"Friends" co-creator Marta Kauffman '78 joined five other celebrated artists and arts professionals at a special panel discussion held Saturday, October 21, as part of BAMD! '06. Hosted by Scott Edmiston, Director of the Office of the Arts at Brandeis University, panelists discussed the state of the arts at Brandeis, in society, education, the media, and much more.

Students and alumni posed questions ranging from the role of TV in bringing about social change to how to tell your parents you want to become an artist. In response to a question about the importance of a liberal arts education for those interested in a career in the arts, Kauffman credited her Brandeis education with making her a "human being," something she believes is a prerequisite to a career in the arts. The lively panel discussion touched on the role of art in politics, history, and all levels of education.


From left to right: Nick Rabkin ’69, executive director or the Chicago Center for Arts Policy at Columbia College; Marta Kauffman '78, executive producer and co-creator or the Emmy Award-winning series Friends; Theresa Rebeck MA ’83, MFA '86, PhD '89, playwright and screenwriter; George Kahn '73, musician and president of Playing Records; Adam D. Weinberg '77, the Alice Pratt Brown director of the Whitney Museum of American Art; and Peter Lipsitt '61, sculptor and professor of art.










The student a cappella group, VoiceMale, performed prior to the panel discussion.