For Alliances with the Beaver People: Clifford Gallery Opens New Exhibition sliddell@colgate.edu Fri, 03/07/2025 - 08:00 On Feb. 12, Colgate University celebrated the opening of the Clifford Gallery’s new exhibition from Franco-American artist Suzanne Husky, titled For Alliances with the Beaver People. The exhibition features a singular physical object: an 11-meter-long embroidered tapestry that traces key moments in beaver-human relationships.  Drawing inspiration from the historic Bayeux Tapestry, which depicts the events leading up to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Husky’s work reframes the traditional narrative of conquest and battle into one of mutual ecological regeneration. Her tapestry illustrates how rivers evolve through the interactions of humans and beavers and what these interactions mean for coexistence and environmental stewardship. “All of the landscapes depicted in Western art were created after beavers had already been wiped out in many places,” Husky noted during the exhibition’s opening panel. “That affects how we perceive what a healthy river should look like. In places like Europe, where people haven’t had the opportunity to see naturally meandering, beaver-influenced rivers, we need visuals to educate restoration teams.” In a curtained room to the side of the main exhibition, visitors can experience The Sound of a New Waterfall (2022), a short documentary film directed by Husky centering on Vermont naturalist Patti Smith. The film provides an intimate look into Smith’s daily interactions with beavers and the ecological insights she has gained from observing their behaviors.  “When I first filmed Patti’s stream with a drone, it struck me that I was seeing a truly healthy stream for the first time,” Husky reflected. “For me, that realization underscored how our representation of landscapes shapes our understanding of nature." The exhibition’s opening reception brought together over one hundred guests to engage with Husky’s work. The event was followed by a panel discussion featuring Husky herself alongside naturalist and wildlife rehabilitator Patti Smith, SUNY ESF director of the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment Neil Patterson Jr., and Colgate Professor of Geography and Director of the Environmental Studies Program Mike Loranty. Associate Professor of Art Margaretha Haughwout served as moderator. The panel explored beaver ecologies and the future of watershed management, reinforcing the exhibition’s emphasis on environmental sustainability and cross-species collaboration. Segments of Alliances with the Beaver People Segments of Alliances with the Beaver People Segments of Alliances with the Beaver People Segments of Alliances with the Beaver People Segments of Alliances with the Beaver People Segments of Alliances with the Beaver People Husky spoke about the lessons beavers offer in ecological restoration and the need to shift from human-led management to a more collaborative approach. “One of the most significant shifts in hydrology has been the recognition that we cannot out-engineer nature. Beavers have been shaping landscapes for eight million years, and they know what they’re doing,” she said. “In a time of climate uncertainty, we need to form alliances with other species that can help us adapt.” The discussion also touched on practical solutions for coexistence. “Removing beavers is never a permanent solution,” Husky emphasized during the audience Q&A. “They always return, often causing worse flooding when no one is looking, and it’s not free to keep getting rid of them. Investing in coexistence strategies is more effective in the long run.” Husky’s exhibition at the Clifford Gallery is part of a broader collaboration with the Picker Art Gallery, which is concurrently showcasing her textile work La Noble Pastoral as part of the group exhibition A Thought Is a Thread: Contemporary Artists Reworking Textile Traditions. The exhibition at Picker runs through May 18 and brings together artists whose works explore the historical and cultural significance of textiles. Husky’s presence at Colgate is made possible through the cosponsorship of the Colgate Arts Council, the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University Studies, Environmental Studies, Film and Media Studies, Biology, Romance Languages and the Literature, Geography, and History departments.  During her time on campus, she will create a new textile work using the recently acquired TC2 digital loom in the Bernstein Center for Creativity and Innovation. This piece will be developed in collaboration with students, offering them a hands-on opportunity to explore the intersections of contemporary textile art and ecological storytelling.  “We must learn to share the right to transform the world,” Husky said. “Humans have not always been good at this. Beavers remind us that every being — large or small — is a world-builder.”Arts Faculty & Staff Student picker art gallery environmental studies Film and Media Studies Program Environmental Studies Program Photo courtesy Suzanne Husky

Colgate Thirteen Tours China nhendrickson@c… Thu, 03/06/2025 - 08:00 This past winter break, the Colgate Thirteen a cappella group embarked on their first trip to China as part of their annual “Jan Tour.” While the group typically travels to different regions of the United States for their winter tour, this year marked their first international venture in decades. Over the course of two weeks, the group performed in Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai at a variety of venues — from international schools to a golf course and even the American Embassy. The trip was first conceived two years ago by Ruben Malovrh Kollman ’25, the current leader of the group. Malovrh Kollman, who attended his final high school years in Beijing, wanted to share his love of China with the group. “It was super important to me to have the guys see a place that I really love,” says Malovrh Kollman. Thanks to the support of the group’s alumni and the University, the ambitious plan became a reality. “A trip of this scale was uncharted water for us,” says fellow organizer Steven Torre ’25. While the performances were the undeniable highlights, the trip went beyond performing. Following their school concerts, the group hosted Q&A sessions for students to learn about Colgate and the American college experience. They also led singing workshops, allowing students to learn and perform a song with the group. For this trip, the group prepared a special song — the popular Mandarin love song, “The Moon Represents My Heart.” Torre was pleasantly surprised by the song’s overwhelmingly positive reaction from audiences: “They really loved it.” The group made time to explore China’s cultural landmarks between performances. They marveled at the Tian Tan Buddha in Hong Kong, wandered through the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, and, most memorably, walked a section of the Great Wall. “It was so beautiful, most of us were almost moved to tears just standing up there and watching the sunset,” Torre says. Since joining as first-years, Malovrh Kollman and Torre have led the Colgate Thirteen through numerous triumphs, including reviving the group after the pandemic and greatly expanding the group’s musical repertoire. However, this trip stands as a defining moment in their legacy, and they hope it inspires newer members to organize similar ventures in the future. “This trip was the culmination of all of our hard work, and it was really joyous to be able to go and do it,” Torre says.   Alumni Arts Campus Life Student Clubs and Organizations News and Updates Student The Colgate Thirteen at the Shanghai Star-River Bilingual School in Shanghai (Photo by Mengdie Serena Wang)

Unraveled: Student-Curated Exhibition Explores the Art and Meaning of Weaving sliddell@colgate.edu Tue, 03/04/2025 - 14:43 This spring, the Longyear Museum of Anthropology is showcasing the student-curated exhibition Unraveled: Labor and Meaning Behind Weaving. Created by 10 students in the fall 2024 MUSE 300: Museum Curating class, the exhibition brings together an incredible range of textiles, baskets, and fiber art from around the world, showcasing the craftsmanship, beauty, and cultural significance of woven works. Taught by Co-Director of University Museums and Curator of the Longyear Museum of Anthropology Rebecca Mendelsohn, Museum Curating is a hands-on, semesterlong exploration of exhibition-making. Students learn about the ethics of museum work, how to navigate curatorial challenges, and what it means to present cultural traditions in a museum space. The course alternates between Colgate’s two museums — the Longyear Museum of Anthropology and Picker Art Gallery — allowing students to work with different collections and curatorial approaches. Next fall, MUSE 300 will be taught by Co-Director of University Museums and Curator of the Picker Art Gallery Nick West, who will guide students in developing an exhibition for the Picker. Sections of Unraveled Makers and Their Tools Politics and Pride Weaving as Culture Commercialization, Globalization, and Consumer Culture In its Longyear iteration, the fall 2024 offering followed an “ungrading” model, giving students the freedom to take creative risks and build curatorial skills. Throughout the semester, students collaborated on all aspects of Unraveled, from researching the featured works to shaping the exhibition’s overarching story to deciding which color to paint the gallery walls. Drawing from the Longyear Museum’s extensive textile and basket collections, Unraveled highlights the technical mastery and cultural narratives embedded in woven art. The exhibition examines how fiber arts have responded to economic and political shifts, and the role textiles play in identity, nationalism, and resistance. It also features newly acquired pieces from the Jalabil Maya women’s weaving collective in Oxchuc, Chiapas, Mexico, as well as personal weavings and weaving-related pieces loaned by student curators. These student curator contributions are displayed in a separate case outside of the museum and include such works as an embroidery project passed down through generations, an enormous Christmas mitten, and a well-loved pair of L.L. Bean socks. Accompanied by curator-written labels and photographs, these items offered a glimpse into the emotional and cultural connections people have with textiles in their daily lives. One particularly meaningful contribution comes from curator Aleksia Taçi ’25, who shared a pair of papuçe — house slippers woven by her maternal grandmother from recycled threads. “Her papuçe have kept me warm during Hamilton’s cold winters,” Taçi wrote, “but they’ve also taught me how easily I can extend my clothes’ life cycles by transforming them into something else.” The Opening Celebration Meg McClenahan '25 leading a tour Students exploring an interactive portion of the exhibit Visitors enjoying an assortment of woven foods Bracelet and basket weaving Aleksia Taçi ’25 photographing one of the curator contributions Student curators bonding The exhibition’s opening event was a celebration of weaving as art, culture, and community practice. Attendees enjoyed a curated playlist and an array of woven-inspired hors d’oeuvres, including soft braided pretzels, lattice-topped quiches, and angel hair–woven meatballs. There were also hands-on activities like friendship braiding and a community weaving project, which will continue to grow in the gallery throughout the exhibition’s run. During the event, student curators reflected on the experience of bringing Unraveled to life. “I am not a group project person, and this class was one big group project,” admitted Emma Herwig ’25. “It was a personal challenge for me, but I couldn’t be prouder of how this group came together to create something truly meaningful.” She also touched on the research approach that shaped their work. “We started the class with the concept of collaborative autoethnography where multiple contributors bring their own identities, experiences, and cultures into their work. It was about embracing how we, as researchers, are reflected in our work and supporting each other in that process, all in the spirit of creating a single, unified project.” Unraveled is one of several exhibitions on campus this spring that explore the art and meaning of weaving. At the Clifford Art Gallery, For Alliances with the Beaver People features an 11-meter embroidered tapestry by Suzanne Husky, illustrating key moments in the intertwined histories of beavers and humans. Meanwhile, at the Picker Art Gallery, the exhibition A Thought Is A Thread examines how textiles continue to shape human relationships, language, and technology. Unraveled is now on view at the Longyear Museum through Spring 2025, and the full range of pieces featured can be viewed on the University Museums website. The Curators of Unraveled: Leila Bekaert ’25 Oscar Brown ’26 Kegan Foley ’26 Emma Herwig ’25 Bri Liddell ’25 Gloria Liu ’26 Meg McClenahan ’25 Anna Miksis ’25 Blanca Rivas ’25 Aleksia Taçi ’25Academics Career Development Faculty & Staff Student Longyear Museum Museum Studies Program Department of Sociology and Anthropology The Unraveled Curatorial Team

Oscar Wins for Alex Coco ’12 and Anora amayne@colgate.edu Mon, 03/03/2025 - 09:50 This year’s Academy Awards was a big night for Alex Coco ’12, producer of Anora, which won five Oscars, including best picture, best director, best actress, best original screenplay, and best editing. The film, a dark romantic comedy, had a budget of only $6 million, and was shot on location in New York City with approximately 40 crew members. In his acceptance speech, Coco encouraged independent filmmakers. “If you’re trying to make independent films, please keep doing it,” he said. “We need more. This is proof.” Coco will be back on campus for a screening of Anora and conversations with the Colgate community during Arts, Creativity, and Innovation weekend, April 3–5. Read more about Coco in Colgate Magazine’s “40 Under 40” feature.  Alumni Arts News and Updates Alumni Alex Coco ’12 and the cast and crew of Anora at the 97th Academy Awards (Oscars) at the Dolby Theatre on March 2, 2025, in Los Angeles, Calif. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Prof. Eddie Cole Discusses Universities, History, and Community During Presidential Speaker Series nhendrickson@c… Wed, 02/26/2025 - 08:50 The second installment of Colgate’s spring Presidential Speaker Series featured a Q&A session led by Vice President and Chief of Staff to the President L. Hazel Jack with Eddie R. Cole, professor of education and history at the University of California, Los Angeles, and author of The Campus Color Line: College Presidents and the Struggle for Black Freedom. A higher education historian, Cole delves into how university histories can inform present-day issues in education, and he examines the complex relationships between institutions and their communities.   Growing up in a predominantly Black community an hour away from the University of Alabama, Cole witnessed firsthand the differing perspectives between universities and their surrounding communities regarding the institution’s legacy. This experience sparked his interest in the social histories of universities. “We have to remember that different communities from different backgrounds also have narratives and histories of campuses as well,” Cole says. Cole explored such stories in depth when he visited the archives of close to 30 college campuses across the country while conducting research for his book. At the University of Chicago, he was surprised to learn what a significant role a university can have in physically shaping its neighborhoods and cities. However, not all relationships between institutions and their communities are the same. With rising skepticism of the value of higher education, Cole acknowledges there is merit to criticisms that some colleges appear removed from everyday life and people. Still, he cautions against making sweeping generalizations about all institutions — there are over 4,000 degree-granting institutions in the country, each with its own unique history and role in its community. Cole points to tribal colleges and Historically Black Colleges and Universities as examples of institutions that are positively engaged with their communities. “Whenever you see a headline that talks about higher education, you should stop and think, ‘Whose higher education is this story really about? Is it about all American higher education or a very thin subset of institutions that tend to have a megaphone and speak on behalf of all colleges and universities?’” Cole says. Regardless of institution type, Cole urges all university leadership to connect with the people in their communities and step outside the physical confines of their campuses. “What if the leaders of a university met at a coffee shop as opposed to the president’s conference room? What if academic departments and faculty did?” In addition to fostering active engagement with the community, Cole concluded by encouraging leaders to regularly revisit their institution’s history to inform the legacy they are actively crafting. “If you have recurring conversations about the history of the place, you have a better handle and touch on the place that you’re leading and the history that you’re creating in this moment,” Cole says.  News and Updates Faculty & Staff Debate and Discourse Presidential Speakers Series UCLA professor Eddie R. Cole (Photo by Mark DiOrio)

Colgate University Is a Top Producer of Fulbright U.S. Students for Seventh Year Contributing Writer Tue, 02/25/2025 - 09:03 Colgate University has been recognized as a Top Producing Institution for Fulbright U.S. students for a seventh consecutive year. The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 as the U.S. Government’s flagship international academic exchange program to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries and to facilitate cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in routine tasks. “I want to congratulate the students, alumni, staff members, and professors who have made this achievement possible,” says Provost and Dean of the Faculty Lesleigh Cushing. “Global engagement is one of Colgate’s oldest traditions — alongside a rigorous academic experience. Sustained success in the Fulbright program demonstrates the University’s ongoing commitment to those traditions, and it tells the world that Colgate students are prepared to lead, are curious about the world around them, and are eager to engage with the international community.” Last year, nine Colgate students received the Fulbright U.S. Student Scholarship: Annabelle Adelizzi ’24, a German and psychological science double major, is on an English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) in Germany. Emily Balog ’24, an environmental geography major, is on an ETA in Latvia. Jessie Farrell ’24, an English major with a creative writing concentration, is on an ETA in Norway. Jake Gomez ’21, a peace and conflict studies, Middle East and Islamic studies double major, is on a research award focused on journalism in Tunisia. Brenna McConnell ’24, an international relations and French double major, received an ETA to France (declined). Sophie Pedzich ’24, an environmental biology major, art and art history minor, is on an ETA in the Czech Republic. Jim Perry ’24, a computer science and Russian and Eurasian studies double major, is on an ETA in Uzbekistan. Giorgio Rahal ’24, an English major, Middle East and Islamic studies minor, is on an ETA in Cameroon. Will Russel ’24, a molecular biology major, global public and environmental health minor, is on a research award in biology at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. “This year offers opportunities for growth in all aspects of my life, from the professional to the personal,” says Farrell. “I was often the shy kid in class, reluctant to raise my hand, and now I lead classes and workshops weekly, finding fun ways to get students involved and excited about learning.” Balog says the most rewarding aspect of her Fulbright experience has been building relationships. “Making friends in my community has helped me learn a lot more about local Latvian culture, and it’s been incredible to watch my students grow and advance their English.” For Adelizzi, interactions with students are particularly fulfilling. “When they run across the playground to say hello or thank me for helping them see something from a new perspective,” she says, “it fills me with joy.” Colgate’s Fulbright ETA recipients have a deep passion for language and teaching, motivated by a desire to build meaningful connections through their language skills. In addition to being an English major, Farrell served as senior prose editor for Colgate’s literary magazine, Portfolio. Adelizzi taught German to second graders at Hamilton Central School, leveraging the expertise she developed as a German major. The Office of National Fellowships and Scholarships is the advising and preparation center for the U.S. Student Fulbright competition at Colgate. Students and alumni interested in applying for Fulbright are encouraged to reach out to Assistant Director Meghan Niedt, mniedt@colgate.edu, to schedule an appointment. Research Outcomes News and Updates Alumni Student onfs