This Year’s Theme

“TIMEFRAME 1965”

Concept and Direction by Processional Arts Workshop

Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles
artistic directors

Artists statement

This year we ask our community of lantern-makers, "How can a moment in the past help us understand the arc of the present?"

Sixty years ago, the founding of Columbia's School of the Arts occurred at a critical turning point, amidst a profound questioning of norms and a radical remaking of culture and society. This fall, Morningside Lights turns its viewfinder back to the Year 1965, inviting our community of lantern-makers to zoom in on the images, icons, and influences out of which a new generation of artists, writers, and performers emerged. Drawing on historic events, popular culture, design innovations, and movements for social change, workshop participants will collaborate to create a processional time capsule of 60 luminous snapshots. Each lantern will take shape as a circular lens, focused tightly on a specific image from that transformative time – a reminder of how creative thinkers, then as now, help us illuminate a path to meet the challenges ahead.