Summer Study Abroad Opportunity: Documentary Photography: Italy 2027 ?>

Summer Study Abroad Opportunity: Documentary Photography: Italy 2027

Join Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education & Visual Arts Program Professor Apicella-Hitchcock for VART 3500: Documentary Photography: Italy

This intensive four-credit class will introduce you to basic and advanced techniques of digital image production, with a major emphasis on producing documentary projects that directly relate to the people, architecture, and culture of Italy. The cosmopolitan city of Rome, rich in artistic history, will serve as the source of our photographic explorations and the catalyst for discussions on the historical significance of the documentary impulse. Our studies and production will take us from exhibitions in contemporary art galleries to the ancient architecture of the Colosseum, using the wealth of visual stimuli as both a resource and a backdrop against which to critically discuss the strategies that documentarians use to communicate their interests. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to explore Italy more broadly through day trips to Orvieto and Florence.

Each year, students from this class put together and publish a book of photography. You can see 2026’s book here!

We encourage students with a passion for travel and photography to apply for this course. No prior experience required. Please note that a digital camera will be provided for the duration of the class.

Program Dates: June 7th – July 3rd, 2027

Program Cost: $4,000 + Tuition (This includes housing, excursions, health insurance, and local transportation.)

Application Deadlines:

  • Priority Deadline: January 15, 2027
  • Final Deadline: February 1, 2027

To find out more about our Summer in Rome program, click here.

Apply Now

Paris Is Burning ?>

Paris Is Burning

Upcoming: This fall at Lincoln Center: Films Worth Talking About, Even If Difficult presents:

Paris Is Burning, 1991, directed by Jennie Livingston

Tuesday, November 10, 6 pm, Lincoln Center, Visual Arts Complex, RM SL24L

Panelists: Associate Professor of Anthropology and the Co-Program Director of Urban Studies, Aseel Sawalha, and Clinical Professor of Visual Art, Joseph Lawton, moderated by Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, Arts & Sciences

Open to all. With pizza and prizes.

Directed by Jennie Livingston, Paris Is Burning is a seminal documentary that chronicles the vibrant ball culture of New York City in the late 1980s. The film celebrates the joy and sense of family within Black and Latino LGBTQ+ communities, capturing drag balls as extraordinary spaces of liberation, self-expression, and empowerment.

By highlighting ballroom subculture, voguing, and the house system, the film brought national attention to the creative and resilient support networks of queer and trans performers of color and established ballroom culture as a foundational influence on modern fashion, dance, and pop culture.

The documentary also addresses issues of racism, poverty, and the 1980s HIV/AIDS crisis, and sparked important debates surrounding self-determination and representation. Ultimately, Paris Is Burning, in all its complexity, honors the legacy, strength, and pride of its icons.

About the 2026-2027 Film Series:

This season, Films Worth Talking About, Even If Difficult, has expanded its programming into a broader interpretive territory. “Difficult Films” are not limited to movies that are emotionally challenging or politically provocative; they can also refer to visually experimental, sonically demanding, historically complex, or temporally shifting films. Ultimately, the series is a pretext for gathering, ​watching films, eating, and talking—a communal exercise in which we discuss, discover, and sometimes disagree—all of which are part of the experience.

The Office of the Arts & Sciences Dean invites you to step outside your regular streaming queue, experience something different, and join a community of curious film lovers. The series alternates between campuses twice per semester, so please bring your friends, an open mind, and have a question ready. We also offer raffle items connected to the film. By participating, you could walk away with a special prize AND a different perspective.

Panel Discussion for “Melvin Hollins: The Observer” ?>

Panel Discussion for “Melvin Hollins: The Observer”

Tuesday 10/20, at 6 pm, there will be a panel discussion for Melvin Hollins: The Observer at the Lincoln Center Campus Ildiko Butler Gallery. Participants will include Jude Hollins and Fordham photography professors Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock, Patrice Helmar, Joseph Lawton, and Dan Wilner. Please join us for a lively conversation about this extraordinary photographer. The event is open to everyone, so bring your friends!

Melvin Hollins: The Observer
October 15th – November 20th, 2026
The Ildiko Butler Gallery and the Susan Lipani Gallery at Lincoln Center
Exhibition talk: Tuesday, October 20th, 6 pm in the Ildiko Butler Gallery
Curators: Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock and Jude Hollins

Website

Book

Melvin Hollins was an African-American armed forces veteran, a Fordham University Lincoln Center Ram, and a gifted street photographer who compassionately recorded the social fabric of New York City throughout the 1970s. This exhibition presents 18 framed archival prints made from scanned B&W negatives in the Ildiko Butler Gallery, and 133 5″ x 8″ pages from the book Melvin Hollins: The Observer, encircling the entire Susan Lipani Gallery in the Visual Arts Complex.

For over two years, curator Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock worked with Melvin Hollins’ son, Jude Hollins, to edit down 2,600 images for this exhibition and book. The images span the geography of New York City and the diverse cultures that call it home. Hollins’ photographs range from direct portraits to candid impressions made from afar, and to images that record the quotidian details of everyday life in New York—buildings, streets, parades, contests, marches, playgrounds, and beyond. Melvin Hollins was a visual omnivore, interested in learning about everything happening in our city through photography.

Melvin Hollins’ photographs clearly reflect his studies at Fordham in art, history, sociology, philosophy, and psychology. He conscientiously explored themes of race, pride, innocence, alienation, class, and social structures; however, despite the gravity of his topics, his imagery is subtle and joyous, never dogmatic. Regardless of what Melvin Hollins pointed his camera at, his photographs are marked by attentiveness to form and suffused with empathy and kindness.

Melvin Hollins: The Observer ?>

Melvin Hollins: The Observer

Melvin Hollins: The Observer
October 15th – November 20th, 2026
Reception: Thursday, October 15th, 6–8 pm
Exhibition talk: Tuesday, October 20th, 6 pm
The Ildiko Butler Gallery and the Susan Lipani Gallery at Lincoln Center.
Curators: Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock and Jude Hollins

Fordham University is pleased to announce Melvin Hollins: The Observer, a photography exhibition taking place simultaneously in the Ildiko Butler Gallery and the Susan Lipani Gallery at Lincoln Center. The accompanying catalog, Melvin Hollins: The Observer, is available on our imprint, Hayden’s Books, as a 298-page, 5″ x 8″ print-on-demand publication with an introduction by Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock and an essay by Jude Hollins.

Melvin Hollins was an African-American armed forces veteran, a Fordham University Lincoln Center Ram, and a gifted street photographer who compassionately recorded the social fabric of New York throughout the 1970s. This exhibition presents 18 framed archival prints made from scanned B&W negatives in the Ildiko Butler Gallery, and 133 5″ x 8″ pages from the book Melvin Hollins: The Observer, encircling the entire Susan Lipani Gallery in the Visual Arts Complex.

For over two years, curator Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock worked with Melvin Hollins’ son, Jude Hollins, to edit down 2,600 images for this exhibition and book. The images span the geography of New York City and the diverse cultures that call it home. Hollins’ photographs range from direct portraits to candid impressions made from afar, and to images that record the quotidian details of everyday life in New York—buildings, streets, parades, contests, marches, playgrounds, and beyond. Melvin Hollins was a visual omnivore, interested in learning about everything happening in our city through photography.

Melvin Hollins’ photographs clearly reflect his studies at Fordham in art, history, sociology, philosophy, and psychology. He conscientiously explored themes of race, pride, innocence, alienation, class, and social structures; however, despite the gravity of his topics, his imagery is subtle and joyous, never dogmatic. Regardless of what Melvin Hollins pointed his camera at, his photographs are marked by attentiveness to form and suffused with empathy and kindness. In particular, his images of children are extraordinary for the complexity and range of emotions they depict.

The title of the exhibition and book, Melvin Hollins: The Observer, is both a description of Melvin’s photographic practice and a nod to our outstanding student newspaper, The Observer, whose photographs demonstrate extraordinary documentary reportage, as did Melvin’s. Lastly, but significantly, the color theme for this exhibition is based on the 1970s New York license plate and subway signage—and yes, that is Denzel Washington as a student on stage in the Pope Auditorium.

An exhibition talk on Tuesday, October 20th, 6 pm, will include Jude Hollins and Fordham photography professors Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock, Patrice Helmar, Joseph Lawton, Anibal Pella-Woo, and Dan Wilner.

This exhibition was installed by Gallery Programmer Vincent Stracquadanio and is a collaboration between the Visual Arts Program, the Theatre Program, the Center for Community Engaged Learning, the Office of the Dean, and the Estate of Melvin Hollins.

Films Worth Talking About, Even If Difficult: All About Lily Chou-Chou Raffle Prize ?>

Films Worth Talking About, Even If Difficult: All About Lily Chou-Chou Raffle Prize

The Fordham University Office of the Dean’s series, Films Worth Talking About, Even If Difficult, strives to make film viewings communal, stimulating, and rewarding experiences. Accordingly, two lucky cinephiles who attended the 9/28 screening at Rose Hill of Shunji Iwai’s All About Lily Chou-Chou won the raffle and will soon receive the much-coveted circa-2000 Sony Walkman D-EJ611 in Purple/Blue that Yūichi uses in the movie. Inside the player is, of course, the ethereal Ayako Mori/Takeshi Kobayashi soundtrack for the film. This moody J-Dreampop should take them right back to when they were 14 and felt life so intensely, as the film’s characters did.

The discussion after the screening was wonderfully spirited, with opinions backed by specific observations about the cinematography, sound, character development, and the historical time frame. Students intuitively understood the protagonist’s dual lives on Internet 1.0 chat boards in the 2000s and connected that element to their junior high school years during COVID. As you would imagine, everyone understood the harmful effects of bullying depicted in the film and the importance of being an active upstander for oneself and others in the face of persecution.

Hearing our students reflect on complex films, substantiate their observations, and disagree politely is always impressive. If this sounds intriguing to you, please join us on November 10 at 6 pm for the next film in the series, the extraordinary Paris Is Burning, at the Lincoln Center campus in the Visual Arts Complex Screening Room SL24L.

And remember:

—Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock

Films Worth Talking About, Even If Difficult presents: All About Lily Chou-Chou ?>

Films Worth Talking About, Even If Difficult presents: All About Lily Chou-Chou

This fall at Rose Hill: Films Worth Talking About, Even If Difficult presents:

All About Lily Chou-Chou, 2002, directed by Shunji Iwai

Monday, September 28, 6 pm, Rose Hill, Walsh Library Flom Auditorium (lower level)

Panelists: Associate Professor of Psychology Haruka Minami, Adjunct Professor of Visual Art, Vincent Stracquadanio, moderated by Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, Arts & Sciences

Open to all. With snacks and a raffle prize.

First up this fall is the very beautiful and challenging 2002 film by Shunji Iwai, All About Lily Chou-Chou. It’s an emotionally demanding film about 14-year-olds in Japan during the post-bubble years that understands and does not simplify the challenges of bullying and growing up, regardless of nationality. How can a movie about such tough topics look and sound so gorgeous? For kids around the world, music is often a saving grace when the anxiety of teenage life becomes too much to bear. The young adults in this film find refuge in the music of Lily Chou-Chou, a Björk-like chanteuse whose music provides respite from the harsh challenges of growing up. (A fake band, comprising Salyu and Kobayashi from Mr. Children, was created to compose the film’s music under the name “Lily Chou-Chou”).

About the 2026-2027 Film Series:

This season, Films Worth Talking About, Even If Difficult, has expanded its programming into a broader interpretive territory. “Difficult Films” is not limited to films that are emotionally challenging or politically provocative; it can also refer to visually experimental, sonically demanding, historically complex, or temporally shifting films. Ultimately, the series is a cinematic pretext for gathering, eating, and talking—a communal exercise in which we discuss, discover, and sometimes disagree—all of which are part of the experience.

The Office of the Arts & Sciences Dean invites you to step outside your regular streaming queue, experience something different, and join a community of curious film lovers throughout the year. Please bring your friends, an open mind, and have a question ready. Additionally, to sweeten the deal, we offer raffle items connected to the film. By participating, you could walk away with a special prize AND a different perspective.

Case Study Tokyo 2027 ?>

Case Study Tokyo 2027

VART 4000: Case Study Tokyo

Take one part of the working methodology from the influential 1972 book “Learning from Las Vegas: The Forgotten Symbolism of Architectural Form,” combine it with the megacity of Tokyo, add Fordham University students, stir for nine days in Japan, and what do you get? You acquire knowledge through experience with a small team, realized in a research volume focusing on architecture, art, business, culture, design, fashion, film, history, marketing, photography, and urban planning.

The primary goals of this course are to experience and study Japanese culture and history during a nine-day immersion period; to provide an understanding of camera/iPhone usage for data collection; and to produce a professional-quality case study book focusing on the simultaneously ultramodern and traditional capital of Japan, Tokyo. Engaging with and learning about Japanese culture will foster a global approach, promote understanding, and provide insight into contemporary Eastern and Western dynamics.

This class regularly meets at Lincoln Center during the spring semester, before and after traveling to Japan for nine days during Spring Break. The Lincoln Center classes include lectures, screenings of significant Japanese films, discussions, written responses, and logistics. Additionally, there will be an overnight trip to Japan’s former capital, Kyoto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its traditional culture, art, and magnificent gardens.

We welcome students with a curious spirit, sensitivity to different cultures, willingness to walk, and enthusiasm to participate in this collaborative adventure with their fellow Rams.

Travel Program Dates: Friday, March 19th (Flight will need to leave March 18th) through Sunday, March 27th, 2027

Program Fee: $4250 (includes accommodations in Tokyo & Kyoto, Japan Rail Pass, local travel, museums and cultural visits, group meal, and more. Flights are not included).

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Apply here.

Professor Apicella-Hitchcock, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education, will teach this course. View the 2026 Case Study book here. 

Rose Hill Information Session
Join us to learn more about Case Study Tokyo at the Rose Hill Campus
Monday, Sep 21, 2026, 01:00 PM
Campbell Multipurpose Room
Click here to RSVP to this event
Lincoln Center Information Session
Join us to learn more about Case Study Tokyo at the Lincoln Center Campus
Tuesday, Sep 22, 2026, 05:30 PM
South Lounge
Click here to RSVP to this event

Amused Medusa ?>

Amused Medusa

Last chance to see Amused Medusa, by Matthew Bakkom, in the Lincoln Center Visual Arts Complex Susan Lipani Gallery until September 30th. Curator: Stephan Apicella-Hitchcock.

Amused Medusa is a visual explication of the phenomenon of the anagram, a word or phrase whose constituent letters can be reordered to create an entirely new word. The occurrence of these linguistic gems is fundamentally accidental, yet their consideration as ordered pairs suggests intriguing new spaces of potential meaning for each audience member to contemplate.

This exhibition, inspired by Dutch grocery store flower displays, creates a rich, optically saturated context for the word pairings. The linear parameters of each piece are based on a set of children’s stencils the artist stumbled upon in Glendale, Queens, during the winter of 2025. All work in the exhibition was produced over the past year, first in Rotterdam, Minneapolis, and New Orleans.

Diversity: Paintings by Robert Allen ?>

Diversity: Paintings by Robert Allen

Diversity: Paintings by Robert Allen

RECEPTION June 11th at 6pm 

The Fordham University Galleries
Ildiko Butler Gallery
June 5 – August 23, 2026
Fordham University at Lincoln Center map
113 West 60th Street at Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10023
fordhamuniversitygalleries

I prefer to avoid claiming any profound meaning to be found in the images I create. These
paintings are simply meant to be looked at, and it is hoped that they communicate in a purely visual language, not needing a narrative explanation. Either the work captures a viewer’s imagination or it doesn’t. Frankly, unfortunately, some of that ‘art critique stuff’ can be rather pretentious.

However, I do believe creative acts represent attempts to validate self-worth, or a means of documenting one’s existence, announcing that, for a short time, “I was a part of humanity.” So, these paintings are reflections of my imagination, starting usually as doodles, then turning into temporary obsessions. That said, it would be disingenuous not to admit that I am inspired by the works of other artists, often resulting from a ‘throw-back’ to works seen in museums, galleries, books, then trying to prove to myself “I can do that.” A spark ignited by another artist is then transformed into something derived from my own alchemy of psychological history mixing subject matter, color, design, etc., into something a little different, made up of other’s ideas, but resulting in ‘art’ which I am uniquely responsible for.

This explains why these works seem to lack any central style or theme. I like the challenge of “differences” and not just in art. So, if this exhibit represents anything more than viewers getting lost in the visual language of art, and escaping into something perhaps personally “meaningful,” let it applaud the theme of diversity – an openness to recombining concepts and how we think, transforming old ideas into something a little different, which inherently requires and welcomes sharing, a process which often brings about something positive and worthwhile because it emanates from a collective inspiration. I am happy to share this work, a small contribution, created during my time of ‘being a part of humanity.’

Bob Allen
June 2026