After half a century, White Columns still surprises Matthew Higgs, director and chief curator of White Columns, during the opening of the alternative spaces 50th anniversary exhibition in New York, June 5, 2021. New Yorks longest running alternative art space is celebrating its own near-mythic history as well as the twists and turns of the citys cultural scene. Victor Llorente/The New York Times. by Brett Sokol (NYT NEWS SERVICE) .- Im going to use a word youre not supposed to say, sculptor Jeffrey Lew declared with a touch of bravado. Im sort of a sociopath.