Nine faculty members in the (VPA) and five Universitywide organizations are among more than 2,400 nonprofit arts and culture organizations and individuals receiving (NYSCA) funding for 2026. NYSCA recently.

The following organizations received Support for Organizations awards totaling $110,000 to assist with general operations:

• , $10,000
• , $25,000
• , $10,000
• , $40,000
• , $25,000

Support for Artist awards of $10,000 each were also announced for these faculty members:

• , professor, Department of Film and Media Arts, for the project “Aphrodite’s Conception”
• , assistant professor, Department of Film and Media Arts, supporting the Light Work project “By the Skin of Her Teeth”
• , associate professor, Department of Film and Media Arts, for “By All Your Memories”
• , associate professor, Department of Film and Media Arts, for “Mid-Film Crisis,” presented with New York Women in Film & Television
• , assistant professor, School of Art, for “Demigoddess Comic Series”
• , associate professor, Setnor School of Music (in VPA) and School of Education, for “We Hold These Truths: Commemorating the 250th Birthday of The United States of America”
• , assistant professor, Department of Drama, for the project “Wolf Women”
• , instructor in the School of Art, for the work “Night Field,” presented at Stone Quarry Hill Art Park.

In addition, , associate professor in the School of Art, in collaboration with Columbia University faculty members Lynnette Widder and Wendy Walters, received a for the book initiative, “Seeds of Diaspora: Plants, Migrations, Settlements, Cities.” The grant program, a partnership between NYSCA and The Architecture League of New York, recognizes work in architecture, historic preservation and various fields of design.

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 , assistant provost for arts and community programming.

The initiative includes the , which comprehensively illustrates the range of arts centers and programming available to students, faculty, staff and community members. The site also includes a dedicated that highlights events, ongoing programs and exhibitions.

Spaces and programs include , , , , , , at Syracuse University Libraries, , the , Syracuse University Artist-in-Residence Program and the in New York City.

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 , Traudt says.

“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.

“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, 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.

If a picture paints a thousand words, what new Syracuse community portrait will emerge to illustrate the past and present stories of individuals and families who have long been neglected in the public memory?

Organizers of the community photographic project, “,” want to visualize just that and are asking Syracuse families to share their family photos and stories on camera to create a living photo archive. Community members—particularly those whose histories have been marginalized—are invited to talk about their family histories at a recorded interview station, digitize their family photos for later exhibition and have new portraits taken with their family photographs.

The project is designed to build a more inclusive history of the city. It takes place Oct. 13-15 through a��series of activities and events with Yale University artist and filmmaker and his . The initiative is being coordinated by students and faculty in the University’s Turning the Lens Collective. The group is composed of , associate professor of English; , a Ph.D. candidate in English; , a Ph.D. candidate in history; Sarhia Rahim ’26, a policy studies major and Aniyah Jones ’25, an English and textual studies and psychology major.

Three Weekend Events

Events include a film screening and discussion of “: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People,” with Harris (, from 6 to 8 p.m.). The with community members takes place , from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A to celebrate the archived images and oral storytelling is planned on , from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., and includes music, poetry and special guests. All events take place at the Everson Museum at 401 Harrison St. in downtown Syracuse.

Hallas says the project will build a testament to marginalized families from across the city, cultivate a more inclusive archival history of Syracuse and recognize the people suppressed, forgotten or lost to a highway (the I-81 viaduct) that created a decadeslong economic and racial barrier in Syracuse.

“Syracuse is experiencing significant transformation and renewed hope for economic progress spurred by Micron’s multi-billion-dollar investment in a semiconductor megafacility, the city’s decades of commitment to refugee resettlement and the redevelopment of housing, transportation and industry when a community grid replaces the I-81 viaduct,” Hallas says. “Yet, in moving forward equitably, it’s necessary to remember and document the past. Syracuse remains one of the most impoverished and segregated cities in the nation, specifically for its Black and Latinx communities. In its redevelopment of housing, transportation and industry, the city must not repeat the systemic violence of the past.”

Jessica Terry-Elliott, a project co-organizer, researches the application of various methodologies that comprise what scholars call “Black archival practices.”��She says Family Pictures Syracuse will use oral history methods��coupled with the captured moments of Black life in photographs that are��often held in domestic��repositories.

“Using these methods to develop this project��is an actual application of Black archival practices,” Terry-Elliot says. “It will reveal the complexities of how Black life in Syracuse was and is documented and remembered,��while at the same time constructing pathways to engage with memory for��the future.”

Collective member Charles is writing a dissertation on the Black visual archive in film. “I’ve discovered that family photographs play a tremendous role in shaping our identity and history beyond the purview of our institutional archives,” Charles says. “The photographs we all keep in our homes—hanging on walls or tucked inside family albums—contribute to a larger story. Yet, those items are not always seen as important historical knowledge. This project affirms our photographs are themselves invaluable archives that should be studied and celebrated as such.”

Undergraduate students Jones and Rahim have supported the initiative through their Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE) appointments as research assistants on the project. A team of undergraduate students from the department of film and media arts and the Orange Television Network will staff the photo-sharing event and students in Hallas’ upcoming “Everyday Media and Social Justice” and Jessica Terry-Elliott’s “Public History” courses in spring 2024 will further the project after its launch.

��The collective is also coordinating with the Network’s WriteOut Syracuse, a youth afterschool program designed to get students Interested In writing and storytelling, and Black and Arab Relationalities, a Mellon Foundation-funded research project led by College of Arts and Sciences faculty members and .

Wide Community Connections

Organizers are working with the Community Folk Art Center, Onondaga Historical Association and the North Side Learning Center and are collaborating with several other Syracuse community organizations for future programming.

Many sources of funding have made the project possible, including the University’s departments of African American Studies; anthropology; communication and rhetorical studies; English; film and media arts; history; Jewish studies; Latino/Latin American studies; LGBTQ studies; policy studies; religion; sociology; television, radio and film; visual communications; women’s and gender studies; and writing. External funding has been provided by Humanities NY and the Allyn Family Foundation.

Also sponsoring the project are the Democratizing Knowledge project; Engaged Humanities Network; SOURCE; Special Collections Research Center; Syracuse Humanities Center; The Alexa; Lender Center for Social Justice; Light Work and Orange Television Network.

In November, the Special Collections Research Center at Bird Library will host “Family Pictures in the Archive” (, 5 to 7 p.m.). The exhibition displays Black photographs from the University’s collections along with community photos archived during the Family Pictures Syracuse events.

With the new academic year comes a reminder of the tremendous arts resources available to the Syracuse University community here on campus through the Coalition of Museum and Arts Centers (CMAC).

Established in 2005, the mission of CMAC is to support the legacy network of cornerstone art organizations at Syracuse University by celebrating and exploring the arts and humanities culture through robust programming, exhibitions, publications, education, scholarship and public engagement.

CMAC consists of eight University and affiliated organizations: Syracuse University Art Museum, the Louise and Bernard Palitz Gallery, the Community Folk Art Center, Light Work (which includes the Urban Video Project), Point of Contact, La Casita, the Special Collections Research Center, and the Photography and Literacy Project.

Get to know CMAC and its coalition members, and be sure to visit their respective websites for a full listing of upcoming programs and exhibitions.��You can also stay up-to-date on by visiting the Syracuse University events calendar.

Syracuse University Art Museum

Located in the Shaffer Art Building, the acquires and preserves important works of art, serving as a museum-laboratory for exploration, experimentation and discussion. The teaching museum fosters diverse and inclusive perspectives by uniting students across campus with each other and the local and global community, engaging with artwork to bring us together and examining the forces that keep us apart.

Community Folk Art Center

The . (CFAC) was founded in 1972 by the late Herbert T. Williams, a professor of African American studies, in collaboration with University faculty, students, local artists and Syracuse city residents. CFAC promotes and cultivates artists from the African diaspora, celebrating cultural and artistic pluralism by collecting, exhibiting, teaching and interpreting the visual and expressive arts. CFAC is a proud unit of the Department of African American Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, serving as a beacon of artistry, creativity and cultural expression.

Light Work

Housed in the Robert B. Menschel Media Center, was founded as an artist-run, nonprofit organization in 1973. Its mission is to provide direct support through residencies, publications, exhibitions, a community-access digital lab facility and other related projects to emerging and underrepresented artists working in the media of photography and digital imaging.

Urban Video Project

(UVP) is a Light Work program in partnership with the Everson Museum of Art and Onondaga County. UVP is an outdoor architectural projection venue dedicated to the public presentation of film, video and moving image arts, enhancing Central New York’s reputation as one of the birthplaces of video art.

Point of Contact

, Inc. fosters a collaborative model to explore contemporary visual and verbal arts, working across disciplines and cultures. Founded in 1975, Point of Contact is an organization in residence at Syracuse University, with offices in the Nancy Cantor Warehouse in downtown Syracuse and is an open forum for diverse identities to engage in open dialogue, working expansively across intellectual, social and geographic boundaries.

La Casita

is a program of Syracuse University established to advance an educational and cultural agenda of civic engagement through research, cultural heritage preservation, media and the arts—bridging the Hispanic communities of the University and Central New York. La Casita Cultural Center is located in the historic Lincoln Building in the city of Syracuse’s Near Westside neighborhood.

Special Collections Research Center

Located on the sixth floor of Bird Library, the (SCRC) advances scholarship and learning by collecting, preserving and providing access to rare books, manuscripts and other primary source materials. SCRC’s collections document the history of the University and our global society through printed materials, photographs, artworks, audio and moving image recordings, University records and more.

Photography and Literacy Project

The (PAL) brings University students into Syracuse City Schools to develop projects involving photography, video, audio recording and writing. The objective is to improve student’s writing and reading skills by linking these studies with photography, video and poetry. PAL Project also connects graduate and undergraduate student mentors and educators-in-training to community youth in an experiential learning environment.

CMAC is an initiative that falls under strategic initiatives in academic affairs at Syracuse University. To learn more, contact Miranda Traudt G’11, assistant provost for arts and community programming.

A full slate of art exhibitions and cultural events coordinated by the University’s is on tap this fall, reflecting the diverse range and vibrancy of Syracuse University’s high-quality arts programs. Coordinated with and sponsored by the Office of Strategic Initiatives, the events extend the University’s mission to prepare students to learn, lead and create through rigorous academic programs, diverse experiential learning and engagement with global research.

The semester kicks off with several key events next week. All are free and open to the public.

Thursday, Sept. 14

4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Syracuse University Art Museum, Shaffer Art Building

• Onondaga Nation artist ceramic works exhibition, “,” is part of the museum’s 2023-24 Syracuse Symposium, “Landscape.” His work illustrates Haudenosaunee culture as a continuum that has resisted and persisted despite attacks on the confederacy’s lands, sovereignty and cultural identity.

5 to 7 p.m.
Light Work, Watson Hall, 316 Waverly Ave.

• Photographs by taken in his childhood hometown of Phoenix, Arizona explore personal histories of family, community and environment.

5 to 7 p.m.
Light Work, Watson Hall, 316 Waverly Ave.

• Photographs from 2023 Grant in Photography award recipients Amy Kozlowski, Linda Moses and Tahila Mintz are featured.

Friday, Sept. 15

12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Syracuse University Art Museum, Shaffer Art Building

• Onondaga Nation artist Peter B. Jones will discuss how his art comments on the Haudenosaunee cultural continuance and the challenges the Haudenosaunee people have faced through time.

6 to 8 p.m.
La Casita Cultural Center, 109 Otiso St., Syracuse

• Highlighting the works of Chicano artists Cayetano Valenzuela (Syracuse) and Zeke Peña (El Paso, Texas) “” focuses on Latino futurism and includes art by La Casita’s summer program youth. This community event kicks off La Casita’s fall season and observes Latine Heritage Month, which runs Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Community Folk Art Center, 805 E. Genesee St., Syracuse

• Local musicians perform music by African American jazz saxophonist and composer John Coltrane.

In addition, another exhibition opens the following week.

September 21

:
“In Pursuit of Justice: Pan Am Flight 103”
4:30 to 6 p.m.
Bird Library, 6^th floor gallery, 222 Waverly Ave.

• The exhibition documents the Dec. 21, 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland that claimed the lives of 270 individuals, including 35 students returning from studying abroad through Syracuse University. Featuring materials donated to Libraries’ Research Center by victims’ loved ones and investigative team members, the exhibition provides an overview of the disaster, investigation and first trial.

For details about current and upcoming exhibitions and other events hosted by the Coalition for Museums and Art Centers, refer to the throughout the year.

(Featured photo: “Bomba, 2022 by Eduardo L. Rivera)

will be displaying Syracuse University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center’s (SCRC) traveling exhibit of “A Love Supreme: Black Cultural Expression and Political Activism of the 1960s and 1970s” (A Love Supreme). The exhibition was . “A��Love Supreme” reimagines the Black Power and the Black Arts Movements by intentionally unmuting a multitude of Black writers, leaders and artists from SCRC’s manuscript and archival collections as well as the rare book and printed materials collection.

“We are excited to partner with CFAC, a fellow member, to travel this exhibition to their center. In so doing, we ensure the local community has an opportunity to experience and engage with these pivotal and inspiring stories of Black history and experience,” says Nicolette A. Dobrowolski, director of the special collections research center. A portion of the full exhibition will be on display at CFAC, located at 805 E. Genesee Street, from September 11 through mid-December. For more information on related programming or exhibition hours, please visit .

A noted thought leader in student affairs, a transformative higher education president, a celebrated ceramic artist and a global business executive and philanthropist will be recognized with honorary degrees from Syracuse University at the on Sunday, May 14, at the JMA Wireless Dome.

The late Cerri Banks ’00, G’04, G’06, who served as the University’s vice president and deputy to the senior vice president of student experience; Michael Crow G’85, president of Arizona State University; David R. MacDonald, artist and professor emeritus of ceramics; and Kathleen A. Walters ’73, retired executive vice president of Georgia-Pacific and the first woman to serve as chair of the University Board of Trustees, will be honored for their outstanding achievements in their professional careers and the difference they have made in the lives of others.

Cerri A. Banks ’00, G’04, G’06

Doctor of Humane Letters (posthumously)

An outstanding leader in student affairs and a scholar-practitioner of education, Banks dedicated her life’s work to the betterment of the student experience. Banks passed away on July 31, 2022; Banks’ parents, Deryk and Cynthia Banks, will be accepting her honorary degree at Commencement.

Banks had a lifetime legacy at Syracuse University: as an engaged alumna, a staunch supporter of her cherished and the University, and a beloved leader and mentor in the Student Experience division. She was a thought leader in the field of student affairs, recognized for her work at the intersection of scholarship and practice, teaching and research, academic affairs, and student affairs.

A three-time graduate of Syracuse University, Banks earned a bachelor’s degree in inclusive elementary and special education, a master’s degree in cultural foundations of education and a Ph.D. in cultural foundations of education, all from the School of Education, along with a certificate of advanced study in women’s and gender studies from the . Her doctoral research focused on student engagement and belonging, examining how Black women undergraduates found ways to succeed on predominantly white college campuses.

From there, her research, scholarship and leadership continued to develop and deepen into an exemplary professional life of service to student affairs and success. Before returning to Syracuse University in 2021 as vice president for student success and deputy to the senior vice president of student experience, Banks had been Skidmore College’s dean of students and vice president for student affairs for nearly five years, overseeing all student services, serving on the president’s cabinet and overseeing the bias response group and the COVID-19 campus planning and response. She served in similar positions at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, and at William Smith College in Geneva, New York, where she was also director of the President’s Commission on Inclusive Excellence.

Once at Syracuse, Banks quickly made an impact on the student experience and on Universitywide initiatives through leadership roles involving critical initiatives. In addition to her role with , Banks served as a member of the three-person interim leadership team charged with advancing the University’s diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility priorities and strategic planning efforts. She co-chaired the search for a new chief diversity officer and played a crucial role in creating open lines of communication between students and administration, serving as a fierce advocate and a mentor for students. As an alumna, she established a national mentoring presence and skillfully chaired the School of Education Board of Visitors for eight years, playing a key role in the school’s redesign.

Banks was a highly respected and internationally recognized academic leader and a prolific scholar. Among her published works were “Black Women Undergraduates, Cultural Capital and College Success,” “Teaching, Learning and Intersecting Identities in Higher Education” and “No Justice! No Peace! College Student Activism, Race Relations and Media Cultures,” as well as numerous articles, book chapters and presentations on culturally relevancy, identity and learning, and other subjects.

Michael Crow G’85

Doctor of Science

A knowledge enterprise architect and science and technology policy scholar, Crow has led Arizona State University (ASU) through a transformation of academic innovation and educational accessibility that has made him known nationwide as a leader in the evolution of higher education. Crow became the 16th president of Arizona State University in July 2002 and since then the university has seen rapid growth in traditional, online and international student enrollment, retention and research—all while evolving the academic enterprise to meet the changing needs of students, especially those from underrepresented groups.

During his now more than two decades at ASU, the University’s enrollment grew from 55,000 to 80,000 students, with a dedicated commitment to increased diversity. Its substantial Hispanic enrollment has earned it a Department of Education designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Under President Crow, ASU, which is a Carnegie R1 University, has seen a nearly fivefold growth in research expenditures, and currently ranks 17th in federal expenditures. For its dramatic growth and modernization, ASU has been recognized as one of the top 100 most prestigious universities in the world by Times Higher Education, and a top 100 position in Shanghai Jiao Tong’s 2018 Academic Ranking of World Universities.

Under Crow’s leadership, ASU has established 25 new transdisciplinary schools, including the School of Earth and Space Exploration, the School for the Future of Innovation in Society and the School of Human Evolution and Social Change, and launched trailblazing multidisciplinary initiatives, including the Biodesign Institute, the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, and initiatives in the humanities and social sciences.

Crow, who earned a Ph.D. in public administration from the and a bachelor’s degree in political science and environmental studies at Iowa State University, began building his distinguished academic career in various roles at Iowa State and Columbia University. At Columbia, he served as director of the Earth Institute, a collaboration of dozens of research centers and programs at the university and one of the nation’s leading resources on climate change, university vice provost and associate vice provost for science and engineering. At Iowa State, he was director of the Institute for Physical Research and Technology and director of the Office of Science Policy and Research. Throughout his career, including now as ASU president, he continues to teach and conduct research, staying grounded in the mission of higher education.

Crow has been recognized by his peers as an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Public Administration and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He has published numerous books and articles analyzing knowledge enterprises, science and technology policy, and the design of higher education institutions. His expertise has been tapped by the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce and Energy, as well as defense and intelligence agencies.

David R. MacDonald

Doctor of Fine Arts

An internationally renowned artist and professor emeritus of ceramics in the (VPA), MacDonald uses clay as a medium for exploring the form and function of utilitarian vessels, his African heritage, themes of anger and injustice, and the indomitable nature of the human spirit.

A professor in the School of Art and Design (currently the School of Art) from 1971-2008, MacDonald has taught art and ceramics to legions of Syracuse University students, mentored both students and fellow faculty members, and co-founded the , a cultural and artistic hub committed to artists of the African diaspora, housed in the University’s African American studies department.

MacDonald received an undergraduate degree in art education from the Hampton Institute (now Hampton University, in Hampton, Virginia) in 1968 and a master of fine arts degree from the University of Michigan in 1971. He fell in love with pottery as an artform at Hampton under the mentorship of noted African American ceramic artist Joseph W. Gilliard and was heavily influenced by ceramicists Bob Stull and John Stephenson while studying at the University of Michigan.

In his early years as an artist, MacDonald’s work was influenced by the social and political issues of the time, including the Civil Rights Movement, producing ceramic work that reflected his anger and frustration as a young Black man. As he expanded his study of East and South African culture, MacDonald became more interested in and influenced by the strength of his cultural heritage.

His abstract paintings and sculptures fuse the art of the ready-made with assemblage, minimalism and postminimalism using unremarkable materials such as raw and painted wood, bricks, paper, cement and plaster. Surface decoration, mark making and the use of carved patterns are all hallmarks of his ceramics work.

MacDonald has held the distinction of professor emeritus since retiring from the VPA faculty in 2008. His work is housed in the permanent collections of the Studio Museum in Harlem (New York), Montclair Art Museum (New Jersey) and Everson Museum of Art (Syracuse). He has been honored with the National Council on Education for the Ceramics Arts’ Excellence in Teaching Award and the National Crafts Council’s Master Craftsman Award, and presented a solo exhibition at the Everson titled “The Power of Pattern: New Work by David MacDonald,” all in 2011. He also received the Trailblazer Award, which celebrates those who personify exemplary leadership, selfless acts and dedication to Syracuse University, from the University in 2017.

MacDonald’s pottery was featured in the nationally televised PBS series “A Craftsman’s Legacy” in 2016. He continues to create art in his home studio and occasionally returns to VPA as a guest lecturer.

Kathleen A. Walters ’73

Doctor of Humane Letters

An accomplished alumna, retired global business leader, committed philanthropist and the first woman to serve as chair of the (2019-23), Walters has been one of the University’s greatest ambassadors for the past 50-plus years.

She launched her pioneering career in the consumer products and paper industries after receiving a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences in 1973 and an MBA in finance and strategic planning from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1978.

Rising to prominence in a male-dominated industry during the final decades of the 20th century, Walters held international and North America leadership positions with Scott Paper Co., Kimberly-Clark Corp., SAPPI Fine Paper North America and Georgia-Pacific. She retired from Georgia-Pacific in 2019 as executive vice president and group president of its consumer products group, the largest retail and commercial tissue and tabletop businesses in North America, spanning more than 20 manufacturing locations and 15,000 employees.

Known for her strategic business competency, Walters has a proven record of leading companies to improved earnings from growth through innovation, revenue improvement and cost-efficiency strategies. As chair of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees, Walters has leveraged her unmatched business acumen and tenacity on behalf of the University, navigating the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, championing historic investments on campus—including the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building, the renovated Schine Student Center, ongoing enhancements to the JMA Wireless Dome and Syracuse University Libraries’ Special Collection Research Center—and organizing and serving on the Board Special Committee on Campus Climate, Diversity and Inclusion. During her tenure, the Board has diversified significantly to include more women and people of color than at any other point in the University’s history.

Walters, along with her husband, Stan ’72, has provided lead gifts for the establishment of the Maxwell X Lab Support Fund which, among other initiatives, supports the Walters Community Partnerships providing funding for graduate and undergraduate student research. In addition, they have established the Kathy and Stan Walters Endowed Fund for Science Research and, most recently, the Kathy and Stan Walters Endowed Professorship for Quantum Science, both in the College of Arts and Sciences. They support a wide range of University priorities, including the Barnes Center at The Arch, where they have funded the Kathy ’73 and Stan Walters ’72 Pet Therapy Room. They have supported other initiatives in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University Athletics and Libraries, and alumni relations.

Walters concludes her tenure as chair this month. In addition to providing ongoing oversight and leadership as chair, Walters serves on the Board Executive Committee, Board Organization and Nominating Committee and serves, ex officio, on all standing committees. She also serves on the National Campaign Council Executive Committee; the Advisory Committee on University Climate, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (an outgrowth of the Special Committee on Campus Climate, Diversity and Inclusion); and the Free Speech Trustee Advisory Group. She was also Vice Chair of the Board from 2018-19 and chair of the Ad Hoc Workgroup on Volunteer Boards. In 2017, Walters received the Dritz Rookie Trustee of the Year Award. Her Syracuse University service includes memberships on the Atlanta Regional Council and the University Libraries Advisory Board.

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The (CFAC), a unit of the , continued its ��recently by honoring its community and supporters and highlighting the creative arts with a visually stunning and empowering performance by .

At the Oct. 27 event, CFAC recognized the following community partners, supporters and area leaders for their support and dedication to the center and youth:

• Carol Charles ’84: Artist, educator administrator; the former executive director of the Dance Theater of Syracuse; and a Syracuse University alumna
• Vanessa Johnson: Griot, one-woman performer, musician and visual arts educator
• The Syracuse (NY) Chapter of the Links Incorporated: One of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of African American women and persons of African ancestry
• London Ladd ’06, G’22: Influential artist, author, the creator of a 2021 alumni mural titled “Coming Back Together” and a Syracuse University alumnus
• Charles Haislah: Educator, internationally renowned ballet dancer and director, and creator of the DanceLab at CFAC
• Founders: Herbert T. Williams, Shirley Harrison, Jack White, George Campbell Jr., Mary Schmidt Campbell, David MacDonald and Basheer Alim

Awardees received a specially commissioned commemorative bowl or plate created by award-winning designer David McDonald and featuring CFAC’s logo.

The celebration and performance, featuring emerging dance talent and artistic director Francesca Harper and the company’s renowned piece “Revelations” took place at the historic Landmark Theatre in downtown Syracuse. Ailey II is nationally celebrated for bringing together early-career talent with emerging choreographers. Their signature work is “Revelations” which uses spirituals, gospel songs, and holy blues to explore the deepest emotions of the soul.

“Ailey II’s performance was certainly a proud part of our 50th anniversary, but it was also a way to continue CFAC’s mission to connect diverse communities—no matter age, gender, race or exposure to dance and the arts—to our collective, universal language of creativity and the exploration of the African diaspora,” says Tanisha M. Jackson, Ph.D., executive director of CFAC, creator of Black Arts Speak, professor of African American studies and one of the evening’s emcees. “Our anniversary celebration will continue through in-person and online events, so we hope many more can join our community during this special year for us.”

The theater was nearly at capacity with supporters from the University, City of Syracuse and the arts community. Additionally, much to the appreciation of organizers and those in attendance, about 350 students from the Syracuse City School District took in the event and performance. Their presence was not just an educational and entertainment experience—many of the students are interested in the visual and performing arts—but a fulfillment of CFAC’s community-focused mission and the creative exploration of the African diaspora.

Public programming offered year-round by CFAC includes exhibitions, film screenings, gallery talks, workshops and courses in studio and performing arts, and more. CFAC also offers a robust that provides a gateway to the arts to middle school and high school students in the community.

CFAC was founded in 1972 by the late Herbert T. Williams, professor of African American studies at Syracuse University, in collaboration with other faculty, students, local artists and residents of the City of Syracuse. CFAC is an incubator for diverse community programming and the creative exploration of the African diaspora. It is dedicated to celebrating cultural and artistic pluralism by collecting, exhibiting, teaching and interpreting the visual and expressive arts. To learn more, .

Habibatou Traore ’24 was in her first weeks at Syracuse University when she heard African drumming during an activities fair for new students last fall. She followed their sound to Joshua Williams, who teaches West African dance and drumming at the University’s ��(CFAC). At Williams’ suggestion, the sociology major visited CFAC, and now works there as a work-study student. “The constant celebration of Black excellence, whether it be highlighting visual or performing arts, is inspiring,” she says.

CFAC, a unit of the Department of African American Studies (AAS) within the College of Arts and Sciences, is an arts and cultural organization dedicated to the promotion and development of artists of the African diaspora and other underrepresented groups.

Throughout 2022, CFAC has celebrated its 50-year anniversary, culminating with a luncheon and art auction held Oct. 22 and a����at the Landmark Theater on Oct. 26.

“For 50 years, CFAC has helped share, preserve and continue the histories and stories of the African diaspora through the arts,” says��, Ph.D., executive director and professor of African American studies. “We are proud of the community we serve, the setting we provide for dialogue and interaction and the incredible programs and artists we support.”

In 1972, Syracuse University was actively diversifying its faculty and programs when Herbert T. Williams, a sculptor and art historian, was hired with a dual appointment between the School of Fine Art in the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the fledgling Afro-American studies program.

Williams was asked by Harry Morgan, program director, to create an institution or facility that would engage local Black community members in cultural events and visual arts. That fall, Williams launched a course called Art of the Black World. Students enrolled in that inaugural semester became involved with creating the entity, along with interested local community members.

The result was the Community Folk Art Gallery, which opened its doors in January 1973 in a former bakery on South Salina Street (shown below, courtesy CFAC) on Syracuse’s predominantly Black South Side. The first exhibit featured the work of Harlem photographer James Van Der Zee and poet Quincy Troupe.

The development of the gallery was a grassroots effort. One of the first people Williams involved was ceramicist David MacDonald, who had joined the faculty of the College of Visual and Performing Arts in 1971. “As the only African American faculty member in the art school, he naturally gravitated to me,” recalls MacDonald, who spent 35 years as a CFAC board member, on and off, over the years. “Our mission was to provide the community some access to the resources of the campus and for the campus to gain some knowledge of the kinds of cultural things that were happening in the Black community.”

Others integral to the start of the gallery included nationally acclaimed local artist Jack White, who then taught as an adjunct at Syracuse; undergraduate ceramics major Basheer Q. Alim ’74; and graduate students George Campbell PhD ’77, H’03, a physicist who went on to serve as president of The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art from 2000 to 2011; and Mary Schmidt Campbell G’73, G’80, PhD’82, president of Spelman College from 2015 until June 2022.

Williams’ students received partial credit for working on gallery programs, acting as guest curators, helping arrange and hang shows, running a Friday night film series, and conducting arts workshops for local residents, who ranged from pre-schoolers to the elderly. One of its oldest community programs is an annual spring art competition for local high school students held in conjunction with The Links, a philanthropic organization for Black professional women.

“This is a shared effort,” said Williams in 1977. “Without SU’s participation, the gallery could not exist. But the community helps establish the programs and policies and benefits directly.”

The gallery moved three times as it outgrew space, expanding its programming each time.

Williams died in 1999. Carol Charles ’84, who had served as associate director under Williams, became managing director. Kheli Willets ’92, G’94, Ph.D.’02, joined CFAC as academic director in 2002 and was named executive director after Charles’ departure in 2008. Both women had been involved with CFAC as SU undergraduates. Charles took Art in the Black World as an undergraduate and later used CFAC facilities as a dancer and with the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company. Willets was a metalsmithing major who became a work-study student at the gallery, an experience that exposed her to the possibility to teach college and work in a museum that focused on Black art. Working at CFAC inspired her master’s degree in museum studies, a doctorate in art education and a career grounded in African diasporan art and culture.

By then known as the Community Folk Art Center, it moved to its current location across from Syracuse Stage in 2006, becoming part of the University’s Connective Corridor initiative and into the University’s Coalition of Museums and Art Centers (CMAC).

Renovated specifically to serve as an arts space, the new facility features two galleries, one named after Williams, a dance studio, theater (originally home to the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Company), the David MacDonald ceramics studio, and classrooms that can accommodate up to 50 students for its after-school and summer arts academies.

Jackson succeeded Willets in 2019, continuing to expand the arts education center with robust public programming including exhibitions, film screenings, gallery talks, workshops and courses in studio and performing arts, and after-school and summer art programs offered at no charge to local students.

She views CFAC’s role as greater than promoting the arts. “CFAC, in a very organic and genuine way, demonstrates the diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives of Syracuse University,” she says. “We do it in practice and we do it in who we are and how we engage with those themes through exhibitions and programs.”

, associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion for the College of Arts and Sciences and associate professor of African American Studies, says CFAC provides students a unique vehicle to incorporate artistic expression into their scholarship. “One graduate student whose research focused on farmers in Tanzania ended up writing a one-woman show and performing it in the theater as part of her thesis,” says Ducre, who served as a CFAC board member during her tenure as chair of the Department of African American Studies.

It’s a perfect fit for Kailey Smith, who serves as a graduate assistant at CFAC as a master’s student in AAS’s Pan African Studies master’s program. While her thesis focuses on museums and the return of stolen African artifacts, her work at CFAC provides a practical perspective to that research. “CFAC has enhanced my studies by allowing me to see what goes on behind the scenes in a museum or gallery setting,” she says. “Those who curate these spaces have to make decisions on what gets displayed and when.”

MacDonald, who retired as professor of ceramics in 2008, attributes CFAC’s longevity in part to health of the Department of AAS. “When we started, the Afro- American Studies program was new and somewhat experimental,” he says. “At many colleges and universities, the courses in those early programs were ultimately absorbed into other academic disciplines, but at Syracuse, the program became a full department. I think that’s played an important role in supporting CFAC, which has provided the instrument to have conversations and to hear voices that you would not normally hear at the average academic institution.”

To learn more about CFAC’s rich history, visit the historical exhibit on display until Dec. 10 that includes archival news articles and photos that highlight the organization’s early years and a retrospective of work from CFAC co-founders.

The , a unit of the Department of African American Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences, celebrates its 50th anniversary with a performance by the Ailey II – Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, featuring emerging dance talent and artistic director Francesca Harper.

The Ailey II performance will take place Wednesday, Oct. 26 at the historic Landmark Theatre in Syracuse. Doors open at 6 p.m. and tickets can be purchased or at the Landmark Theatre box office. with premium seating are available through CFAC. Seating is limited.

VIP ticket holders are invited to a luncheon and art auction fundraiser on Oct. 22 at noon at the CFAC Gallery located at 805 E. Genesee St., Syracuse. An exhibition of creative works from the cofounders of CFAC and historical photos of the organization will also be on display for viewing.

CFAC was founded in 1972 by the late Herbert T. Williams, professor of African American studies at Syracuse University, in collaboration with other faculty and students, as well as local artists and City of Syracuse residents.

Under the leadership of the Department of African American Studies, CFAC has become a thriving hub in Syracuse and the greater community for developing and promoting creative exploration of the African diaspora. Its mission is to exalt cultural and artistic pluralism by collecting, exhibiting, teaching and interpreting the visual and expressive arts. In addition to Williams, CFAC founders include Shirley Harrison, Jack White, George Campbell Jr., Mary Schmidt Campbell, David MacDonald and Basheer Alim.

“For 50 years, CFAC has helped share, preserve and continue the histories and stories of the African diaspora through the arts,” says Tanisha M. Jackson, Ph.D., executive director of CFAC, creator of Black Arts Speak and professor of African American studies. “We are proud of the community we serve, the setting for dialogue and interaction we provide, and the incredible programs and artists we support.”

CFAC planted its roots in a small storefront, then relocated to a converted auditorium on the East side of Syracuse, before finally settling into its current space in the heart of the Connective Corridor, where the building now functions as a multidisciplinary community art center and venue for community members to gather in the spirit of creative expression.

Public programming offered by CFAC includes exhibitions, film screenings, gallery talks, workshops and courses in studio and performing arts, and more. CFAC also offers a robust that provides a gateway to the arts to middle school and high school students in the community.

In addition to the Ailey II performance, CFAC will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a variety of additional events. To learn more about events, . For more information about the gallery or tickets to the Ailey II performance, contact cfac@syr.edu. To support CFAC artistic and educational programming, .

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