Annual Report 2025-2026
Director's Note Dear Patrons, As our season winds down, I reflect back on a season full of energy, creativity, spirit, and joy. From the Villalobos Brothers' dance-inducing concert, to the ingenuity of Manual Cinema's live storytelling, this year has brought the arts to more people than ever, sparking thought-provoking conversations, community building, and connection. None of this would be possible without your support and your continued engagement with our programming shows the importance of our work, and drives us to continue to push the boundaries and ensure the arts thrive at SUNY Oswego. Lowell Hutcheson, Director of Arts Programming
ARTSwego Leadership
Lowell Hutcheson Director of Arts Programming
Emily Junker Assistant Director of Arts Programming
Alexandra Teitelbaum ARTSwego Intern, Fall 2025
Keely Dahl ARTSwego Intern, Spring 2026
Our Mission ARTSwego serves as a catalyst for high-quality arts programs that enhance the cultural environment of the college and augment academic offerings. It seeks to introduce students to art forms and performances different from those offered by the mass market. ARTSwego also serves as a bridge between the campus and community. It supports the development of collaborative and interdisciplinary programs that serve to foster patterns of life-long learning and promote cross-cultural understanding.
ARTSwego
Performing Arts Series Sept. 19, 2025
Villalobos Brothers
Oct. 28, 2025
The Paza Experience
Feb. 18, 2026
Manual Cinema
March 11, 2026
Makin' Cake
GRAMMY-Award-winning family band, The Villalobos Brothers, kicked off the ARTSwego season with their unique fusion of Mexican folk, jazz, and classical music. In addition to a full house performance, they held workshops for the SUNY Oswego Jazz Ensemble and Advanced Spanish Language students.
THE PAZA EXPERIENCE, performed by Delwin Fiddler Jr. Founder and Executive Director, and Dr. Samora Smith, Arts and Culture, included Native American flute, drums, and traditional/modern songs with a full historical explanation and demonstration of the men’s and women’s traditional dances. In addition to the evening performance, the group performed for over 1,000 Oswego School District middle schoolers. Emmy Award winner, Manual Cinema, used vintage overhead projectors, multiple screens, puppets, actors, live feed cameras, multi-channel sound design, and live music to perform The 4th Witch, a feature-length work inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth, depicting the story of a young girl, orphaned from war, who becomes apprenticed to the three witches. After the performance, audience members were invited on stage to learn about and try the technology. The group additionally hosted workshops for Theatre and Cinema and Screen Studies students. In Makin’ Cake, Dasha Kelly, a Wisconsin Poet Laureate and Milwaukee’s Artist of the Year in 2021, sliced into American history, exploring race, culture, and class in a refreshing and fun way. The performance was followed by a community discussion and cake reception with cakes from JonJohn's Bakery in Rochester, NY. In addition to the evening performance, Dasha hosted workshops for Creative Writing and Theatre students.
Campus
ARTSwego is the primary source of support on the SUNY Oswego campus for programs and special current projects that complement the educational mission of the college through residencies, exhibits, and other forms of engagement with arts professionals
Funded Projects
7,137
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog
35
attended by
The quick brown
The quick brown
lazy dog
lazy dog
visiting artistover lectures people fox jumped the fox jumped over the
people attended arts events at no cost
23 artist class visits
1,000
10
K-12 students attended performances
Visiting Artist Performances
1,953
attended by
488 students
21 Campus Funded Programs
Artist-in-Residence
Dahlia Bloomstone Course Taught: ART333/533 Game Design: Agential Worldbuilding Unless the Outcome is Income Installation On view Nov. 4 - Dec. 6, 2025 Visited by 226 campus and community members, with multiple class visits. Included original animation and playable Roblox game.
Arts Programming Committee Program Committee Laura Kelly, Committee Chair Thomas Brown Haley Clear Tim Dacey Jordan Dalton Jacob Dodd Juliet Giglio Levia Hernandez Danielle Hodgins Yen Hsin Chen Jerry Jaworski Krystal Kennel Wrendolyn Klotzko Megan Mazzoccone
Chris McEvoy Isabel Mulhern Tim Nekritz Whalmany Ounkham Kelly Perkins Ritu Radhakrishnan Mike Raicht Maggie Rivera Lauren Rosenstein Joshua Russell Lisa Seppi Emily Slome Renqian Yang
Oversight Committee Laura Kelly, Committee Chair Pamela Cantine Kristin Croyle Andjela Dapa Ben Entner Anneke McEvoy Rameen Mohammadi Betsy Oberst Bella Poynton Holli Stone Judith Wyman Collette
Patrons of the Arts Major Supporter
Supporter
$1,000 or more Andromeda Foundation CNY Arts Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation New York State Council on the Arts Richard S. Shineman Foundation School of Communication, Media and the Arts Student Arts Activities Fund
$100 or more Patrick and Rebecca Devendorf Eleanor Filburn Edward Gosek Michael and Christy Huynh Donald Levine Thomas and Mary Loe Anne Ludington Michael and Edie Nupuf Tania Ramalho Magdalena Rivera Marta Santiago Hal Sussman and Betsy McTiernan Donald and Mary Vanouse – In memory of Howard Gordon JR Walsh & Jill Katherine Chmelko
Benefactor $500 or more Mark and Lisa Dufore Fulton Savings Bank Scott and Debbie Furlong Stewart’s Shops Corp Redd and Susan Swindells
Sustainer $250 or more Michael and Jeanne Brown Pamela Caraccioli Juliet Giglio Jerry and Betsy Oberst Frank Byrne and Mary McCune
Friend $50 or more Colette Astoria - In honor of Rob Auler Joyce Cook Christine Czarnecky Joan Dain Aaron Forrest Linda Loomis - In memory of Mark Cole ‘73 Grace Maxon-Clarke - In memory of Jean Maxon-Carpenter Julie McCrobie Billy Reilly and Mindy Ostrow Patricia Pacitti Elizabeth Schermerhorn Paul and Anita Tomascak Michael Towey
@artswego ARTSwego @artswego 250 Hewitt Hall oswego.edu/artswego