Ligel Lambert, an interdisciplinary artist and doctoral candidate at Columbia University's Teachers College, will present a solo exhibition of 16 large portrait paintings as part of his Ed.D. dissertation. The show runs from October 27 to November 20, 2025, at the Macy Art Gallery, with an opening reception on October 30. Lambert, a former U.S. Marine and adjunct professor at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design and Hunter College, draws on his experiences living in Haiti, Japan, South Korea, China, and the U.S.
This exhibition matters because it represents a rare integration of creative practice into a doctoral dissertation in education, highlighting how visual art can serve as scholarly research. It also showcases the work of an emerging artist with a multicultural background and ties to notable figures like Wycliffe Gordon and Swizz Beatz, underscoring the growing recognition of art as a legitimate form of academic inquiry.