Atelier

Discover the untold stories of remarkable women who shaped Reid Hall. Each episode highlights the lives and accomplishments of artists, scientists, philanthropists, or scholars, from 1893 to 1939. Providing rich historical context, “Women of Reid Hall” ensures that these women's contributions are not forgotten. “Women of Reid Hall” is a special series of Atelier , a podcast produced by the Columbi...

Since its founding in 2017, Forbidden Stories has delivered a powerful message: killing the journalist won’t kill the story. This Emmy-winning global network of journalists is committed to continuing the work of their colleagues who face threats, imprisonment, or have been murdered. In this episode, Laurent Richard , founder and executive director of Forbidden Stories , shares the origins of this...

Après six ans de lutte, Assa Traoré a créé en 2022 Génération Leaders , un programme visant à former une nouvelle génération de leaders engagés pour l'égalité et la justice, et à combattre les discriminations sous toutes leurs formes. Elle y souligne l'importance de la prise de décision collective et la force qu'elle puise dans ce modèle de leadership collaboratif. Dans cet épisode, Assa Traoré re...

The creative process offers a liberating counterpoint to other work, encouraging diverse thinking through varied mediums and perspectives, reframing failure as a first step toward innovation, and balancing professional and academic efforts. In this episode, Delphine Grouès discusses the role of creativity in education at Sciences Po and its influence on her career as an academic, teacher, and arti...

Ursula Kwong-Brown and Daniel Erdberg performed Driftscape on May 13, 2024, at the second annual Nuit de l’Imagination, exploring the theme of boredom. After discussing how boredom influences their creativity, we invited them to share a version of the performance with Atelier listeners. Ursula Kwong-Brown is an LA-based pianist/composer/arts technologist. Described as “atmospheric and accomplished...

What should be the role of academic institutions to lead the fight against climate change? Regrouping the expertise of Columbia faculty and researchers across the university, the Climate School aims to create and inspire solutions and educate future leaders for just, prosperous societies on a healthy planet. In this episode, Alex Halliday discusses why Columbia created a Climate School in the firs...

How can combining historical exploration and travel memoir reveal the poignant histories of diverse African Americans who left the United States over the past century? In this episode, Tamara Walker discusses her recent book Beyond the Shores: A History of African Americans Abroad (Crown, 2023). Her own travel experiences inform not only her written work, but also impelled her to co-create non-pro...

Anne Atheling’s advice to other travelers can best be summed up as follows: “Go young, go often, and go long.” A Barnard graduate of the class of 1950, she studied abroad at Reid Hall in the Summer of 1949 with the Smith Junior Year Abroad program, one of the first post-WWII and in the same year as future First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier. As she puts it, this “kicked off a life-long love of everythin...

Narrative medicine is a medical approach that emphasizes the importance of understanding and integrating patients' narratives into their healthcare. In this episode, Delphine Taylor and Nellie Hermann discuss this innovative field at the intersection of humanities, the arts, clinical practice, and health care justice. They were at Reid Hall in Paris for a conference with French and European collea...

How can journalists report on traumatic events, protect sources, and ensure a safe newsroom? In this episode, Juliana Ruhfus, director of Dart Centre Europe, a Columbia Journalism School project, explores their cross-cultural work through online resources, in-person retreats, workshops, and events at the Paris Center. Juliana Ruhfus took over as director of Dart Centre Europe (DCE) in 2022, a rela...

What does it mean to be bored, and what is the impact of boredom on creativity, connection, and inspiration? Ursula Kwong-Brown and Daniel Erdberg, in Paris for Reid Hall's annual "Nuit de l'Imagination," discuss their relationships with boredom and introduce listeners to their new composition, Driftscape , an immersive musical performance that attempts to create a space, both personal and collect...

Throughout his multi-disciplinary, international career, Mohamed Elshahed has found that the most apt description of his work is storytelling. In this episode, he guides us through Cairo, London, Mexico City, and Paris, intertwining histories and personal anecdotes to provide context for the book project he's currently undertaking as an Institute Fellow. Mohamed Elshahed is a writer, curator, and...

Lois Grjebine, Smith class of 1952, first came to Reid Hall as a study-abroad student over seven decades ago. In this episode, she talks about how the experience changed the course of her life, launching a pioneering career in journalism and women’s rights. In the 1960s, she worked first as editor-in-chief of the French monthly, Réalités, then as editor-in-chief of the weekly English-language edit...

What does it mean to train tomorrow's leaders? What does it mean to be politically engaged? Alice Barbe, founder of the Académie Des Futurs Leaders and former Obama Scholar, talks to us about community organizing, civic engagement, and empowering people to effect change. Alice Barbe is an activist and a co-founder of SINGA, a French association which creates interactions that accelerates the inclu...

How to respond to human rights abuses in a way that actually has impact? Jack Snyder explores these questions in his book, Human Rights for Pragmatists (Princeton University Press, 2022).  Jack Snyder is the Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Relations in the political science department and the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia University. Find us elsewh...

In the face of a war aiming to erase Ukrainian national identity, preserving Ukrainian music becomes a pillar of resilience and resistance. In this episode, Anna Stavychenko, a tireless advocate, describes her efforts to safeguard Ukrainian musical legacy and provide refuge for displaced talents. Anna Stavychenko is a musicologist, music critic, and classical music manager. Last year Anna was a Ha...

On the first day of COP28, delegates agreed to formally establish a Loss and Damage Fund to support vulnerable countries dealing with the effects of climate change. Saleemul Huq spent the better part of his career advocating for such a fund. In this episode, he discusses the evolution of this initiative with Mélody Braun, Climate Response Lead at CGC | Paris. Saleemul Huq OBE was a Bangladeshi-Bri...

Once a porcelain factory, then an orthopedic center; a Protestant boy’s school, then a girls’ art club: today, Reid Hall is home to Columbia Global Paris Center and the Institute for Ideas and Imagination . The history of this place was either unknown or largely forgotten until Paris Center Director Brune Biebuyck reconstructed the story. Reid Hall is also home to three Columbia academic programs:...