June 23, 2022 – Stone Ridge, NY – Curatorial Studies and Music of the World are two new classes being introduced at SUNY Ulster for fall 2022. Taught by arts department alumni Allison Constant ‘09 and Paul Chambers ‘11, both courses provide an introduction to their topics with hands-on experience.
Curatorial Studies address all aspects of curating a contemporary art exhibition using the College’s Muroff-Kotler Visual Arts Gallery as the classroom. Local artists together with students will research, discuss, reflect, and analyze information and works of art. Students will participate in artist studio visits, image collection and management, exhibition planning and layout, promotion and social media, and the organization of an exhibiting arts lecture and educational programming for students and community members. Students will also visit local galleries, museums, and art events and engage with the local art community. The culmination of this class will be an exhibition in the Muroff-Kotler Visual Arts Gallery.
Allison Constant graduated from SUNY Ulster with an Associate’s degree in Fine Arts/Visual Arts in 2009 and continued her studies at SUNY New Paltz where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in both Painting and Drawing and Photography. She is the owner and founder of ARTBAR Gallery in Kingston where she has curated over 100 exhibitions. Allison loves the challenge of creating exhibits that are visually thoughtful with the viewers’ perspective in mind and is excited to share her skills and experiences as a curator and gallerist in the upcoming Curatorial Studies class.
Music of the World is an introduction to the concepts of ethnomusicology. It encompasses a range of musical styles from nonwestern regions of the world including Africa, East Asia, and the Middle East. An emphasis is placed on learning to perform and listen to various genres that will lead to an understanding of how music reflects influences from culture and society. Traditional instruments will be incorporated into the class as students learn to understand the cultural significance of music and how geography and historical events contribute to musical development.
Paul Chambers graduated from SUNY Ulster in 2011 with an Associate’s degree in Music. He then attained his Bachelor’s degree in music education and Master’s degree in percussion performance from SUNY Fredonia. In addition to his role as an adjunct instructor at SUNY Ulster, he is ensemble director of the championship-winning Arlington High School Marching Band and Winter Percussion Ensemble. He is in demand as a performer throughout the Hudson Valley in a variety of professional orchestras, musical theater organizations, and jazz ensembles, including principal positions with the Woodstock Symphony Orchestra and Woodstock Playhouse.
Other performance highlights include being selected as a member of the International Marimba Orchestra for the 2021 Percussive Arts Society International Convention. He won a position in the inaugural World Percussion Group of 2016, which is an ensemble, conceived to give wide-reaching exposure and experience to the most promising up-and-coming percussionists around the world. He is an avid performer, researcher, and clinician of traditional African music. He studied abroad in Ghana on three separate occasions and, in 2016, was awarded a Fulbright grant to document and study traditional music in South Africa. The resulting research is published in the academic journal, African Music.
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