Columbia University School of the Arts and Performance Space 122 are joining forces to launch The Arts Collaboration Lab, a pioneering intensive summer workshop and residency program for artists and arts students in which students of film, theatre, visual arts, writing and music will work together to develop new cross-disciplinary projects. Professional artists in residence will serve as mentors and guides for student projects, creating a unique and innovative artistic community in the heart of New York City. The Arts Collaboration Lab will inaugurate its pilot season on Columbia’s campus in July 2011.

“The Collaboration Lab will create a one-of-a-kind artistic community in New York City,” said Carol Becker, Dean of Faculty at Columbia University School of the Arts. “Much of the most exciting innovation in today’s art world is crossing over the borders that have traditionally divided genres and art forms. We recognize how important collaborative practice has become, and are eager to extend and support it.”

Run in conjunction with PS122 – New York’s legendary downtown arts and performance center, now celebrating its 30th Anniversary Season – The Arts Collaboration Lab will be open to 16-20 students from Columbia University and around the globe, and provide an intense residency and mentorship opportunity for major professional artists.

“New York City, with its prohibitively high cost of living and limited space, can create barriers for artists to develop new work,” said Vallejo Gantner, Artistic Director of PS122. “The Arts Collaboration Lab will provide much-needed time and space for the creation and exploration of new material.”

“The partnership between Columbia and PS122 marries academics and creative risk, uptown and downtown, practice and performance in a unique collaboration that we believe will set a new standard for artistic development on one of the greatest arts cities in the world,” said Gideon Lester, Associate Director of The Arts Collaboration Lab and Adjunct Professor of Theatre Arts at Columbia University School of the Arts. “The Lab will be like a cross-disciplinary petri dish where students and professional artists come together to collaborate, share ideas, and deepen their own artistic practice.”

For more information about The Arts Collaboration Lab, please visit arts.columbia.edu, or contact Gideon Lester at collaborationlab@arts.columbia.edu