Community Calendar

The Ballad of Human Movement is an exhibit that will fill your heart with pride for our little city. People have come from all over the world to make Utica their homes. Stories like The New York Times article "How Refugees Transformed a Dying Rust Belt Town" brought Utica into the spotlight, and the Gannett Gallery is thrilled to present a celebration of what makes our city so special. There will also be a free film screening of "Utica: The Last Refuge" on Saturday, October 25, at 2:00 p.m. in the Kunsela Hall Auditorium on the SUNY Poly campus.

Opening Reception: Friday, 10/10/2025 5:00-7:00
Event website: https//balladofhumanmovement.net

Lacuna presents new works from Alison Altafi that explore the space between presence and absence, form and dissolution, memory and dream. Inspired by the cosmos, fairytale, myth and the endless cycles of time, Lacuna invites viewers to consider the space not as emptiness, but as a site of possibility, memory and soft transformation.

Reception Date: October 3, 5-7 p.m.

Schweinfurth Art Center is holding its fifth Member Show this fall, which features 127 works by talented artists who are members of the art center. The exhibition includes oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings, photography, ceramics, sculptures, fiber art, and more.

"i solemnly swear” is an exhibition about the consequences of conscription and deployment into combat. Syracuse artist Paul Pearce was drafted into the US Army in 1967 and deployed to Vietnam in 1968. “I should never have been a soldier, and yet I was a good soldier,” Pearce says. “For this reason, I am haunted by what I did and what I witnessed. When people say, ‘Thank you for your service,’ my reply is, ‘Don’t thank me for my service; you don’t know what I did. My country made me do it and I was just a kid.’”

This year, the Victorian Lady antique shop in Oneida is on a mission to collect and distribute warm winter coats and accessories to help neighbors facing hardship during these difficult times.

“If you would like to help make someone's winter a little warmer, we would be most grateful!” says Ms. Gerri Gray, the shop’s proprietor. “We are holding the coat drive throughout the fall and winter.” She added, “We also plan to host a few food giveaways, so if anyone wishes to donate any canned food (including pet food) and/or other non-perishable items, they can bring them to the shop during our regular business hours or simply leave them on our front porch.”

Donations of new and gently-used coats, scarves, and gloves are being accepted every Monday and Saturday from noon until 5 p.m. and on all other days by appointment only. The shop, which was featured on Lite 98.7, is located at 302 Main Street, Oneida, NY (at the corner of Stone).

All That Remains features artwork by two SUNY Oswego art faculty members, Peter Cardone and Christopher McEvoy. While each artist explores themes of slippage, memories, and the push pull of reality, their artworks engage these concepts in very different ways.

Cardone’s photographic series depicts the Lighthouse at the H. Lee Maritime Museum and scenes of Lake Ontario. The images of the Lighthouse are devoid of people or living things. They feature liminal interior spaces with views of the lake shown through another frame, such as a door or a window. Other works look down on the water from a higher vantage point, framing the view with bits of roof, gutter, and railings. Cardone says, “The photographs simultaneously generate feelings of presence and absence. Standing by the water, I feel grounded in a particular place and time. Yet, as I look out, I am untethered from the present, tracing the water’s path to memories of other lakes, oceans, places, and people.”

Christopher McEvoy’s abstracted paintings inhabit the gap between perception and imagination. His large paintings are heavily layered with organic and geometric components. These forms overlap, fuse, and create a conflicting linear perspective. This evokes a feeling of falling apart and coming together simultaneously. McEvoy says, “These aren't paintings about confusion but consciousness. In fractured moments and invented landscapes, I witness my own daily negotiations with meaning—the constant work of assembling coherence from fragments.”

On view Oct. 21 - November 14.

Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Friday: 2-6 p.m., Saturday – Sunday: 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Closed on Mondays, holidays, and when classes are not in session. Classes and groups may arrange after-hours visitation.

This fall, we invite 22 participants to gather on sacred land in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York for a grief retreat and ritual, offered in the lineage of Malidoma Somé and Francis Weller.

This retreat is open to anyone navigating any form of grief, not just those who have lost loved ones. Our intention is to create a container to support all sources of loss and grief, from acute personal losses to Earth grief and ancestral loss.

It is our intent to create a space of support and care for all who gather. If you enroll in this retreat, our expectation is that you are wholeheartedly in support of and in alignment with creating a respectful and inclusive space for people across a broad range of identities (LGBTQ+, BIPOC, etc.).

This 3-day retreat and ritual is not a passive teaching program but a participatory communal space where we ask people to show up for each other and for the soul of the community. To cultivate trust and containment, participation for the entire weekend is essential.

Please apply to the retreat with this orientation toward inclusivity and participation in your heart.

Community grief retreats can be deeply meaningful, but they often require a certain level of emotional stability to be beneficial. For some, especially in the immediate aftermath of a profound loss, it may feel too soon. As a general guideline, attending a retreat like this is often most supportive six months to a year or more after a major loss. We’re happy to talk with you and help discern whether this experience feels right for you at this time.

ROCKY HORROR

Get ready to do The Time Warp again with "The Rocky Horror Show", the cult classic rock musical that’s outrageously fun and delightfully twisted. When sweethearts Brad and Janet stumble into the bizarre world of Dr. Frank-N-Furter, they’re swept into a wild night of music, madness, and mayhem. Packed with iconic songs, over-the-top characters, and interactive thrills, this is the ultimate live theatre experience for thrill-seekers and partygoers alike! With eight performances, including a late-night Halloween spectacular featuring dancing, games, and a costume runway. This outrageous, interactive rock musical guarantees a wildly fun and twisted experience.

Co-Produced by SUNY Cortland and Cortland Repertory Theatre

Directed by Bryan Knowlton
Music Direction by Ben Kapilow

- Friday, Oct. 24, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025 at 2 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m.
- Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.

Location: Cortland Repertory Theatre Downtown
Content Warning: “Rocky Horror contains adult and sexual themes and is intended for Mature Audiences Only.”

Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) meets Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a San Francisco pet store and decides to follow him home. She brings with her the gift of two love birds and they strike up a romance. One day, birds start attacking children at Mitch’s sister's party. A huge assault starts on the town by attacking birds.

Movie Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1 hour, 59 minutes