The Department of the Arts at Rensselaer is home to what is generally considered to be the first integrated electronic arts program within a research university in the United States. This year, graduate students from the master’s in fine arts and Ph.D. electronic arts program in the Arts Department within the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences will host the spring semester art exhibition at Collar Works Gallery located at 621 River Street in downtown Troy. The exhibition, scheduled for display May 4-11, will include fixed media pieces, video and installation art, and live performances.

The opening reception will be held on May 4, beginning at 5 p.m., followed by several student performances featuring Diana Alvarez, Cem Cakmak, Eric Miller, and Ezra Teboul, that will begin at 6 p.m.

Installation works created by Angela Beallor, K. Michael Fox, Renee Levasseur, Kathleen McDermott, Maria Michails, Eric Miller, Kasalina Maliamu Nabakooza, Senem Pirler, Patrick Quinn, Jeremy Stewart, and Andrea Williams will also be on display.

On Saturday, May 6, from 1 to 3 p.m., a series of special events will take place at Collar Works Gallery. The program includes a gallery tour, artist talks, and an air-quality monitoring “Rover Walk.”

“The electronic arts program includes artists from very diverse backgrounds; they’re exhibiting works with a wide range of media from video and film to sound, music composition, animation, interactive media, virtual reality, wearable electronics, live coding, and performance at this new off-campus opportunity for their professional development,” said Shawn Lawson, associate professor and Graduate Program Director. “The work of the department’s distinguished faculty and alumni are represented internationally in museums, galleries, festivals, publications, and performances, and we look forward to seeing the work of our newest graduates as they embark on their future careers in their respective fields.”

The department and studios have historically been referred to as iEAR (Integrated Electronic Arts at Rensselaer). A leader in multimedia arts education, the department created the MFA in electronic arts program in 1991, and will be celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The Ph.D. program, which was created in 2007, expands the traditions of arts pedagogy through interdisciplinary research in contemporary media theory, practice, and production. The department features an integrated multidisciplinary approach to the arts with a focus on the use of experimental and electronic media in artistic creation and performance.

The Collar Works Gallery will be open on select days and times. See the schedule for May 4-11:

  • Thursday, May 4: 5 to 8 p.m. Opening reception (performances begin at 6 p.m.)
  • Friday, May 5: noon to 6 p.m. Open to the public
  • Saturday, May 6: noon to 4 p.m. Open to the public with special events from 1 to 3 p.m.
  • Sunday/Monday, May 7/8: Gallery closed
  • Tuesday, May 9 – Thursday, May 11: 2 to 6 p.m. Open to the public