Reeling It In: The Syracuse International Film Festival

woman on a movie screen in front of audience

The Syracuse International Film Festival first came to Syracuse, NY 15 years ago. It was created in 2003 by Syracuse University professor Owen J. Shapiro, and his wife Christine Fawcett-Shapiro. The festival is co-sponsored by the College of Visual and Performing Arts and was created as a way for film to be brought to the […]

This Old House

701-703 Livingston Ave. Fact: This house on the corner of Livingston Ave. features murals of “Livingstock,” a student organized block party inspired by Woodstock, celebrating the end of the school year from the late 60’s until 1999. Illustrated through murals in the back stairwell of 701-703 Livingston Ave., the story of “Livingstock” is told. To […]

Toxic Retail

A sea-green spire towers on the shores of long-polluted Lake Onondaga, surrounded by sprawling parking lots and a massive hotel. This is the crown of Destiny USA: Syracuse’s six-story, 2.45 million square-foot shopping center on the city’s Northside. It’s also an ever-present reminder of how a city on the decline tried to turn itself around […]

Get Veggie With It

How do you survive on carrot sticks? Don’t you suffer from a lot of deficiencies, you know, being vegetarian and all? Oh, you eat eggs and no meat? Doesn’t that make you a vegan then? I can only sigh and attempt to explain what vegetarianism is. Eventually, it becomes both frustrating and tiresome to tell […]

The Human Megaphone

Framed within the pillars of Hendricks Chapel, it’s clear Alexis Rinck is comfortable in front of a crowd. It’s March 8, International Women’s Day, and Rinck, along with a few other strong women (and one young man), is at the head of a rally promoting not just feminism, but intersectional feminism. Although it’s one of […]

Protest Signs: Where Art and Activism Intersect

For 35 years, Syracuse Cultural Workers (SCW) has been providing the local community with voices and tools of resistance. As a “peace and justice publishing company,” the house at 400 Lodi Street serves as an all-in-one storefront, studio, and warehouse. Upon entering, a hanging chime greets visitors with a soft twinkle at the front door, […]