenings, exhibitions, conversations, and more, with these and other extraordinary artists.”
–Sarah Cole, Dean of Columbia University School of the Arts and Parr Professor of English and Comparative Literature
–Gavin Browning, Director of Public Programs and Engagement
Schedule of Events
On View: Tuesday, September 8, 2026–Sunday, March 14, 2027
Daily, 10 AM–6 PM
The School of the Arts is proud to present We be the luminous blues… by acclaimed artist, alum, and Assistant Professor Adama Delphine Fawundu '18. Installed in the lobby of the Lenfest Center for the Arts, Fawundu's banners celebrate pathbreaking ancestors and alumni of Columbia University such as 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, and many others.
Saturday, September 12–Friday, September 18: Free Lantern-Building Workshops
Saturday, September 19, 8:00 PM: Procession from Morningside Park to Columbia University
Morningside Lights, a procession of awe-inspiring handmade lanterns floating through Morningside Park to Columbia’s campus, delves into the fabric of iconic patterns, decorative motifs, and recurring images that surround us. This event is produced by the Arts Initiative and Miller Theatre. The concept and direction is by Processional Arts Workshop.
Thursday, October 1, 6:30 PM
Carlos Barragán '24 discusses his astonishing work of immersion journalism about four young romance scammers in Lagos, Nigeria, exploring how and why they scam, and the moral dilemmas they face, with Wendy S. Walters, Associate Professor, Writing.
On View: Friday, October 2–Sunday, December 20
The Miriam & Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery presents Fish Story, the magnum opus of photographer and writer Allan Sekula (1951–2013), who documented maritime landscapes and the transformations wrought by containerized international cargo shipping. On loan from the Walker Art Center.
Thursday, October 8, 6:30 PM
Acclaimed Brooklyn-based multidisciplinary artist Derrick Adams '03 presents his work that celebrates and expands the dialogue around contemporary Black life and culture through scenes of normalcy and perseverance. Response by David Antonio Cruz, Assistant Professor, Visual Arts. Introduced by Kellie Jones, Hans Hofmann Professor of Modern Art, Art History and Archaeology.
Tuesday, October 13, 6:30 PM
A decade after his death, genre-defying filmmaker William Greaves has one last trick up his sleeve with what he considered the most important event he captured on film: a 1972 party he engineered with the living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance. Screening of this stirring documentary followed by a conversation between filmmakers David Greaves and Liani Greaves and Racquel Gates, Associate Professor, Film and Media Studies.
Thursday, October 15, 6:30 PM
A celebrated and BAFTA Award-winning star of the stage and screen, Fiona Shaw has appeared in plays such as Medea on the West End and The Testament of Mary on Broadway, television shows such as Killing Eve, Bad Sisters, Andor, and Fleabag, and in many Hollywood and independent films. Introduced by Sarah Cole, Dean of Columbia University School of the Arts and Parr Professor of English and Comparative Literature.
Thursday, October 15–Friday, November 13
Julia Jalowiec '22 passed away in March 2024 from pancreatic cancer. This exhibition in The LeRoy Neiman Gallery—curated by her professor, Jon Kessler, Professor of Professional Practice, Visual Arts—is less of an exhibition of Julia's work and more of a celebration of the time she spent at Columbia University. Video clips, slide shows, souvenirs from her cohorts, and original artwork will create a unique visual love letter to this fantastic artist and person whose life was cut short.
Friday, October 23, 7:30 PM and Saturday, October 24, 1 PM
This play explores the parallel lives of scientist-turned-painter Anne Adams and composer Maurice Ravel and reveals a surprising link between neurological disease and creativity—shedding new light on dementia with empathy and awe.
Thursday, October 29, 6:30 PM
Renowned Nairobi and Brooklyn-based visual artist Wangechi Mutu presents recent work, including film, sculpture, and installation at the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Response by Rachel Grace Newman, African American and African Diaspora Studies. Introduced by Sarah Cole, Dean of Columbia University School of the Arts and Parr Professor of English and Comparative Literature.
Thursday, November 12, 6:30 PM
Novelist and essayist Maaza Mengiste discusses her wide-ranging career with writer and translator Lars Horn for Columbia University’s Art + Life series, a program of intimate conversations with poets and writers organized by Undergraduate Creative Writing.
Saturdays: September 26; October 17; November 21; December 12
Adventures in the past, present, and future, including: Back to the Future (1985), Arco (2025), Meet the Robinsons (2007), and Buster Keaton’s Three Ages (1923) with live musical accompaniment. Each screening will be followed by creative activities in the Lenfest Lobby led by Columbia Artist/Teachers.
Fridays: October 2; October 23; November 13
This series invites School of the Arts faculty members to show films they love on the big screen. In our fall season, Associate Professor Elizabeth Ramirez-Soto screens Araya (1959), Professor of Professional Practice Maureen A. Ryan showcases Brazil (1985), and Associate Professor of Professional Practice Andy Bienen presents The Best Years of our Lives (1946).