The 12th Annual MORNINGSIDE LIGHTS To Illuminate Morningside Heights, September 23-30

The 12th annual MORNINGSIDE LIGHTS, presented by the Arts Initiative and Miller Theatre at Columbia University, returns with The Open Book, a celebration of the free exchange of ideas and an homage to the libraries that preserve access to knowledge and affirm our freedom to read.

Presented in partnership with the Columbia University Libraries and The New York Public Library, each of the 50+ community-built lanterns will pay tribute to a book that inspires, enlightens, and shapes how we see the world. In a community procession through Morningside Park, a luminous catalogue of “Great Books” will be revealed, where each glowing volume will honor a unique perspective, while renewing our collective resolve to keep our libraries free and our minds open.

Free lantern-building workshops will be hosted daily at Miller Theatre from September 23-29. Workshops are geared toward teens and adults, but children ages 10 and up are welcome if working with a participating adult. Visit morningside-lights.com for the full workshop schedule and more details. Workshop registration opens on Wednesday, September 6.

The workshops culminate in an illuminated procession of community creations that will light up Morningside Park on Saturday, September 30. For more information visit www.morningside-lights.com.

The Morningside Lights procession begins in Morningside Park at 116th Street and Morningside Avenue at 8PM. Meet at the start to walk in the procession or join in anywhere along the route. The procession route is approximately one mile in distance, and reaches the Columbia campus around 8:45PM.

Those who wish to carry a lantern can arrive at 7PM for rehearsal at 120th Street and Morningside Avenue. Lanterns are assigned first-come, first-served beginning at 7PM sharp.

From Saturday, September 23 through Friday, September 29, daily lantern-building workshops will take place at Miller Theatre, on Broadway at 116th Street. Afternoon and evening workshop sessions will be offered. Those interested in taking part can visit morningside-lights.com for more information, including a detailed schedule, and to sign up for the workshops. Workshop registration opens on Wednesday, September 6. Participants are invited to collaborate with others to design original covers and "pop-up" illustrations of chosen books, transformed into lanterns, while learning techniques for making illuminated art.

Workshops are free and open to participants of all backgrounds and abilities. Activities are geared toward teens and adults, but children ages 10 and up are welcome if working with a participating adult. Materials, tools, and techniques may not be appropriate for children under age 10.

Morningside Lights is an annual outdoor procession featuring lanterns built by volunteers from Columbia University and surrounding neighborhoods during a week of free public workshops. Students, families, and members of the community are all welcome to attend the workshops and procession. Each year's theme is conceived and directed by Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles of Processional Arts Workshop. Morningside Lights was created in 2012 by Brenna St. George Jones, Alex Kahn, Sophia Michahelles, and Melissa Smey as a way to connect Columbia's campus and the neighborhood, to foster creativity, and to (quite literally) shine a light on Morningside Park. The Friends of Morningside Park have been an integral partner since the project's inception. A co-production of Columbia University's Arts Initiative and Miller Theatre, Morningside Lights is led by Melissa Smey, Executive Producer; Taylor Riccio, Senior Producer; Taylor Crichton, Associate Producer; and Garrett Rollins, Associate Producer.

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.

Columbia University Libraries is a top-tier academic research library, serving one of the world's most important centers of research and learning. The Libraries build, sustain, and make discoverable collections that transcend traditional boundaries of format and domain, keeping pace with a dynamic and rapidly evolving information environment and creating unique opportunities for users to encounter global thought. As vital partners in the University's research and learning ecosystem, the Libraries connects users with rich and distinctive collections, fosters meaningful learning experiences, and provides innovative research support for a large, diverse user population.

For over 125 years, The New York Public Library has been a free provider of education and information for the people of New York and beyond. With over 90 locations—including research and branch libraries—throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, the Library offers free materials, computer access, classes, exhibitions, programming and more to everyone from toddlers to scholars. The New York Public Library receives approximately 16 million visits through its doors annually and millions more around the globe who use its resources at www.nypl.org. To offer this wide array of free programming, The New York Public Library relies on both public and private funding. Learn more about how to support the Library at nypl.org/support.

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 at Columbia University is an acclaimed New York City music venue and concert producer. Founded in 1988, Miller's mission is to develop new audiences; foster enthusiasm for the arts by pioneering new programming approaches; educate the public by presenting specialized programs to a broad audience; discover diverse repertoire and commission new works; and share the University's intellectual riches with the public. A four-time recipient of the ASCAP/Chamber Music America Award for Adventurous Programming, Miller Theatre produces innovative programs, supports the development of new work, and connects creative artists with enquiring audiences.

Miller Theatre's 2023-24 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, and by the Howard Gilman Foundation.

Columbia University's Miller Theatre is located north of the Main Campus Gate
at 116th St. & Broadway on the ground floor of Dodge Hall. Directions and information are available online at millertheatre.com or via the Miller Theatre Box Office, at 212/854-7799.