Song, Dance, Spoken Word

The Great Hall exploded with music, dance, and even comedy on Saturday, March 18 as part of a program honoring Women’s History Month. The event was part of the Gardiner Foundation Great Hall Forum series and featured ballet dancer Tiler Peck, modern dancer Tendayi Kuumba of Urban Bush Women, and American tap dancer Dormeshia, as well as musical performances by Grammy Award-winners Melissa Manchester and Lisa Fischer along with newcomer Kara Jackson and Broadway star Melissa Errico. Alice Wetterlund, a 2003 School of Art alumna, who returned to the Great Hall stage for the first time since her graduation, delivered a hysterical yet pointed, politically-charged standup comedy set tackling current women's rights issues.

Earlier in the day, the Great Hall hosted a conversation with Gloria Steinem and Salamishah Tillet reflecting on the state of women's rights and empowerment in America today. View the gallery of photos from the afternoon event.

The program was sponsored by the Ciafone and Argento Family and Debby & Scott Rechler / Rechler Philanthropy.

Photos by Marget Long

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.