Lanterns From Morningside Lights 2022 On Display October 1-31 At The Forum

The magic of Morningside Lights lives on through the month of October. A selection of handmade lanterns created for this year's celebration are displayed at The Forum for all to explore the collective creations of the Morningside Lights community.

This year marked the 11th annual MORNINGSIDE LIGHTS, presented by the Arts Initiative and Miller Theatre at Columbia University. The theme was The Reimagined Monument, a luminous, moving sculpture garden comprised of 30+ community-built lanterns, each one a unique, personal reflection on how we memorialize, creating newly inspired monuments that speak to the current moment, shared past, and hopes for the future. In a community procession through Morningside Park on September 24, the glowing monuments set forth through the darkness-a shared, collective reimagining of public statuary. Thrillist described Morningside Lights as "A heartwarming and community-based experience" as "a dreamy array of lanterns light up the night sky."

The Forum, located on the corner of 125th Street and Broadway, is a unique community gathering space that serves as the gateway to Columbia University's developing Manhattanville campus. It is open to the entire university as well as the local New York City community.

Morningside Lights concept and direction by Processional Arts Workshop. Co-produced by the Arts Initiative and Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts.

Processional Arts Workshop (PAW), under the direction of Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles, creates site-specific parades, processions, and immersive theatre happenings worldwide. Inspired by diverse, global traditions of Carnivalesque street theatre, largescale puppetry, and ritual pageant, PAW uses processional art as means to build and sustain community spirit and awareness, designing original works for established public events and festivals, as well as seeding site-specific pageant traditions in communities where no such events may have existed before. Drawing on regional cultures, history, folklore, ethnicity, and current sociopolitical concerns, PAW engages local residents in every stage of production, empowering them to identify and express the narratives that uniquely define "local" in their own community, against the modern tide of global homogenization.

The Arts Initiative at Columbia University is a pioneering venture to make arts and culture a meaningful part of every Columbian's experience. Founded in 2004, the Arts Initiative's diverse programs encourage students, faculty, and staff to experience the creative life of the campus, engage the cultural riches of New York City and the wider world, and create arts and performance. Under the auspices of the Arts Initiative, Columbia students, faculty, and staff attend cultural events across New York City, benefit from ticket discounts and subsidies, and connect to one another through the Arts Initiative's vibrant programming. At its core, the Arts Initiative creates and facilitates opportunities for cross-disciplinary exchange and is integral to the fabric of campus life. Its programs benefit from engagement with Columbia's world-class faculty, especially those of the School of the Arts, of which it is a part.

Miller Theatre is a leading presenter of new music in New York City and a vital force for innovative programming. Miller is dedicated to producing and presenting unique events, with a focus on contemporary and early music, jazz, opera, and multimedia performances. Founded in 1988, Miller Theatre has helped launch the careers of myriad composers and ensembles, serving as an incubator for emerging artists and a champion of those not yet well known in America. A four-time recipient of the ASCAP/Chamber Music America Award for Adventurous Programming, Miller Theatre's goals are to produce innovative programs, support the development of new work, and connect creative artists with enquiring audiences.

Miller Theatre's 2022-23 Season is supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, the Francis Goelet Charitable Trusts, and by the Howard Gilman Foundation. Additional support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.