Columbia Journal Panel Discussion Tomorrow

Hang Together or Hang Apart?

Interdisciplinary Collaboration in the Arts in the Era of Mixed-Media

(A Panel Discussion)

Thursday Dec. 10, 7 p.m., Bluestockings Bookstore, 172 Allen St. at Stanton

In today's mixed-media ferment, how can artists and writers

collaborate across genres to create innovative forms of art? Can

the arts excite a “post-literate” generation? Panelists

are novelist Siri Hustvedt, artist Jon Kessler, poet/painter Marjorie

Welish, filmmaker Michael Almereyda, novelist/poet Terese Svoboda,

and writer Alix Ohlin. Moderated by Gideon Lester. Hosted by

Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art.

A critically acclaimed novelist, poet, and essayist, Siri Hustvedt has published three volumes of essays, one of poetry, and four novels, including the international bestsellers What I Loved and her recent The Sorrows of an American. Among many other themes, her work explores art, perception, and the permeable boundaries between genres and media.

Sculptor, photographer, and mixed-media artist Jon Kessler combines centuries-old craft with digital and video technology to create “kinetic sculptures” that explore consumerist, fearful, post-utopian society. With sprawling pieces such as The Palace at 4 A.M. he has won acclaim over three decades and been featured at the Whitney Biennial, Carnegie Institute, Deitch Projects, P.S.1, and MOMA.

A renowned poet, painter, and art critic, Marjorie Welish has published eight volumes of poetry, exhibits her paintings at the Baumgartner Gallery and Bjorn Ressle Fine Art, and has received numerous awards in both fields, including fellowships from the Gottlieb and Djerassi Foundations. Her poems have appeared in Best American Poetry series and in many anthologies, and her work was the subject of a comprehensive retrospective at the University of Pennsylvania.

A wildly diverse filmmaker and writer, Michael Almereyda directed the film Hamletstarring Ethan Hawke, wrote and directed documentaries on photographer William Eggleston and playwright Sam Shepard, and has published many essays and criticism on film. One of his most recent films is the post-Katrina love story, New Orleans, Mon Amour. Among other awards, he has been decorated for “expanding the possibilities of experimental film.”

A prolific novelist, poet, translator, and documentary filmmaker, Terese Svoboda has published a dozen books, exhibited her films on PBS and at  MOMA, and debuted her opera WET at the Disney Theater in Los Angeles. She has won numerous awards, including an O. Henry, a Pushcart, a Jerome Foundation Grant in video, a John Golden Award in playwriting, and the Iowa Prize in poetry.

An exhilarating young voice, Alix Ohlin has received acclaim for her debut novel The Missing Person and debut collection Babylon and Other Stories. She has often commented on the relationship between music and fiction, and her work has appeared in the Best New American Voices and Best American Short Stories series.

A dramaturg, artistic director, and writer, Gideon Lester was until recently Acting Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theatre. His translations include plays by Brecht, Buchner, and Marivaux, and his stage adaptations include Kafka's Amerika and Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire. He teaches courses on theater, adaptation, and interdisciplinary collaboration in the School of the Arts at Columbia University.