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A guide to the Arts Initiative at Columbia University

A Barnard student’s guide to utilizing the art opportunities and experiences offered by the program. 

Photography by Jeanine Huang/The Barnard Bulletin

October 23, 2024

One major perk of being a Barnard student is its location; attending school in New York City grants students unique access to art institutions like Broadway and the myriad world-renowned museums the city has to offer. However, students often feel overwhelmed by options once they arrive. Not only is it hard to navigate the vast array of art opportunities in this city, but many are beyond an average college student’s budget. 


The Arts Initiative at Columbia University is a program dedicated to making the arts more accessible to students. With a mission focused on bridging the gap between the Columbia community and the arts, the Arts Initiative connects students to affordable and meaningful experiences in both the visual and performing arts. 


One of the most notable benefits of the Arts Initiative is that it acts as a passport to several museums in the city. Just by presenting a valid CUID with a current semester sticker, Barnard and Columbia students can visit a long list of New York City Museums for free. This list includes popular museums such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, as well as cultural centers such as the Goethe-Institut and the Japan Society. 


This access to museums is an invaluable resource for students, amplifying both their individual pursuits and studies. “As an art history major, being able to access a wide variety of museums allows me to have a direct visual relationship with the art, which is so essential for both academics and personal experience,” commented Lucia Link (BC ‘26). 


Announced through their email newsletter, the Arts Initiative periodically gives away free tickets to performances at some of the most renowned venues in the city, such as Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera. Students interested in accessing these limited ticket drops should sign up for the Arts Initiative newsletter through their website


On campus, the Arts Initiative offers opportunities through its Ticket and Information Center (TIC), located in the lobby of Lerner Hall. The TIC provides a wide variety of discounted tickets to performances both on and off campus. Student performance groups may sell their tickets through the TIC, while other on-campus opportunities include panels, screenings and events, such as the Forum’s Crafts on The Corner: Wallach Art Gallery Sketch Sessions on campus today, October 23, and the upcoming Speak Now: David Henry Hwang and Leigh Silverman on “Yellow Face” talk at the Lenfest Center for the Arts on October 30. 


Off campus, the TIC sells a variety of discounted tickets for Broadway, the New York Philharmonic, the New York City Ballet, and more. These tickets go on sale at the beginning of the semester and sell out quickly. Joining the Arts Initiative’s newsletter allows you to hear about these opportunities as soon as they become available! Tickets are sold out this semester, but offerings for next semester will be announced on Friday, December 6 at 11 a.m. Barnard and Columbia students can also purchase movie tickets for AMC and Angelika Film Center at a discounted rate at the TIC.


The Arts Initiative also hosts Columbia Nights at art venues throughout the city. For both the visual and performing arts, these events offer students behind-the-scenes access to the art world, whether through a guided museum tour or a panel discussion with performing artists. Most recently, students were able to follow an art historian on a tour of the MoMA.


“Though I especially visit the Met far too many times each semester, I appreciate the diversity and choice available to me in all the institutions we have access to,” Link added. “It’s also wonderful to be able to spread my love for museums with my peers in club settings, where we are able to visit, bond, and interact in art spaces for free.” 


Whether you are a first-year student trying to engage with the arts on a budget or an upperclassman hoping to take advantage of what the city has to offer, the Arts Initiative presents a plethora of accessible opportunities for Barnard and Columbia students to connect to the arts on campus and in the greater NYC community.

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