The Committee on Global Thought was established by Columbia University President Lee C. Bollinger in 2006 with the mission of enhancing the university’s engagement with issues of global importance. The Committee is committed to cross-disciplinary and transnational approaches in order to address the challenges and opportunities of the twenty-first-century world. The CGT developed a project and conference on politics and freedom of artistic expression entitled Politics of Visual Arts in a Changing World: New Issues, New Actors, New Methods. It addresses the ways contemporary visual art has become fodder for a wider cultural and political struggle—and how artists and arts institutions can best respond.
Committee on Global Thought, Columbia University
Wu Zhen, "Fisherman," Yuan Dynasty, ca. 1350
Image used in conjunction with a presentation by Vishakha N. Desai on “Art Making and Presenting in Turbulent Times” during the Uptown People’s Assembly, hosted by
Columbia University's Wallach Art Gallery, in June 2020.
Dr. Vishakha N. Desai, Committee on Global Thought Vice Chair and Principal Investigator of Politics of Visual Arts in a Changing World, speaks to Columbia University students during a talk on “The Politics of Art Museums in a Changing World” in October 2019.
Panelists at a March 2019 public program entitled “Art in Contested Political and Cultural Terrains: Asia.” Panelists included:
MC Kash, Hip-hop singer from Kashmir; Tenzing Rigdol, Painter, poet, visual artist from Tibet;
Maria Madeira, Painter, visual artist from Timor-Leste; and Seckon Leang, Painter, performer and visual artist from Cambodia
Public Program held in October 2019 entitled “Arts, Politics, Museums: New Issues, Actors.” Panelists, from left to right: Richard Armstrong, Alisa Lagamma, Betti-Sue Hertz, Vishakha N. Desai.
“The Foundation’s commitment to supporting artists by funding the institutions that incubate, encourage, exhibit and critically engage their work is unwavering. Non-profit arts organizations face profound challenges due to the political, economic, social and cultural upheavals of our current moment. At the same time, and more than ever, artists need the supportive community and creative encouragement that these organizations provide.”
Joel Wachs, President