What links a Bob Dylan protest song, a Nigerian pop anthem, and an orchestra in Israel made up of equal numbers of Jewish and Arab musicians? Each shows that music can help people connect, challenge, and reimagine our world.

That belief is at the heart of Arts & Impact, a new NYU initiative that harnesses NYU’s distinctive strengths in the arts, on their own and with other fields, to build a deeper understanding of the human experience and inspire solutions for a better future.

Each year, Arts & Impact will focus on a new theme. The inaugural theme, Remix the Future, highlights music’s ability to build bridges across different ways of thinking and engaging.

The year began with "How Many Roads: Bob Dylan and His Changing Times, 1961-1964" at the Gallatin Galleries (see highlights from the opening) and a powerful conversation on advocacy and resilience with Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold. This fall also features our first artist-in-residence, Noel Stookey (“Paul” of Peter, Paul and Mary) who will meet with NYU student songwriters and perform for the NYU community, and a conversation with Nabeel Abboud-Ashkar and Sir Clive Gillinson on building trust through the process of making music together.

More events and stories are ahead this year. Read on and visit the Arts & Impact site for more information. 

Noel Stookey, better known as Paul of the iconic folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, will host two public events as part of this residency:

A lifelong activist, Stookey has used music to drive social change for decades, including singing “Blowin’ in the Wind” at the 1963 March on Washington when Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, and founding Music to Life, a nonprofit that supports musicians working for community change.

Highlighting the artist’s growing political awareness, including the civil rights and anti-war movements of the early 1960s, “How Many Roads: Bob Dylan and his Changing Times, 1961–1964” is on display at the NYU Gallatin Galleries from August 25 - October 15. This first-ever traveling exhibit from The Bob Dylan Center examines the seminal moments of Bob Dylan’s early career, and chronicles the artist’s meteoric ascent from an obscure musician to the era’s most revered songwriter. 

First Friday: Bob Dylan's Legacy
Friday, October 3
6:00-8:00pm

New Yorker staff writer Amanda Petrusich, NYU Gallatin professor Ben Ratliff, and other panelists reflect on the exhibit and Bob Dylan's lasting cultural relevance.

How can making music together help people from different backgrounds build trust and spark dialogue? That question is at the heart of a conversation between Sir Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall (right), and Nabeel Abboud-Ashkar (left), Executive Director of Polyphony Education, an organization that fosters understanding between Arab and Jewish communities in Israel through classical music.

Afrobeat singer-songwriter Adekunle Gold and NYU researchers have launched BEAT-SCD, a unique collaboration to fight the stigma of sickle cell disease (SCD). The initiative, led by Gold and NYU professors Carlos Chirinos and Emmanuel Peprah, will use music and storytelling to improve mental health outcomes for the millions affected by SCD. Gold visited NYU earlier this month to speak about the partnership and his personal experiences with SCD. 

Adekunle Gold (standing, center) with NYU students.

Photos courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment, the American Song Archives and Noel Stookey.

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