A yearlong reimagining of ways to distinguish and enhance the array of arts and cultural programming offered at the University has resulted in a name change for the Coalition of Museums and Art Centers, a new website and a new strategic plan.
Under the new banner Arts at Syracuse University, are top-notch museums and galleries, active maker spaces, robust community centers and a myriad of creative events and programs.
The new name is part of a rebranding and profile-boosting effort to highlight the University’s arts offerings and strengthen and grow awareness of its diverse group of centers and programs, says Miranda Traudt, assistant provost for arts and community programming.
The initiative includes the Arts at Syracuse University website, which comprehensively illustrates the range of arts centers and programming available to students, faculty, staff and community members. The site also includes a dedicated calendar that highlights events, ongoing programs and exhibitions.
Spaces and programs include Syracuse University Art Museum, Lightwork, Community Folk Art Center, La Casita Cultural Center, Point of Contact/Punto de Contacto, Syracuse Stage, Special Collections Research Center at Syracuse University Libraries, Urban Video Project, the Malmgren Concert Series, Syracuse University Artist-in-Residence Program and the Louise and Bernard Palitz Gallery in New York City.
Outdoor visual displays are conducted at the Urban Video Project.
New ideas about how academic and community arts programming and experiences are presented to a range of constituencies—students, faculty, staff and the general public—and as part of student experiential learning, teaching activities and individual entertainment and enjoyment resulted from a year-long planning process spearheaded by the Office of Strategic Initiatives, Traudt says.
Miranda Traudt
“This is much more than a name change. It’s a true rethinking of the arts at Syracuse University,” she says. “We purposefully considered how all the individual units and centers that are doing such fantastic work on their own could band together to have greater overall impact and visibility and to create wider local, regional, national and international awareness of these exceptional offerings.”
In addition to enhancing the visibility of the separate arts programs and centers, Arts at Syracuse University highlights how, grouped together, the units offer distinctive experiential learning opportunities for students that are typically available only at much larger national and international venues, Traudt says.
Syracuse Stage puts students and their artistic presentations at the center of downtown Syracuse and hosts theater offerings that are enjoyed by all of Central New York.
“The Syracuse University Art Museum has one of the largest university-owned art collections in the country. La Casita, as a vital part of the Syracuse Near West Side community, is the only Latin cultural center in this part of New York state. The Community Folk Art Center is a vibrant seat of community programming for people of all ages. Light Work’s renowned Artist-in-Residence Program has hosted more than 400 artists coming from every U.S. state and 15-plus countries. Urban Video Project is an important international venue for the public presentation of video and electronic arts and one of the few projects in the U.S. dedicated to continuous and ongoing video art projections. Exhibitions of nationally and internationally known artists hosted here mean you don’t have to travel to New York City to see that kind of artistic excellence.”
Elisa Dekaney
Elisa Dekaney, associate provost for strategic initiatives, makes this comparison. “We pride ourselves on the fact that the University’s study-abroad programs utilize their locations as classrooms. We say, ‘Florence is our classroom; London is our classroom’ because of what these cities offer in the arts and cultural experiences. But we can also say ‘Syracuse is our classroom’ because of the rich arts programming the University offers right here.”
Other goals defined in the strategic operating plan include serving as an international model of arts and humanities engagement for institutions of higher education; expanding community partnerships; growing reciprocal relationships with local, regional, national and international arts and strategic partners; increasing faculty, alumni and donor engagement with the arts programs and centers.
