Columbia University School of the Arts proudly presents "We be the luminous blues…," an exhibition by acclaimed artist and Assistant Professor Adama Delphine Fawundu, opening to the public at the Lenfest Center for the Arts. The installation features 11 striking banners celebrating influential ancestors and alumni of the University who made significant global contributions.
Fawundu's collages honor figures such as anthropologist Ruth Benedict, biochemist Marie Maynard Daly, cultural preservationist Ella Cara Deloria, writer Zora Neale Hurston, and minister and suffragist Mabel Ping-Hua Lee. These pioneering individuals are depicted alongside sacred geometric symbols, drawing inspiration from Yoruba, Bakongo, Mende, Navajo, and Lenni-Lenape traditions.
The exhibition will be on display from Tuesday, September 8, through Sunday, March 14, offering the public a unique opportunity to engage with a powerful artistic tribute to cultural heritage and transformative legacies within the Columbia community and beyond.