Abstract

This commentary provides an exegesis of A Drama in Time: The New School Century and two associated academic works, which present a corrective history of The New School. Moving beyond the normative narrative focused on The Graduate Faculty, the research constructs a totalized narrative that integrates the Parsons School of Design and Mannes School of Music, recasting the institutional history in a context of the arts and 'downtown' New York City.

Methodologically employing archival excavation and a non-linear, collage-based telling to challenge hierarchical memory, A Drama in Time represents the university as a dynamic protagonist. Through extensive archival research, the research findings contribute new knowledge by correcting foundational myths and recovering silenced histories; specifically, the work documents the 1972 takeover of Mills College and the deaccession of Isamu Noguchi's Garden Elements, while foregrounding the contributions of women and people of color.

The six chapters of this commentary identify narrative and theoretical frameworks, and analyze the objectives and outcomes of the research. The chapters document contributions to knowledge, and, additionally, describe a methodological model for institutional self-interrogation that is immersive, critically aware, and generative. A Drama in Time presents a seminal telling of the holistic university, and a case study in institutional history—one that is open to interpretation and critical evolution.