HWS News Top Stories
13 October 2023HWS Theatre Presents “The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong”
Associate Professor of Theatre Chris Hatch will direct the HWS Theatre 2023-2024 season debut during Homecoming and Family Weekend.
Read More3 October 2023Holch ’70 Honored by Artists Association of Nantucket
Alumnus Eric Holch ’70 Recognized for New England inspired paintings at annual Wet Paint Auction in Nantucket.
Read More18 September 2023Breaking Ice, Fostering Community
Performances from an award-winning theatre troupe to cut through bias and misperceptions.
Read More21 August 2023HWS Theatre Announces 2023-2024 Season
A rollicking backstage farce, a campy supernatural mystery, and a lyrical journey of friendship and artistry comprise the HWS Theatre 2023-2024 season of detours and delights.
Read More19 June 2023From the Collection of Edward T. Pollack '55
The exhibition American Women Artists, now on display at the Dove Block Project on Exchange Street in Geneva, N.Y., engages with efforts to help rectify the historical inattention of women, ethnic and racial minorities, and members of culturally marginalized groups who were artists.
Read More7 June 2023Stephanopoulos Collection Inspires Cataloging Course
Since 2019, television anchor and political commentator George Stephanopoulos has donated more than 2,000 photographs to the Collections of Hobart and William Smith Colleges with an appraised value of nearly $7 million.
Read More17 May 2023Celebrating Colton's Work at Reunion
A collection of prints by retiring Lead Photographer Kevin Colton L.H.D.’23 will be on display at the Davis Art Gallery at Houghton House during Reunion 2023.
Read More28 March 2023HWS Attends American College Dance Association Conference
Students enjoy participating in classes in modern dance, West African dance, improvisation, musical theatre and somatic techniques.
Read More27 February 2023HWS Welcomes New Visual Arts Curator
Meghan Jordan is eager to collaborate with student artists, art historians and aspiring curators as she joins Hobart and William Smith as the Clarence A. Davis ’48 Visual Arts Curator.
Read More10 February 2023Much Ado About Nothing Premieres
Gossip, wit and romance abound in the Theatre Department’s production of Shakespeare’s comedy.
Read More15 December 2022McCormack ’23 Reflects on Starring in Cabaret
Approaching her final semester, Julia McCormack ’23 reflects on playing the lead role of Sally Bowles in the community production of the musical Cabaret.
Read More15 November 2022Biggest HWS Club-hosted Event of the Year
This semester, more than 100 students took center stage for the Kinetic Dance Collective’s annual fall showcase.
Read More3 November 2022Everyday Wonders
Under the Direction of Colin Mann, the HWS Community Chorus will present Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo and Gloria in D, works that juxtapose two very different cantatas, in a performance at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at The Presbyterian Church, 24 Park Place, Geneva. The concert is free and open to the public.
Read More20 October 2022Unvarnished America
Described as “one of the most original choreographers on the downtown dance scene,” (Village Voice) Bessie Award winning NYC choreographer Jane Comfort has been creating innovative work that bridges movement and text, dance and theatre, and the personal and the political since 1978. Comfort’s choreography addresses contemporary and social issues with compassion and wit.
Read More6 September 2022Guest Artist Music Series Coming to HWS
The Gearan Center for the Performing Arts will host a variety of performances by several notable musicians and artists for the 2022-23 academic year as part of the Guest Artist Concert Series.
Read More23 August 2022Disability Arts Ensemble Kinetic Light to Perform at HWS
The internationally recognized disability arts ensemble Kinetic Light will perform on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the Deming Theatre of the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts.
Read More3 August 2022“All the World’s a Stage:” HWS Theatre Abroad
This summer, Lucas Amaral ’23, Hannah Angelico ’25 and A King ’25 participated in the “Advanced Studies in England” Theatre Summer School in Bath, England.
Read More29 June 2022Faculty Dance Concert 2022
Three Faculty Choreographers join Guest Artist Olive Prince ’99 in three performances.
Read More29 April 2022Give Write Now Challenge Smashes Fundraising Goal
The Give Write Now Challenge, a 48-hour fundraising challenge to support the Writing Colleagues Program, was a breakout success.
Read More1 April 2022Student Scholarship the Focus of Senior Symposium 2022
The Center for Teaching Learning will host the 13th annual Senior Symposium on April 15, a daylong conference where seniors and graduate students present their intellectual passions to the HWS community.
Read More31 March 2022Music for a New Apocalypse
Music for a New Apocalypse,composed by Associate Professor of Music Mark Olivieri, premiered this month with a performance by pianist Andres Gomez-Bravo.
Read More30 March 2022Once Upon a Time in the Italian Western
Sebastiano Lucci, instructor of Italian and director of the Less Commonly Taught Languages, will reflect on the birth, development and culmination of the midcentury westerns made by Italian filmmakers like Sergio Leone.
Read More18 March 2022Tribute to Cadence Joy Whittier
The late Professor of Dance Cadence Joy Whittier, who served at HWS from 2000-2021, will be remembered on Sunday, April 10, from 2-4 p.m. in Deming Theatre.
Read More17 March 2022Music is Key for Malcolm '24
Sophomore plays nine instruments, writes and records his own music.
Read More13 December 2021May Wins IndieFEST Awards
Associate Professor of Theatre Heather May's short film exploring diagnosis, identity, and interdependence received two IndieFEST Film Awards of Merit in November.
Read More9 December 2021New Gift from Stephanopoulos Grows HWS Photo Collection
A donation from journalist George Stephanopoulos adds approximately 700 new items to the Collections of Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Read More3 December 2021The Hopes and Dreams of Tomorrow's Architects
Ben Tesler '23 is the 2021 recipient of the A Fund scholarship.
Read More5 November 2021Meet the Newest GSA Scholars
The latest recipients of the Geneva Scholarship Associates fund are beginning to explore a variety of academic fields and interests during their first semester.
Read More5 November 2021Under the Sea Paintings Transform Daycare
Architecture and studio art double major Courtney Page '22 is painting an imaginative underwater scene in the halls of the Geneva Lakefront Childcare Center.
Read More2 November 2021A Homecoming for Dove's Cow V
An anonymous donation returns a watercolor painting by renowned abstract artist Arthur Dove to its hometown.
Read More25 October 2021Printmaking: "New and Improved"
A new exhibit showcases HWS professor and artist Nick Ruths latest work exploring everyday encounters with the infrastructure of social systems.
Read More15 October 2021When the Art Galleries of NYC Become the Classroom
Ten students in the Art and Architecture Department traveled to NYC to see art and meet alums working in the fine arts industry.
Read More24 September 2021From the Beyond: Geneva's Unheard Voices
HWS Theatre presents a history-based theatrical walking tour based on the real lives of past Genevans.
Read More21 September 2021New Blueprints: "To Help People See"
University of Rochesters Memorial Art Gallery features works by Associate Professor of American Studies Kirin Makker and G. Peter Jemison L.H.D. '20.
Read More23 July 2021Finding the Spotlight, Roberts '24 Reflects on First Year at HWS
In her first year at the Colleges, Eliyah Roberts '24 made her mark on the HWS Theatre stage, performing in all three productions.
Read More16 July 2021Ready to Change the World, Brown '24 Reflects on First Year at HWS
Rising sophomore Samari Brown '24 looks back at her first year at the Colleges, including how she found her passion for theatre.
Read More29 June 2021Nardone '21 on to Syracuse University for Audio Arts
In the fall, Matthew Nardone '21 will attend Syracuse University to pursue a masters in audio arts.
Read More25 June 2021Wander and Wonder Dance Performances to Feature HWS Dancers
HWS faculty and alums dance at Rochester Museum and Science Center event.
Read More8 June 2021Ruth Curates Global Printmaking Exhibition
HWS professor and artist Nick Ruth has been selected to curate the International Print Exchange Programmes 2021 exhibition.
Read More27 May 2021Fact or Truth? History-Based Playwriting: A talk by Syracuse Stage Associate Artistic Director Kyle Bass
Join HWS Theatre for a talk by playwright, screenwriter and dramaturg Kyle Bass on creating history-based theatre.
Read More21 April 2021VIRTUAL VIEWS: Faculty Dance Concert 2021
Three professors of Dance Ensemble, Donna Davenport, Michelle Iklé and Kelly Johnson, spent the spring semester with 35 William Smith dancers and two media and society students in a pandemic, masked, indoors and outdoors, in snow, on Seneca Lake piers, with green screens, on the streets of Geneva, and on stage, in 12-foot squares in Deming Theater, to create six new, short films.
Read More6 April 2021Theatre Department Stages a Supernatural Saunter
Inspired by the spiritualist leanings of the founder of William Smith College, a new audio production by the HWS Theatre Department invites listeners to explore a third coordinate school on campus — Geneva’s College of the Veil.
Read More2 March 2021Students Explore Photography in J-Term Course
In Associate Professor of Art and Architecture Christine Chin's Introduction to Imaging J-Term course, students explored photographically based imaging throughout history and showcased their learning and creativity with hands-on projects.
Read More24 February 2021Worn Exhibit Opens at the Solarium Gallery
The Worn exhibit, which examines the social and political history of jewelry, has opened at the Solarium Gallery at Houghton House and will be on display through March 1.
Read More23 February 2021HWS Celebrates Black History
Join the HWS community in celebrating Black history through a teach-in, virtual art exhibition and speaker series.
Read More11 December 2020Blanchard Honored with Joseph Levenson Book Prize
Described by the Association for Asian Studies as a “triumph of intertextual and intervisual methods in gender studies,” Professor of Art and Architecture Lara Blanchard is the winner of the 2020 Joseph Levenson Pre-1900 Book Prize (China).
Read More3 December 2020Rodrguez Mansilla Publishes on Lope de Vega
Associate Professor of Spanish Fernando Rodríguez Mansilla’s reconstruction and analysis of a 17th-century work by Spanish playwright Lope de Vega has been published in Parte XIX Comedias de Lope de Vega (Part 19 of Lope de Vega’s Complete Plays).
Read More3 November 2020The Substance (and Science) Behind the Art
From painting and literature to comedy and country music, first-year students at HWS probed the making and meaning of a wide range of artistic media.
Read More28 September 2020Wood '99 Collaborates with Louis Vuitton
The artwork of Jonas Wood '99 has been hanging on gallery and museum walls for years, but thanks to a collaboration with French fashion house and luxury retailer Louis Vuitton, it will now hang around the necks of fashionistas around the world.
Read More21 August 2020Making Music, Pursuing Finance with Mukkamala '20
Dhiraj Mukkamala '20 (pictured above on right) has been accepted to a comprehensive development program at Prudential Financial.
Read More11 March 2020Szymanek Explores Gendered Exclusions as Fulbright Scholar
As a 2019-20 Fulbright Scholar, Assistant Professor of Art and Architecture Angelique Szymanek is exploring place, art, feminism and the ways women have been marginalized within the history of art, in spite of the political advances of the mid-20th century.
Read More20 December 2019Faculty Art at Davis Gallery
A gallery talk and reception will close the most recent Davis Gallery exhibit that showcases the work of faculty in the Department of Art, Art History and Architecture.
Read More30 October 2019A Celebration of Dance at Koshare 2019
Koshare, Hobart and William Smith Colleges’ Dance Collective, will showcase upwards of 150 dancers in more than twenty diverse pieces on the Smith Opera House stage on Friday, Nov. 15 and Saturday, Nov. 16.
Read More17 September 2019Art & Memory in Germany
This summer during a program co-led by Associate Professor of Art and Architecture Gabriella D’Angelo and Assistant Professor of Art and Architecture Alysia Kaplan, 13 students studied abroad in Berlin. While designed for architectural studies and studio art students, the program also encompassed a range of disciplines and explored the intersections of architecture, art, memory and space within Germany.
Read More3 July 2019Wood '99 Exhibit at Gagosian until July 19
A new exhibit by Jonas Wood '99 opened in April at the prestigious Gagosian gallery in New York City.
Read More15 May 2019Arts Experience Festival Celebrates Inclusion in the Arts
This April, more than 1,000 students, professors, community members and individuals with disabilities will gather at HWS to paint, dance, act and engage in other artistic activities during the annual Arts Experience Festival. This will mark the 10th year for the celebration of inclusion for those of all ability levels.
Read More8 March 2019Now What?! Opens in Davis Gallery
On display at the Davis Gallery at Houghton House through April 12, Now What?! is an exhibition that examines the little-known history of architects and designers who worked to further the causes of the civil rights, womens and LGBTQ movements during the past 50 years, and encourages viewers to add information to the timeline.
Read More1 February 2019Spelling Bee Fundraiser for Literacy
Members of the Hobart and William Smith community are preparing for the 17th annual Literacy Volunteers of Ontario-Yates (LVOY) Spelling Bee, which will take place on Sunday, Feb. 10 at Geneva High School. Proceeds from the event will fund important literacy initiatives in the region.
Read More6 December 2018Jennings '19 Showcases No Exit
Austin Jennings 19 concludes a component of his Honors project with a performance of No Exit in collaboration with the student-led theater group, the Phoenix Players at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 9 in Williams 200.
Read More20 September 2018Sustainable Community Development Rethinks Castle Street
With proposals for a quarter-mile stretch along the Castle Street Corridor in Geneva, students in the spring 2018 Sustainable Community Development (SCD) capstone course have created a series of inclusive, celebratory and innovative designs informed by and tailored to the daily lives of the city’s residents.
Read More31 August 2018Wu Wins Juror's Choice Award
Chuan Jenny Wu '12 recently received the Jurors Choice Award at the Cambridge Art Associations 2018 Emerging Artists Exhibition for her video, Believe Me, Oh, Believe Me. Juried by Kate Mothes,
Read More21 August 2018Faculty Dance Concert
The 2018 Faculty Dance Concert will premiere five new choreographic works performed by 30 Hobart and William Smith dancers, one alumna and two members of the faculty.
Read More3 July 2018Bill Evans Institutes and Somatic Dance Conference at HWS
Renowned choreographer, performer and dance educator William “Bill” Evans returns to Hobart and William Smith Colleges for six days of classes for dance teachers and pre-professional dancers in the Bill Evans Teachers Institute and the concurrent Bill Evans Dancers Institute, followed by the 6th Annual Somatic Dance Conference, July 10-14.
Read More31 May 2018Defying the Laws of Physics and Dance
As Hobart Colleges' first dance major, Drew Scammell '18 took to the Deming Theatre stage for the final performance of his college career in April.
Read More26 April 2018Classical Guitar Performance features Ken Meyer
Classical guitarist Kenneth Meyer will perform and discuss questions related to the history and art of the instrument on Friday, April 27 at 2 p.m. in Froelich Hall.
Read More30 March 2018Celebrating Inclusion and the Arts
The ninth annual Arts Experience, a festival celebrating inclusion and the arts, will bring more than 1,000 participants together to explore artistic expression through music, movement and the visual arts.
Read More16 March 2018Spelling Bee Benefits Literacy
The Literacy Volunteers of Ontario and Yates Counties (LVOY) hosted the 16th Annual Adult Spelling Bee at Geneva High School on Sunday, Feb. 11.
Read More15 March 2018Exploring Identity, Mental Health and Acceptance
As part of a theatrical scholarship funded by the Sills Family Endowed Fellowship, Shaamar Samuel '19, Jesse Singleton '19 and Christopher Williams '19 will debut their monologue show From the Ground Up on Friday, June 16 at 7 p.m. in Williams Hall.
Read More8 March 2018Veras '17 Directs One Love Geneva Festival
With music, art, performances, and food and drinks from local businesses, Linden Street in Geneva was the place to be on Saturday, Aug. 12 during the One Love Geneva festival directed by German Veras '17.
Read More1 December 2017Frame/Works Program Focuses on Macbeth
The first 2017-18 Frame/Works series talk of the HWS Theatre program will kick off with a discussion of Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Read More1 December 2017Mosaic NY Tackles Social Justice in Higher Ed
Hobart and William Smith Colleges' social justice theatre company, Mosaic NY, performed earlier this month in nearby Verona, N.Y., at the New York State Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) Professional Organization Conference.
Read More29 September 2017She Kills Monsters Frame/Works Talk
Coinciding with the 2016-17 HWS Theatre seasons opening production, She Kills Monsters, the Frame/Works series returns with a presentation by HWS Theatre Resident Sound Designer Kelly Walker.
Read More11 August 2017Students Explore Ancient Greece
A group of HWS students recently returned from a three-week study abroad program across Greece, exploring the connections between ancient cities, sanctuaries and life.
Read More19 May 2017Theatre Majors Forge Careers
After graduation, three theatre majors, Clare McCormick '17, Gail Quintos '17 and Samantha Shaffner '17 will transform their passion for the arts into the first stages of their careers.
Read More21 April 2017HWS Faculty Dance Concert
The Hobart and William Smith Dance Department will present its 2017 Faculty Dance Concert on Thursday, April 20 and Friday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday, April 22 at 2 p.m. in Deming Theatre of the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts.
Read More17 April 2017Theatre Department Presented The Etymology of Bird
The HWS Theatre Department staged Zakiyyah Alexander's poignant contemporary urban drama The Etymology of Bird on April 13-15 in the McDonald Theatre of the Gearan Center for the Performing Arts.
Read More28 March 2017Arts Experience Festival Focuses on Inclusivity
The Hobart and William Smith community in conjunction with The Collaborative of the Finger Lakes will host the 8th Annual Arts Experience, a week-long festival from April 3-7 that celebrates inclusivity through creative expression.
Read More27 February 2017Spring Music Series Begins
This spring the Colleges' Music Department will host its annual Guest Artist Series, bringing a diverse and accomplished roster of performers sure to appeal to music lovers of every type.
Read More23 February 2017Chansky Begins 2017 Fisher Center Series
Dorothy Chansky, author, associate professor in the School of Theatre and Dance and director of the Humanities Center at Texas Tech University delivered the first Fisher Center presentation of the spring semester. Her talk, "Home and the Range (of Performative Representations)," was held on Wednesday, Feb. 22 in the Fisher Center, Demarest Hall 212.
Read More17 February 2017Frame/Works Explores Fundamentals of Farce
HWS Theatre continues the 2016-2017 Frame/Works series on Friday, Feb. 17, from 4:30 5:30 p.m. in Williams 201. Guest scholar Katie Mallinson will present a talk titled "Hijinks Ensue: The Fundamentals of Farce."
Read More17 February 2017Boeing Boeing Revives Classic Farce
HWS Theatre continues the 2016-2017 Frame/Works series on Friday, Feb. 17, from 4:30 5:30 p.m. in Williams 201. Guest scholar Katie Mallinson will present a talk titled "Hijinks Ensue: The Fundamentals of Farce."
Read More10 February 2017A Day of Dance
The Koshare Dance Collective will host a Day of Dance Workshop inviting local students in grades 8– 12 to campus to explore the art of dance on Sunday, Feb. 12 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Read More8 February 2017Finger Lakes Photo / Plays: 24-Hour Theatre
A marathon playwriting and rehearsal session culminated in a community theatre festival that drew an audience of nearly 200 to the Smith Opera House on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 27 and 28.
Read More15 December 2016Selecting an Art Acquisition
This semester, Brianna Arnold '19 had the opportunity to procure a new work of art for the Collections of Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Read More5 December 2016Boeing Boeing Coming to McDonald Theatre
In February, the HWS Theatre Department will stage a production of Marc Camoletti's celebrated 20th century French farce "Boeing Boeing."
Read More5 December 2016Fall 2016 Choral Performances
Members of the HWS and Geneva communities have the chance to enjoy an upcoming choral concert performed by the Hobart and William Smith Community Chorus in November.
Read More5 December 2016It Can't Happen Here
The HWS Theatre Department held a free public reading on Oct. 24 of a new stage adaptation of "It Can't Happen Here," a performance based on the 1935 novel by Sinclair Lewis. The production was performed in conjunction with theaters across the country in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the piece's original opening, an initiative sponsored by the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
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