John Cage Trust

Publisher par excellence of NYRB Books, Edwin Frank, visited us at the John Cage Trust for mesostic talk and more.

Thanks, Edwin!

"An error is simply a failure to adjust immediately from a preconception to an actually." -- John Cage

#JohnCageSays

A bevy of delightful Bard College librarians and archivists joined us at the John Cage Trust for a "Librarial Afternoon" of chance operations engagement, library and archival talk, tours, and John Cage Cookies!

Thank you, all for coming by!

The fabulous current exhibition at the New York Public Library’s main building at 5th Avenue—TREASURES—features John Cage items from the Music Division as well as the Division of Art, Prints and Photographs, Print Collection.

Thank you, NYPL!

Artists Kerry Downey and Emily Puthoff, and Bard Assistant Director of Career Development Elena Sniezek visited us at the John Cage Trust today to peruse some of our amazing collection of art and archival materials.

Thank you, Kerry, Emily, and Elena!

TODAY!

We kick off CHANCE ENCOUNTERS WITH JOHN CAGE. The New Yorker music critic Alex Ross will chat about Cage's first lover and his role in Cage's early intellectual and artistic development!

3–4pm, January 8th, free on Zoom.

Register though our Linktree or on EventBrite.

TOMORROW!

We kick off CHANCE ENCOUNTERS WITH JOHN CAGE. The New Yorker music critic Alex Ross will chat about Cage's first lover and his role in Cage's early intellectual and artistic development!

3–4pm, January 8th, free on Zoom.

Register though our Linktree on EventBrite.

Librarian/archivist extraordinaire E. Craig Reardon visited us at the John Cage Trust, with many excellent suggestions for archival preservation shared. Thank you, Craig!

Happy New Ears!

—John Cage

May 2026 by chance give us all our best year yet.

#JohnCageSays

We're launching our new online discussion series—CHANCE ENCOUNTERS WITH JOHN CAGE—with Guggenheim award-winning The New Yorker music critic Alex Ross, discussing his recent essay on John Cage and his first lover, Don Sample.

Thursday, January 8th, 3–4pm ET, free on Zoom.

Register on EventBrite.

Two very special beings are waiting to greet you at the John Cage Trust!

Research, Education, and Digital Scholarship Librarian Jeremy Hall and Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Native American and Indigenous Studies and the Arts Luis Chavez visited us at the John Cage Trust for a tour of our collections.

Thank you Jeremy and Luis!

Choreographer/dancer Michael Spencer Phillips, a co-founder and co-artistic director of Site-Specific Dances visited us at the John Cage Trust today, along with videographer Emma Kazaryan, part of the team developing DEAR, ICEBOX: LETTERS FROM JOHN CAGE TO MERCE CUNNINGHAM into a dance theatre work.

More and more I have the feeling that we are getting nowhere.

—John Cage

#JohnCageSays

A lovely desert bloom, while looking out at the view from the John Cage Trust.

Music critic and writer Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim visited us at the John Cage Trust. We had a wonderful time examining graphic scores of John Cage and other treasures from our archive!

Heather Topcic, Dean of Libraries at Bard College, and visiting Artist-in-Residence Julia Weist visited us at the John Cage Trust to talk archives, art, and more.

Thank you, Heather and Julia!

The John Cage Trust mourns the loss of Alison Knowles.

Thank you for all the joy and inspiration.

And the tuna sandwiches.

We shall miss you greatly.

"Theater is only another word for designating life."

—John Cage

#JohnCageSays

Artist Lukaza Branfman-Verissimo brought her Bard College Advanced Drawing class to the John Cage Trust to examine art works by Cage, learn about chance operations, and then use some of these techniques to create their own gorgeous chance-determined works.

A beautiful day with these artists!

mesostic poem by John Cage on the name ROBERT RAUCHENBERG

Happy 100th B-day, Robert Rauschenberg, from the John Cage Trust!

You will always be with us.

Pictured here, a mesostic poem by John Cage on ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG written in 1977.

Image of composer Tan Dun at the John Cage Trust

The incomparable composer (and beloved John Cage Trust board member) Tan Dun spent some time with us at the John Cage Trust today. As always, an energizing and inspiring visit!

#JohnCageSays

Use any means to keep from being a genius, all means to become one.

Gray Schiller, Executive Director of Stretch Metal and Atmospheric Music Alliance (AMA) visited us at the John Cage Trust today. Go, Gray!

The superlative poet Ann Lauterbach visited us at the John Cage Trust, and so rapt in conversation were we that a photo wasn't taken, so instead we're posting images of Ann's fabulous poem to John Cage, published in 1975, reproduced here as part of the essential Siglio Press' "ephemera series."

The John Cage Trust joined forces with the Cunningham Dance Foundation to present a stunning program of Cage & Cunningham as part of the Round Barn Dance Series @ Churchtown Dairy curated by Richard Colton. Here, a short excerpt of the final "Minevent."

The John Cage Trust joined forces with the Cunningham Dance Foundation to present a stunning program of Cage & Cunningham as part of the Round Barn Dance Series @ Churchtown Dairy curated by Richard Colton. Here, a short excerpt of the final "Minevent."

Our fabulous new Bard College interns—Aliyah Himan and Owen Setlik—gettin' things done.

Seen here covering our windows with UV film to keep the harmful rays of the sun off John Cage's personal library.

Welcome, Aliyah and Owen!

Happy birthday, John Cage!

You are still with us.

Thank you.

Robin Preiss, a musicologist and archivist, who—as a student at Bard—beautifully catalogued our Cage text manuscript collection, is seen here noticing a Post-it note she affixed back in 2012.

Thank you, Robin!