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

Fordham Student Book Release: “Case Study Tokyo 2026” Volumes 1 & 2 ?>

Fordham Student Book Release: “Case Study Tokyo 2026” Volumes 1 & 2

I am thrilled to announce the publication of Case Study Tokyo 2026 by our student researchers: Deborah Adebanjo, Julie Casamonti, Cagla Cetin, Annabelle Hochberg, Grayson Howes, Camille Majzun, Lulu Marino, Xavier Oyola, Nicole Phillips, Sophia Puccini, Jack Reynard, Kate Schweiger, Lily Sood, Emily Terrell, Chelsy Veras, Samuel Wachter, Caroline Walkup, and Dylan Wright.

Clocking in at 760 pages across two volumes, it is the most extensive research collection in the sixteen-year history of the class. You will be able to view the books in our library soon; however, in the meantime, please enjoy a full preview of Case Study Tokyo 2026 Volume 1 and Case Study Tokyo 2026 Volume 2 online.

As stated in the book’s acknowledgments, “I would like to thank the students who have participated in this course. Looking at the images in this book transports me immediately back to Tokyo. Your efforts are undeniable, and your observations are numerous, thoughtful, and provocative. And when I say numerous, you certainly know what I mean—as you are now in the final pages of volume two!”

So, Rams: Deborah, Julie, Cagla, Annabelle, Grayson, Camille, Lulu, Xavier, Nicole, Sophia, Jack, Kate, Lily, Emily, Chelsy, Samuel, Caroline, and Dylan—

皆どうもうありがとうございました！ Thank you all so very much!

Pictures of Ghosts, by Kleber Mendonça Filho ?>

Pictures of Ghosts, by Kleber Mendonça Filho

Pictures of Ghosts, 2023, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho

Tuesday, April 14, 6 pm, Lincoln Center, Visual Arts Complex, RM SL24L
Panelists: Associate Professor of French Audrey Evrard, Department Chair, Languages & Cultures, and Professor Carl Fischer, Professor of Spanish, Department of Languages & Cultures. Moderated by Professor Apicella-Hitchcock, Head of the Visual Arts Program. Open to all. There will be pizza and a raffle prize.

Pictures of Ghosts, from acclaimed Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho, “Is a multidimensional journey across time, sound, architecture, and filmmaking that explores the rich, complicated history of the filmmaker’s home city of Recife—the coastal capital of the state of Pernambuco—through the great movie theaters that served as spaces of conviviality during the twentieth century. Paeans to dreams and progress, these temples of cinema have also come to reflect major shifts in Brazilian society and politics. Combining archival documentary, mystery, film clips, and personal memories, Pictures of Ghosts is a map of a city through the lens of cinema, offering a delightful tour…”

About season two:
This spring, Films Worth Talking About, Even If Difficult, expands 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 films that are visually experimental, sonically demanding, historically complex, or with multi-threaded or temporally shifting narratives. Ultimately, the series is a cinematic pretext for hanging out, eating, and talking—a communal exercise where we discuss, discover, and sometimes disagree, which is all 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.

Sound Stories ?>

Sound Stories

In VART 2222 Art of the Interview, students record interviews with community members who discuss the past, present and future of the Lincoln Square neighborhood, which was demolished in the 1950’s to build Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Fordham College at Lincoln Center, and other developments.

This Fall 2025 class was generously supported by funding and staff at Fordham’s Center for Community Engaged Learning

On Wednesday December 17th, the Fall 2025 class presented videos highlighting various stories at Good Shepherd Faith Presbyterian Church, where many interviewees are members:

This short film by Nora Kinney features interviews with Freddie Richardson, Humberto Pichardo, Jackie Brown Richardson and Tanisha Hill

Good Shepherd-Faith Presbyterian Church, by the way, is the last standing church to predate the Lincoln Center urban renewal project that demolished the rest of the neighborhood, and has a rich civil rights history.

Video by Ayden Suber, featuring a story told by Huberto Pichardo

Lauren Vaughn and Kylie O’Toole made this video from an interview with longtime Lincoln Square community member, Mr. Freddie Richardson

Phillip (Rohde) Costello created this piece from interviews with Freddie Richardson and Humberto Pichardo.

Here is Amanda video featuring stories told by Freddie Richardson and Tanisha L. Hill.

Sage Rochetti’s video features stories by Freddie Richardson and Tanisha L. Hill.