Current Exhibitions

Jean Parish Scholarship: 2026-27

Project Space Gallery
On view: September 1-26, 2026
Reception: Thursday, September 10, 5-7 p.m.

A group exhibition by the student recipients of the 2026-2027 Jean Parish Memorial Scholarship featuring work by Sydney Creason, Tessa DeLisio, Madison Jahnke, Lily Linehan, Mordue Reinhardt, Wendy Tenecela, and Anh Verity. It includes multidisciplinary artwork such as painting, sculpture, design, and digital art. A selection of work will also be on view alongside work by Hartwick College upperclassmen at CANO (Community Arts Network of Oneonta) from October 2-23, 2026, for the Hartwick X SUNY Oneonta Student Show 2026.

Poster design by Alexander Dechavez.

By Design

Martin-Mullen Art Gallery
On view: August 25 - October 10, 2026
Reception: Thursday, September 10, 2026, 5-7 p.m.

By Design intentionally brings together an array of international and historical protest-related work, on loan from nine private and public collections. The purpose is manifold, but it highlights a few key points: there is a rich history behind protest and political critique, there is no one “right” way to protest, the creative arts can bring many different voices to the forefront, and the most effective pieces avoid trite platitudes. These objects are imperfect like the people who made them but stand the test of time because they mark historic moments shared by numerous individuals who spoke as one. 

Many thanks to Emma Haring (CGP '26) for her curatorial assistance as a summer post-graduate fellow. A special thanks to the artists, collectors, and organizations that lent work for this exhibition: The Alden Room University Archives and Special Collections in the James M. Milne Library at SUNY Oneonta (public collection); Olivier Bonhomme (artist) and The Art Garage, Cooperstown (art gallery); John Bugyi (private collection); the Cooperstown Graduate Program (CGP, teaching collection); Carey R. D'Avino (private collection); Robin Herbert (private collection); the Katherine G. Angell Historical and Cultural Costume Collection in the SUNY Oneonta Department of Fashion and Textiles (public collection); The Yager Museum of Art & Culture at Hartwick College (public collection);  SUNY Oneonta's fine art collection cared for by the Galleries at SUNY Oneonta (public collection).

Design by Savannah Simpson.

1000 Cranes

Fine Arts hallway, between the Hamblin Theater and the Martin-Mullen Gallery
On view: April 9, 2026 - May 31, 2027 
Reception: to be announced

Folding a paper crane takes patience and concentration. Once the pattern is learned, the process of carefully aligning and creasing edges is calming and centering. Done in a group it creates community, each person contributing small delicate cranes while collectively creating something beautiful. The folding of paper cranes was first documented in 7th century China. It was developed and made popular in the Edo Period of Japan between the early 1600s to the mid 1800s. The tradition of folding 1,000 paper cranes is known as “Senbazuru” and symbolizes a wish or prayer for good health and good fortune. After the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and through the work of Sadako Sasaki, who developed leukemia from the bombings, it became a global symbol and prayer for world peace. These 1,000 paper cranes are multi-hued, multi-pattered, and multi-facetted, just like the students, faculty, staff, and community members who folded and strung them. They are accompanied by a few fish and maybe a dragon or two, if you look closely. In the same way that the differences, both great and small, between each crane and creature magnifies their charm and interest, diversity in community is strength and creates great beauty.

Poster design by Savannah Simpson.

Day of the Deer | Alissa Walls

Open Space Gallery 
On view: February 9 – December 13, 2026 
Reception: Thursday, September 24, 5-7 p.m.

Day of the Deer is a year-long, process-oriented installation by artist and art historian, Dr. Alissa Walls (SUNY Oneonta Art Department, Assistant Professor of Art History). It stands as a unique exhibition in that it seeks no clear beginning or end. Over the course of the year, Walls will add new elements each day to inspire people to return often as she transforms the Open Space Gallery into a playful and uncanny environment with sacred offerings, real and representational deer, found and purchased objects, and numerous drawings, prints, painting, sculptures, and projection. This installation breaks material boundaries, encourages play, and invites viewers to broaden their understanding of what art is, how it can be pursued, and what topics it can explore while alluding to the potential to break social, cultural, and ideological barriers. Day of the Deer poses challenging questions about dominant social structures, cultural hierarchies, and the relationship between the natural world and the built environment in the age of the Anthropocene. These topics become approachable and accessible in an atmosphere of creativity, fun, and exploration. Starting with an inspiration from The Fawn in the Forest with No Names from Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, Walls employs grids, boxes, and figures and sources from art and natural histories to critique systems of order, offering up the possibility of new ways of being. 

Poster design by Savannah Simpson. Funding Generously provided by the SUNY Oneonta Faculty Research & Creative Activity Grant program.