To Transform
Spring 2023 Public Programs and Engagement

From the film this body is so impermanent… with calligrapher Wang Dongling, directed by Peter Sellars. Courtesy of the UCLA Boethius Initiative and Fisher Center at Bard.
The Spring 2023 public programs and engagement series at Columbia University School of the Arts is organized around the concept of “To Transform.” Here we will present conversations, screenings, readings, and research about work that enacts transformation on physical, social, political, and psychic landscapes and the complexities that ensue.
Produced in collaboration with:
- African American and African Diasopora Studies Department
- Barnard Center for Research on Women
- Center for Justice
- Department of History at Barnard College
- Department of History at Columbia University
- Fisher Center at Bard
- Institute for Research in African-American Studies
- The School of the Arts Film Program
- The School of the Arts Film and Media Studies Program
- The School of the Arts Visual Arts Program
- Rubin Museum of Art
- UCLA Boethius Initiative
- Upstate Films
Schedule of Events

Hahn Rowe
Tuesday January 31 and Wednesday, February 1, 7 pm
World premiere. In this concert, New York-based composer, producer, and performer Hahn Rowe will use digital processing alongside traditional instruments and crude, everyday objects to build a fluid, shapeshifting soundscape. Commissioned by Columbia University School of the Arts.

Sunday, February 12, 2 pm
A recent film by Peter Sellars, inspired by the Vimalakirti Sutra. Screening at the Rubin Museum of Art followed by a conversation between Peter Sellars, Carol Becker, and Craig Blinderman.

Sunday, April 30, 2 pm
Acclaimed filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul presents a series of short films released between 2005–2022, followed by a conversation with film historian and curator Richard Peña, Film and Media Studies.

Rising to challenges, overcoming limitations, adapting to change — these films present characters who experience new worlds and bring about transformation. Featuring Akeelah and the Bee, The Karate Kid, Patema Inverted, The Phantom Tollbooth, Ghostbusters, and more.

Saturday, May 20, 10 am–4 pm
Join our friends at the Columbia-Harlem Small Business Development Center, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Art Gallery, The Forum, Zuckerman Institute, Columbia’s Wellness and Employment Centers, and others for free and fun programming in Manhattanville.