Campus Arts

“So if you do the math, numerically, we’re better than There Will Be Blood,” said Executive Producer Jeff Schwartz, CC ’10.

I found myself fumbling for the light switch in a dark room in the basement of St. Paul’s Chapel.

Is every musical ultimately written about love?

The bronze Le Marteleur—or “The Hammerman,” as he is known to most Columbia students—was created by Belgian sculptor Constantin Meunier in the late 19th century. Before this figure stood in front of Mudd, it won an honorable mention at the 1886 Paris Salon for its beautiful examination of a humble mine worker. Despite its role as a portrayal of the poor, “The Hammerman” ended up in the Ivy League—a cradle of the American elite—just 20 years later.

It’s a tradition as old as the swim test—or at least as universal. Just as every Columbia student backstrokes, butterflies, or doggie-paddles his or her way across the pool, every Columbia student spins—or attempts to spin—Three-Way Piece: Points (1964-5). While the entire student body is familiar with this gigantic bronze on Revson Plaza, very few know what it actually is. The most pervasive theory is that “it’s a molar or a tooth,” said Alicia Samuel, CC ’11. This, however, is incorrect. The “tooth” is actually a purely abstract work by British sculptor Henry Moore.

"Top news” on the University home page completely ignores an alumni band sending shock waves through the music industry. It seems bizarre that a school that prides itself on those with strong creative talents would do so little to foster those abilities within its walls, limiting students’ potential to become leaders in those fields.

“What is that?” students often ask as they walk across Revson Plaza—the brick-paved bridge over Amsterdam Ave.—and stare at the gigantic metal sculpture perched atop the Columbia Law School. Here is the definitive answer: Bellerophon Taming Pegasus (1964-76) by Lithuanian-born cubist sculptor Jacques Lipchitz (1891-1973).

With its twisting and turning plot and not-so-loosely veiled allegories, Into the Woods is far more than just “happily ever after”.