SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The Syracuse University Art Museum brought together families, students, faculty and neighbors from across Central New York Saturday, Oct. 3, for its semesterly Community Day. Presented as part of Environmental Storytelling CNY’s Fall 2026 series and the museum’s current Reclaimed: The Art of Recology exhibition, the theme was simple: Rethink waste.
The Art of Recology grew out of the San Francisco Artist in Residence Program, a four-month sustainability education residency in which 33 artists sourced materials from the Public Reuse and Recycling Area, affectionately known as “the dump.” Those materials became the foundation for dynamic artwork featured in the main gallery.
“We really wanted to create a community day that tapped into that idea of reusing and sustainability,” said Kate Holohan, curator of education and academic outreach of the SU Art Gallery. “How do we take something that has been thought of as waste and reimagine it as something useful or creative?”
Against the backdrop of Recology, professor Rochele Royster of Creative Arts Therapy hosted a drop-in textile workshop exploring mending, reuse and transformation through indigo dyeing — an all-natural technique that uses dye derived from the indigo plant.
“I love seeing the slow process of the color coming forth,” said Royster. “One of the biggest issues is that with fast fashion, we are so used to buying, consuming and throwing away.”
The workshop was most popular among Wellwood Middle School students and SU master’s students. The gallery supplied textiles for participants to use but also encouraged them to bring in an old, worn, torn or stained piece of clothing of their own.
“My favorite part of today was interacting with some of the kiddos I met and sharing how to care for the Earth through an art form,” said Royster.
Alexandra Huerta, a master’s student studying television, radio and film, used materials provided at the workshop to create something uniquely her own.
“I came to community day to make a tote bag,” said Huerta. “I was given some marbles and square wooden palettes to create a beautiful tie-dye.”
Praagya Khand, a master’s student in art history, showed up with a white short-sleeve button-up shirt that was beginning to disintegrate and show other colors.
“I brought in an old shirt of mine to breathe a new life into it, ” said Khand. “I’m very excited to wear it.”
Supplementary Community Day activities included:
- Conversations with local organizations Onondaga Earth Corps and PaintCare, which shared ways to incorporate sustainable practices into everyday life.
- A Family Guide to “Human/Environment: 4,000 Years of Art,” leading visitors through the exhibitions and recommending activities for kids of all ages.
- A raffle for a set of mini prints from the museum’s Mini Print Vending Machine by Inciardi Prints.
- A first-come, first-serve art supply giveaway compiled of collected overstock from the museum.
Recology will continue through Dec. 11, with another sustainability-focused program scheduled for later this month.
Multidisciplinary visual artist Rodney Ewing, creator of the 2017 Sign of the Times piece, will visit campus Thursday, Oct. 29 for “What Objects Carry: Art, Ecology and Black Experience.”
The event will be from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons in Bird Library and will center on a conversation between Ewing and English professor Delali Kumavie about their work. The discussion will explore the intersections of race, technology, ecology, material culture and the Black experience.
