Spring 2026
Columbia University School of the Arts Presents...
Work by visual artist Annette Hur '19 was recently presented by the gallery CHART at New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) during Miami Art Week. Credit: Annette Hur, Horizon Study 2, 2025, oil on panel, 14 x 18 in (35.6 x 45.7 cm). Courtesy of the artist and CHART. Photo credit: Adam Reich.
“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
Thursday, January 8–Friday, February 13
The LeRoy Neiman Gallery presents work by Dominic Mangila '07 that explores the cross-fertilization of abstraction in painting, installation, and video. Curated by Tomas Vu, LeRoy Neiman Professor of Professional Practice of Visual Arts.
Thursday, January 29, 6:30 PM
An interdisciplinary conversation about trees and plants featuring Patricia Dailey, English and Comparative Literature; Nicole Davi, Tree Ring Lab, Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory; Miya Masaoka, Chair of the MFA Visual Arts + Sound Art Program; Rachel Grace Newman, African American and African Diaspora Studies; and visual artist and MFA student darylina powderface.
Thursday, February 12, 6:30 PM
Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, translator, and editor Forrest Gander is the author of more than a dozen books, including Be With, Mojave Ghost, and Core Samples from the World. Reading followed by a conversation with Associate Professor Dorothea Lasky, Writing.
Thursday, February 26, 6:30 PM
An evening with Laurie Anderson '72 (BC '69) and Ocean Vuong. Moderated by Dominique Townsend, Director of the Center for Buddhist Studies, Department of Religion. Introduced by Professor of the Arts and Dean Emerita Carol Becker.
Thursday, March 5, 6:30 PM
“Inspired by the harrowing true story, Lucy Liu transforms in a riveting, career-redefining performance as an ailing woman who takes drastic measures to protect her troubled teenage son.” Screening followed by a conversation between Screenwriter Marilyn Fu '03, Director Eric Lin, and Producer Mynette Louie, Film. Moderated by Qin Gao, Acting Director of the Asian American Initiative.
On view daily through Sunday, March 15
Held over due to popular demand. In this exhibition, stunning drawings of red fish by illustrious alum Joan Jonas '65 are digitally scanned, scaled up, printed in banner form, and installed in the lobby of the Lenfest Center for the Arts.
Thursday, March 26, 7:30 PM
Chinary Ung '74—the first American composer to win the highly coveted Grawemeyer Award—is heralded for combining the sounds of Cambodian folk traditions with contemporary classical techniques. The acclaimed Del Sol String Quartet performs works spanning six decades, including the world premiere of a new commission.
Tickets starting at $20. Columbia University student tickets are just $10. (Valid CUID required; maximum 2 tickets per ID.)
Thursday, April 9, 6:30 PM
How does one study memory? How do we use it to reconstruct the past in stories, memoir, and dramatic work? Playwright and Alan Kanzer Writer-in-Residence Sarah Ruhl in dialogue with Daphna Shohamy, Neuroscience, and Professor of the Arts and Dean Emerita Carol Becker. Introduced by Brian Kulick, Chair of the MFA Theatre Program.
Thursday, April 23, 6:30 PM
Assistant Professor of Writing Jaquira Díaz discusses This is the Only Kingdom, her “powerful love letter to mothers, daughters, and the barrios that make them” with Edwidge Danticat, 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.
Saturdays: February 14; March 21; April 18; May 9; and June 6
Featuring Disney’s live-action remake of their romantic classic, Lady and the Tramp (2019); Studio Ghibli’s hidden gem, The Cat Returns (2002); the big-screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s megahit meowsical Cats; the epic, Oscar-winning, journey of Flow (2024); and, for Lenfest Teens, Wes Anderson’s intricate stop-motion adventure, Isle of Dogs (2018).
Fridays: February 27; April 17; May 1
This series invites School of the Arts faculty members to show films they love on the big screen. In our spring season, Associate Professor Racquel Gates kicks us off with The Flying Ace (1926), Professor Rob King showcases Some Came Running (1958), and Associate Professor of Professional Practice Andy Bienen presents The Swimmer (1968).