Columbia University Exhibit Honoring Dance Theatre of Harlem Founder Arthur Mitchell

Arthur Mitchell in class in the 1960s. Photo by Milton Oleaga, courtesy of Columbia University

Columbia University Exhibit Honoring Dance Theatre of Harlem Founder Arthur Mitchell

January 12, 2018

With scores of rare photographs, more than an hour of footage, programs, posters, music and art works, Columbia University’s latest exhibition, Arthur Mitchell: Harlem’s Ballet Trailblazer, curated by dance historian Lynn Garafola, celebrates Mitchell’s career and his impact on the dance community.

Born and raised in Harlem, Mitchell went from Broadway to being a principal at New York City Ballet, and in 1969 he founded Dance Theatre of Harlem.

Mitchell as Puck in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (1962). Photo by Carl Van Vechten, courtesy of Columbia University

Supplemented by items from DTH, The Studio Museum and private lenders, the exhibit opens January 12 at the University’s Wallach Art Gallery in New York.

A studio outreach class at Dance Theatre of Harlem in the 1970s. Photo by Carl Van Vechten, courtesy of Columbia University