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SARATOGA SPRINGS — Skidmore College will again observe Autism Awareness Month with a program titled “Autism Awareness and Acceptance,” scheduled April 13-21 on campus.

The schedule is completely coordinated by students of Professor Rachel Mann Rosan in the course titled “PS 212B:  Developmental Disabilities and Autism.” Each year Rosan assigns her students the task of developing programming for the community to increase awareness about autism, including research and services that are available in the region.

All events are free and open to the public. 

Schedule of Events

Monday, April 13th at 6:30 p.m.

Susan Parrillo, Philosophy & Religion, Skidmore College

Philosophical Perspectives on Autism Spectrum Disorder 

Susan Parrillo will discuss various philosophical perspectives of ASD from the perspective of the philosophy of disability.

Tisch 301

Tuesday, April 14th at 6:30 p.m.

Valerie Bolivar, Ph.D., Wadsworth Center

Using Mouse Models to Test Hypotheses about the Etiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder 

Dr. Bolivar will discuss the current research on her laboratory examining autism-relevant behaviors in a variety of inbred strains of mice (e.g., BTBR T+ Itpr3^tf/J, C57BL/6J, FVB/NJ).

Tisch 202

Wednesday, April 15th at 6:30 p.m.

Beth McLaughlin, MSE, LCAT, MT-BC & Karli Powers, MAT, Wildwood School

Infusing the Arts in Learning with Students on the Autism Spectrum

Attendees will learn how music & the visual arts are used collaboratively at the Wildwood School to engage students in experiences that enrich their learning while reinforcing academic, social, motor, & management skills.

Tisch 202

Thursday, April 16th at 6:15 p.m.

Julie Marks, Tara Ham, Loretta Longo, Laureen Faulkner, Sue Reiter

Panel Discussion with Parents

A panel presentation of parents sharing their stories of raising and loving children with ASD.

Palamountain 301

Sunday April, 19th from 12:00 –3:00 p.m.

4th Annual Autism Informational Fair & Carnival

Saratoga Bridges, Inc. & The Parent Network of the Capital Region With The Skidmore College Psychology Department  

Presented by: The Law Office of Wilcenski & Pleat, PLLC

Saratoga Springs City Center

Monday April 20th at 6:15 p.m.

Eric Olefson, Therase Faulkner, Melanie Hecker, Marcie Reiter

What is it Like to Have ASD?

Individuals with ASD will speak frankly about their experiences regarding all facets of life and their perspectives

Palamountain 301

Tuesday April 21st at 7:00 p.m.

Wretches & Jabberers

Growing up, two men with ASD, Tracy Thresher & Larry Bissonnette were presumed “retarded” & excluded from normal school.  Now able to communicate by typing, Thresher & Bissonnette put a new face of autism as they travel and meet others with autism in Sri Lanka, Japan, & Finland

Emerson Auditorium

Anne Palamountain dies at 91

SARATOGA SPRINGS—Anne Tonnesen Palamountain, first lady of Skidmore College for 22 years during a period of dynamic change at Skidmore and in higher education nationally, died on Jan. 24 in Saratoga Hospital of complications from pneumonia. She was 91 years old. 

Mrs. Palamountain came to the college in 1965, accompanying her husband, Joseph C. Palamountain Jr., when he became the fourth president of Skidmore. Whether at the side of her husband, or through her own initiatives as a fundraiser and liaison to the community, she played a pivotal role in the life of the college and its hometown of Saratoga Springs.  

During the Palamountain presidency, 1965–87, Skidmore built an entirely new campus and moved there in stages from its eclectic mix of older downtown buildings, ushered in coeducation in 1971, and weathered student unrest in the late ’60s and early ’70s. The era was made all the more challenging by the college’s then-small endowment and severe financial strains. 

With Joe Palamountain at the helm, Skidmore’s student body doubled; the endowment grew, bringing a stronger financial footing; Skidmore chartered a chapter of the honor society Phi Beta Kappa; and the college launched the pioneering University Without Walls program, offering an alternate, nonresidential route to a bachelor’s degree. Joe Palamountain died in 1987, following his retirement from the College.

Mrs. Palamountain’s involvement in the life of Skidmore is a story in its own right. Her greatest passion at the college was building endowment for financial aid, which she saw as the most effective way to make a college education accessible to all students. In 1979 she spearheaded the launch of one of the college’s major fundraising events—the annual Palamountain Scholarship Benefit—now a highlight of Saratoga’s renowned summer scene. She presided over the event for 35 years, helping the Joseph C. and Anne T. Palamountain Scholarship Fund reach a total of $5.8 million.

An avid traveler, Mrs. Palamountain over the years attended Skidmore events across the country. She was named an honorary alumna of Skidmore’s class of 1973 and received an honorary doctorate from the college in 1997. In 1986 she received an alumni award for outstanding service to Skidmore and in 1987 received the college’s Denis B. Kemball-Cook Award from the board of trustees. She was a member of the advisory committee for the development of Skidmore’s Tang Teaching Museum, which opened its doors in 2000, and the museum’s Palamountain Gallery was named in her honor. In 2004, she was awarded Skidmore’s Lucy Scribner Medal, given for selfless service to others and a commitment to the community. 

Within the greater Saratoga Springs community, Mrs. Palamountain was a visible and active leader whose work was recognized by a wide range of organizations. In 1994 she received the President’s Award of the Hudson Mohawk Association of Colleges and Universities, and in 1999 she was presented with the Woman of the Year Award from Soroptimists International of Saratoga County. In 2001 she received the Kathryn Starbuck Award for community service and in 2003 was honored by the Saratoga Springs Rotary Education Foundation for her commitment to education and the community. 

Mrs. Palamountain was a recipient of the Liberty Bell Award of the Saratoga County Bar Association and was twice honored with resolutions of the New York State Assembly. She has served as board president of the Lake George Opera and as a board member for the artists’ retreat Yaddo and for WMHT public television. Over the years, she was affiliated with Planned Parenthood, the Saratoga Springs League of Women Voters, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Action Council, and the National Museum of Racing. She regularly attended events supporting charities and nonprofit organizations in the Saratoga Springs region.  

Fond of international travel, Mrs. Palamountain served as U.S. delegate to the Pan-Pacific South East Asia Women’s Association, attending meetings and conferences in various countries of South East Asia.

She attended White House State events during the Kennedy, Johnson, and Carter administrations and in 1969 was a guest at New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s dinner honoring Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 astronauts.

Mrs. Palamountain’s first jobs were in the fashion industry, starting with the executive training squad of R.H. Macy’s in 1944. That same year she was named Miss New York City Subway and Miss R.H. Macy. She became a fashion buyer for Macy’s in New York City and Slattery’s in Boston. From 1948 to 1953 she was buyer for Bonwit Teller in Boston. 

Mrs. Palamountain is survived by two sons: Bruce K. Palamountain and Bromley C. Palamountain. 

A memorial service is scheduled on Wednesday, May 13, at the Arthur Zankel Music Center on the Skidmore campus. Details will be announced.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Palamountain Scholarship Fund, Office of Advancement, at Skidmore College, 815 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS— Award-winning graphic designer and author Chip Kidd will talk about the importance of visual communication when he lectures Thursday, Nov. 13, at Skidmore College. His talk, titled “! Or?:  Let me be perfectly clear. Or mysterious,” begins at 7:30 p.m. in Gannett Auditorium, Palamountain Hall. Admission is free and open to the public.

The talk is co-sponsored by Skidmore’s Visual Literacy Forum and Northshire Bookstore, which will host a book-signing session following the talk. 

Kidd writes and designs from several locations:  New York City; Stonington, Conn.; and Palm Beach, Fla.  He has worked for Alfred A. Knopf since 1986, designing book covers that have helped “create a revolution in the art of American book packaging,” according to his web site (www.chipkidd.com). His awards include the National Design Award for Communications, as well as the Use of Photography in Design Award from the International Center of Photography.

The author of two novels, The Cheese Monkeys and The Learners, Kidd is also the author of Batman:  Death by Design, an original graphic novel published by DC Comics and illustrated by Dave Taylor. Kidd has written several books about comics, including Peanuts:  The Art of Charles M. Schulz and Jack Cole and Plasticman (with Art Spiegelman).  In addition, Kidd is the co-author and designer of True Prep, the sequel to the Official Preppy Handbook.

Kidd’s 2012 TED talk, “Designing books is no laughing matter. Ok, it is” (http://www.ted.com/talks/chip_kidd_designing_books_is_no_laughing_matter_ok_it_is) has almost 1.3 million views to date. The TED web site calls it “one of the funniest talks from TED2012, in which Kidd shows the art and deep thought of his cover designs.”

Skidmore’s Visual Literacy Forum is under the auspices of Project VIS, an initiative to advance strategic, pedagogical, and liberal learning goals in visual literacy and communication. An Andrew Mellon Foundation grant supports the initiative.sara

Connecting Local Businesses With Creativity And Expertise Of Skidmore Students.

 Open Canvas Co-founders Ezra Levy (right) and Marcella Jewell (left) working on the website of their business venture. Photo by Morgan Gruer, Skidmore College Class of 2016.

By Colette Linton

SARATOGA SPRINGS – Two Skidmore College students, juniors Ezra Levy and Marcella Jewell, began working on an idea together last September to create a platform that both students of traditional creative fields and small businesses could approach to pair the skill sets of students with the needs of local companies.

Differing from the usual structure of an internship, the project-oriented approach invites both sides of the transaction to the digital easel, draw up a concise plan detailing the desired outcome, resulting with each party walking away with a piece of finished work in a short time frame.

"It's that kind of short burst experience where you make a lot of connections, get a lot of work done, and you have something to show for it," Levy, Open Canvas co-founder and a student of business and art administration, or "creative entrepreneurship", said. "It is hard for students to graduate with all the skill sets they have learned in the classroom and not having applied them."

The short-term projects allow students to accumulate multiple works to add to their portfolios during their time as college students as opposed to a semester-long internship whose parameters may not be as clearly defined as a project through Open Canvas.

Still in its beginning phases, but wholly operational and successful, Open Canvas had 40 students sign up during its first week of operation. It is currently fostering about 25 projects with numerous projects that have already been completed by students with area businesses.

Students join the Open Canvas community by uploading their profile to its website. On the other end, businesses, students, organizations and nonprofits seeking student participation and or creativity request a "college creative", an online profile outlining the intended project. Levy and Jewell follow up with the college creative form by further developing the project idea one-on-one with its originator. Then, behind the scenes, they undertake the matchmaking process, pairing students with a well-defined project proposal.

Eventually, Levy and Jewell plan for the project to operate without having to manually pair a company's project proposal with a student's application. Students would then be able to apply to projects through Open Canvas' Web application, allowing for Levy and Jewell to focus more of their efforts on developing the business with the intention of expanding their service to include students outside the traditional creative fields. As of now, the focus has been facilitating opportunities for students and filling a need for local businesses.

"What we see as being more beneficial to a student right now is working for the small businesses locally where you can actually make a difference and have something to show for it," Levy said. "I know for me personally, I've worked with a lot of small businesses and nonprofits. I could not have learned anything if I did not have that on-the-ground experience. In a small organization you really get a chance to talk to everyone, and do real things. And that sounds vague and ambiguous, but it should because there are all kinds of stuff to be done and all kinds of stuff that they can trust a student to do."

Political science and computer science student Jewell is the chief operating officer, and co-founder, managing the website design and Web applications for Open Canvas. She said that the project appeals to students on two levels: one being the experience they gain while working on a project in a professional setting; and, two, is that the short-term projects Open Canvas facilitates are more compatible with student schedules.

"One of the reasons this is so attractive to students is because of the short-term burst of experience or project work that is really compatible with their lifestyle," she said. "Because I can have a really busy couple of weeks and a few weeks where I'm not as busy, I want to fill that time with the project that I find."

"We really do believe that Open Canvas will foster relationships and business partnerships that go beyond that initial short-term project, but the connection needs to be made before you can do anything, and we are making that connection for students," she said.

Freshman Nick Konrad, currently undeclared in his studies, is considering committing to a business and studio art major with a concentration in graphic design. He brought with him high school experience making posters for plays and personal projects on his laptop, but after completing three projects through Open Canvas with Greenhouse Salads, Saratoga Shakespeare Company and Skidmore-Saratoga Consulting Partnership, he has gained real-world experience in a field he may pursue as a career without disrupting his class schedule. 

"My favorite part of doing Open Canvas projects is getting to work with actual people to create something that would benefit them," Konrad said. "My skills help the business and in turn the experience helps me develop my abilities."

"What's great about Open Canvas is that it makes the initial connection for you, but it's up to you to really go out there and make it work. You are responsible with contacting the business and are held accountable for your actions-in that way it’s very real world. Without Open Canvas I honestly wouldn't even know where to start looking for projects like this," he said.

Barbara Opitz, executive director of Saratoga Shakespeare Company, contacted Open Canvas with a project to create a poster and bookmarks for the nonprofit. It was a project that otherwise would have been costly for the company and required additional assistance from their major supporters. However, through Open Canvas, Opitz met with two Skidmore College students willing to work on the project for a chance to exercise their expertise.

The project was finished in about a week and a half, during which the students were able to relay design ideas directly to Opitz for comment. The relationship that Open Canvas provided both parties was one of flexibility and direct communication between participants without the added supervisory work on the part of businesses that is associated with internships.

"It was a really good connection," she said. "The students are very talented. They are also very knowledgeable in terms of the technology and how to do things and they were very quick about responding to me in terms of doing the work. And I felt that this was a unique way to provide an opportunity for the students and also to help us as a nonprofit because we have a very limited budget. And I will use them again in the future."

Explore for yourself at www.projectopencanvas.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — With two new solar parks in the process of getting approved, it looks like Saratoga Springs may be at the forefront of New York State’s solar energy movement.