Dorsky Museum Ambassadors’ “Art Collides” becoming tradition at SDMA

The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art (SDMA) at SUNY New Paltz was again the site of “Art Collides,” a series of student art performances in response to current SDMA exhibits. The event, organized by the Dorsky Museum Ambassadors, featured musical, literary and theatrical performances, and is part of the Ambassadors’ mission to increase student engagement with events and exhibits at the Museum.

This was the second installment of what is fast becoming one of the most popular and well-attended events on the SDMA’s calendar. The inaugural “Art Collides,” in April 2015, attracted more than 150 students, which according to Sara Pasti, the Neil C. Trager director of the SDMA, is no small feat.

“One of the greatest challenges on any campus is getting students to just wander into the museum and see what’s there,” Pasti said. “Students are so focused on their studies and their social life that some of the other activities available on campus unrelated to those two things don’t always make it onto their list of priorities.”

As a wholly student-driven event, “Art Collides” has proven able to buck this trend and bring students and the SDMA together. The all-student Dorsky Museum Ambassadors group handles the bulk of the event planning, and student artists provide the content by preparing original music, writing, visual art or other performance in response to individual works from the Dorsky’s current exhibitions.

More information about events and exhibits at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art is available online.