Friendship and hospitality frame a series of conversations this spring, presented jointly by the Vera List Center for Art and Politics and the Bachelor’s Program at The New School for General Studies. Each evening features a faculty member from The New School who introduces their best friend—a prominent figure outside of The New School, and coming from a field different from the one of the host. Friendship and hospitality serve as more than framing devices: they are engaged in a variety of ways, and each pair is free to choose their approach in elaborating on the story of their friendship. The evening has a strong social element. The audience is invited to mix, eat, and drink—gestures of hospitality are extended to all present.

Participants I-Hsien Wu, Assistant Professor of Chinese Language and Literature whose interests include modern Chinese literature, as well as Chinese music theory and modern ethnomusicology, will host Sandrine Larrive-Bass, an art historian whose research interests focus on early China art history and archaeology.