Presidential Visiting Scholars Bill T. Jones and Lisa B. Thompson Host Chats, Readings and More This Spring
The New School’s Presidential Visiting Scholars program brings major thinkers of the highest standing to the university to teach unique courses, collaborate on creative or research initiatives, deliver lectures, and participate in public programming and other special projects. This year brings the second cohort of scholars—celebrated dancer, choreographer, and artist Bill T. Jones and award-winning playwright, scholar, and professor Lisa B. Thompson. The program launched during the 2021-2022 academic year with the lauded philosophers Judith Butler and Cornel West.
Kicking off Bill T. Jones’ appointment, New York Live Arts and The New School are collaborating on a series of events including the celebrated Bill Chats, a series of conversations featuring Jones in dialogue with noted artists, scholars and critics on key topics facing the world today. Upcoming events this semester feature conversations with poet and legal scholar Reginald Dwayne Betts, author and 2020 MacArthur Fellowship recipient Jacqueline Woodson, and journalist and photographer Howard W. French. Tickets are $15 for the general public and free for New School students, faculty, and staff.
In conversation with Reginald Dwayne Betts, American poet, legal scholar, educator and prison reform advocate
February 28, 2023 at 7 pm EST
New York Live Arts Studios, 219 W 19th Street, New York, NY
In conversation with Jacqueline Woodson, author and recipient of a 2020 MacArthur Fellowship, and the 2020 Hans Christian Andersen Award
March 21, 2023 at 6:30 pm EST
The New School, Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall, 66 West 12th Street, New York, NY
In conversation with journalist, author, and photographer, Howard W. French
April 17, 2023 at 7 pm EST
New York Live Arts Studios, 219 W 19th Street, New York, NY
Additional programming by the Presidential Visiting Scholars will include members of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company teaching students Continuous Replay, a seminal work in the legacy of Jones and Arnie Zane. The course will be led by New York Live Arts Associate Artistic Director Janet Wong, and current company members Barrington Hinds, s. lumbert, and Huiwang Zhang, with visits from Bill T. Jones and set designer Bjorn G. Amelan, and the piece will be performed in the Eugene Lang College Dance Spring Dance Production at New York Live Arts, May 12-13, 2023.
During the spring semester, Lisa B. Thompson, a dynamic voice in American theater, will return to The New School campus and engage with students and faculty in creative practice. Thompson is an award-winning playwright, scholar, and professor of African and African Diaspora Studies whose art and scholarship examine stereotypes about Black life in the U.S., particularly the experiences of the Black middle class. Her plays embody character and story to thoughtfully explore the Black family, motherhood, migration, racial violence, and sexuality. We look forward to sharing more information about upcoming programming with Thompson in the coming weeks.