On January 28, the County Executive—J. Ryan McMahon, II—announced the completion of the mural in Maxwell’s Youth Area.
Here’s the County’s press release:
Maxwell’s mural is complete
Category: Art Exhibits
Art Exhibit
Animals: Real and Fantastical
Works in colored pencil by Jamie Ohman
November 4 through 29, 2025
Jamie Ohman has been drawing for as long as she’s been able to hold a pencil. She was always encouraged to pursue her talent and took art classes throughout her school years. A 2000 graduate of West Genesee High School, she majored in applied media arts with a concentration in animation at Edinboro University of PA, graduating in 2004.
After working in animation for several years with a few different companies, Jamie decided that art as a full-time career did not suit her. She has continued to freelance as an artist since college, mainly creating pet portraits. She continues to improve her skills by drawing a wide variety of subjects, though dogs and other canines remain her favorites.
Outside of art, Jamie loves to spend time outdoors in nature hiking with her dogs or just reading a book on the back patio. She also enjoys photography, gardening, watching movies, competing in dog sports, and hanging out with her family and friends.
Art Exhibit
My Trip to Greece
Paintings by Christine Patsos
December
Local artist Christine Patsos recently made the trip of a lifetime when she visited her ancestral homeland of Greece. This month’s art exhibit features paintings of sites in Athens, Corinth, and her family’s home city of Kalamata. The exhibit will be up through December.
Art Exhibit
Landscape Paintings by Michael Field
September 3 through 28
Michael Field, a self-described Romantic Landscape Painter, has been painting landscapes and portraits for over 20 years after leaving the world of business for the world of art.
An art teacher for the City of Syracuse School District for 21 years, Michael has also served as Vice-President and then President of the CNY Scholastic Art Show.
His aim as a landscape painter, working in oils, is to record nature as it is, but to add emotion and expression without taking away accuracy in painting nature.
Artists’ Reception
Camillus Seniors
New date
Thursday, July 25
5:30 to 7:30 PM
Free and open to the public
Tonight’s opening reception is free and open to the public, and provides an excellent opportunity for you to meet the students and their instructor, and perhaps to embark on your own personal study of art.
July Art Exhibit
Camillus Senior Center Art Show
June 28 through July 31
In the many years Christine Patsos has been teaching art at the Camillus Senior Center she has seen students develop their skills, learn new techniques, and evolve their art. This exhibit proudly displays the artistry of her senior students. Some have come as true beginners, others with varied art backgrounds. The public is invited to see a lovely selection of the students’ drawings and paintings, as well as some of Christine’s own work, on display in the Community Room of Maxwell Library.
The opening reception on July 10 is free and open to the public, and provides an excellent opportunity for you to meet the students and their instructor, and perhaps to embark on your own personal study of art.
May Art Exhibit
Retrospective: Paintings by Diane Thompson
En Plein Air and Studio Works
May 1 through 30
At a young age Diane Thompson was introduced to oil painting by her wonderful Aunt Rose while camping in the Adirondacks. Since that time, she has enjoyed the artistic bent in various mediums with teachers and friends and teachers who are friends!
Always appreciative of all that nature has to offer, it wasn’t until retirement that Diane was able to pick up her paint brush again and venture outside for painting en plein air with fellow painters. This and studio work keep the paint flying.
She hopes you enjoy this retrospective.
April Art Exhibit
Marcellus-Skaneateles Art Guild
April 1 through 26
Works from members of the guild will be on display in Maxwell’s Community Room. We are very happy to welcome back our annual exhibit from this talented group of artists! This year’s participants are:
- Judy Brown-Roenbeck
- Susi Buschbacher
- Bobbi Dean
- Judy Hand
- John Kosecki
- Mary Mahle
- Jill Newton
- Nancy Scanlon
Art by Students in West Genesee Schools
Tuesday, March 5 through Friday, May 24
The student art work will be on display throughout the library on our bookcases. Please allow yourself time to see and take pictures of your child’s beautiful work while the exhibit is still up.
These are the dates that we expect each school to be here:
| West Genesee Intermediate School | March 5–14 |
| Onondaga Road and Split Rock Elementary Schools | March 19–28 |
| East Hill Elementary | April 2–11 |
| Stonehedge Elementary | April 16–27 |
| Camillus Middle School | April 30–May 9 |
| West Genesee Senior High School | May 14–24 |
Congratulations to all the artists, and thank you for sharing your creativity.
February Art Exhibit
Just Desserts Art Guild
Portrait art
January 31 through February 28
Guild member Christine Patsos shares this background information on the Just Desserts Art Guild:
This group began in George Benedict’s home studio on Onondaga Hill and is now nearly three decades old. When George passed away in 2010 a number of us decided to keep the group going.
Though originally we had met once a week, those of us who were able to host decided that once a month was all we could manage. The pandemic shut us down for a couple of years, but we have been back at it for slightly over a year.
Artists learn from each other when they work side-by-side. After we draw for three hours, we have tea and dessert which is how we became the Just Desserts Art Guild, a tradition started by our founder, George and his wife Ruth Ann.
Art Reception: Camillus Senior Center Art Class
Thursday, July 6
6:00 to 7:30 PM
Students from Christine Patsos’s art class at the Camillus Senior Center are holding an exhibit of their work the month of July in the Community Room and the stacks at Maxwell. Tonight’s reception offers a time for the artists and the community to meet, admire and discuss the pieces, and explore the process of beginning or continuing the study of art creation.
The reception is free and open to the public.
July Art Exhibit
Camillus Senior Center Art Show
June 30 through July 26
In the many years Christine Patsos has been teaching art at the Camillus Senior Center she has seen students develop their skills, learn new techniques, and evolve their art. This exhibit proudly displays the artistry of her senior students. Some have come as true beginners, others with varied art backgrounds. The public is invited to see a lovely selection of the students’ drawings and paintings, as well as some of Christine’s own work, on display in the main room and the Community Room of Maxwell Library.
The opening reception on July 6 is free and open to the public, and provides an excellent opportunity for you to meet the students and their instructor, and perhaps to embark on your own personal study of art.
May Art Exhibit
My Neighborhood
Photography by Ray Trudell
May 1 through 30
From Ray Trudell’s artist statement:
My photographs could be called a journal of Syracuse and Central New York, the things that often go unseen daily — reflections of our times and ourselves — as we get lost in the progress that consumes our lives. In a world that spins forward and changes by the second, the lens of a camera is my way of slowing it down. Through my prints, I invite you to bring bits of my stories into your life and home.
In this exhibit, Trudell shows different perspectives of the everyday things he sees on his daily walks through his Solvay neighborhood.
Image credits:
Photo
JPG by Ray Trudell
April Art Exhibit
MSAG Art Show
Marcellus-Skaneateles Art Guild
April 3 through 27
Works from members of the guild will be on display in Maxwell’s Community Room. We are very happy to welcome back our annual exhibit from this talented group of artists! This year’s participants are:
- Susi Buschbacher
- Kathy Guthrie
- John Kosecki
- Christy Lemp
- Mary Mahle
- Jill Newton
- Meg Osborne
- Nancy Scanlon
Image credits:
Camillus Octagon House
Watercolor by Kathy Guthrie
Art by Students in West Genesee Schools
Tuesday, March 7 through Thursday, May 25
The student art work will be on display throughout the library on our bookcases. Please allow yourself time to see and take pictures of your child’s beautiful work while the exhibit is still up.
These are the dates that we expect each school to be here:
| West Genesee Middle School | March 7–16 |
| Onondaga Road and Split Rock Elementary Schools | March 21–30 |
| East Hill Elementary | April 4–15 |
| Stonehedge Elementary | April 18–27 |
| Camillus Middle School | May 2–11 |
| West Genesee Senior High School | May 16–25 |
Congratulations to all the artists, and thank you for sharing your creativity.
Image credits:
- Terracotta Soldier
- Photo:
I was impressed with the life-like expression
By shankar s.
License: CC BY 2.0 - Original sculpture:
Artist unknown
License: Public Domain
- Photo:
- Prophet and King David (Orthodox Christian icon)
- Photo:
Из иконостаса церкви Чудо в Хонех Чудова монастыря Московского Кремля. … [From the iconostasis of the Church of the Miracle in the Khonekh Chudov Monastery of the Moscow Kremlin. …]
By http://www.obraz.org/
License: CC BY-SA 4.0 - Original icon:
Artist unknown
License: Public domain
- Photo:
- The dome of St Peter’s Basilica
- Photo:
Basilique Saint-Pierre Vatican dome [Dome of Saint Perer’s Basilica, Vatican]
By Myrabella
License: CC BY-SA 3.0 - Architecture:
By Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni
License: Public Domain
- Photo:
- Cut with the Kitchen Knife through the Last Epoch of Weimar Beer-Belly Culture in Germany
By Hannah Höch (1889-1978)
License: Public Domain in the United States but not in its country of origin
March Art Exhibit
Capturing Nature’s Magic
Photography by Jill Andrews
March 1 through March 29
Jill Andrews’s beautiful nature photos came to our attention when she recently began posting them on the Camillus Community Connection Facebook page. Maxwell Library is happy to present this up-and-coming artist’s work to our patrons and neighbors. Please read Jill’s artist statement, below, and then come see her magical treatment of colors and lighting in the world around us:
My passion for photography began with my love for nature walks. I started noticing my surroundings much more and would take photos on my cell phone while walking. Taking photos allowed me to slow down and pay attention to the beauty that’s all around us every day but often gets overlooked. I began appreciating other local photographers’ work enough to invest in a Canon Powershot in March of 2021. I’ve been teaching myself between my camera and cell phone ever since. I’ve taken a couple of local beginner classes, but have learned so much more just by joining groups online and following other artists for inspiration and tips. I’m so grateful have this opportunity to share my work with others and I hope to continue evolving my photography style as I learn more each day.
This exhibit includes both printed and digital photographs. The digital photos will be in a slideshow that will be played on Maxwell’s 75-inch television screen in a continuous loop. The show will be open to the public any time there isn’t another event scheduled in the community room. Information on purchasing prints and other products directly from Jill Andrews will be available at the exhibit. She can be emailed at jillandrewsphotos@gmail.com, or follow her on Instagram @jillandrewsphotos.
Image credit:
Magical Skies Over the Erie Canal
(JPG; Jill Andrews)
Art exhibit
Paintings by Hollie DeCarlo
Friday, December 2 to Friday, December 30
Self-taught artist Hollie DeCarlo turned to painting several years ago as she neared retirement from the Marcellus School District. She began by sketching dog portraits for fellow teachers, and then moved on to painting in acrylics. Hollie now specializes in pet portraits, landscapes, waterscapes, fantasy, and commissioned paintings. Her paintings and some sketches will be on exhibit at Maxwell through December.
Image credits:
Monarchs Gathering
(JPG; oil by Hollie DeCarlo)
Art exhibit
Paintings by Kathleen Guthrie
October 29 through November 29
Kathleen Guthrie is a Camillus resident, a self-taught artist specializing in fine art oil painting, watercolor, and pastels. As the wife of a retired United States Marine Corps Officer, she has traveled extensively both in the United States and abroad. Her experiences, memories and photos of her life and travels aid in her artistry. She alternates between painting locally recognized scenes and other creative artworks, favoring beautiful landscapes and gardens in their seasonal outdoor beauty. Members of the Camillus Community Connection Facebook page will be familiar with her watercolor painting Summer on the Erie Canal Towpath in Camillus, NY, which was chosen as the page’s profile picture in 2022.
Kathleen’s artwork may be viewed on her virtual art gallery and page, Guthrie Art, on Facebook. It is also on Instagram @guthriekathleen. Kathleen Guthrie may be reached by email for any questions or commission inquiries at cckguth@gmail.com.
Image credits:
English Garden at Sunset
(JPG; oil by Kathleen Guthrie)
Art exhibit
October 1 through 28
Check out our October exhibit, Immigration in New York State, 1650–1950. This is a companion physical exhibit for an online exhibit, made available through the Empire State Library Network, New York Heritage Digital Collections, and the Central New York Library Resources Council.
Art exhibit: Don Crumb
Photography by Don Crumb
September 1 through 29
Dr. Don Crumb, a self-taught photographer, started with film but now works exclusively with digital imaging. While many of his photographs were taken in our National Parks across the United States, he also enjoys capturing images locally and throughout New York State, including in the Adirondacks. It is a common sight to see Don with his camera photographing flowers, songbirds, whitetail deer, and fox in his Camillus neighborhood.
You may have seen some of his award-winning photographs at the New York State Fair in recent years. Don was also privileged to have won the Grand Prize in the 2017 Nikon and Princess Cruises International Photo Contest for his photograph Polychrome Pass taken in Denali National Park.
Now that he has his own business, Don Crumb Photography, he prints and sells his photographs and photo notecards. His portfolio can be viewed on his website at www.doncrumbphotography.com.
This exhibit includes both printed and digital photographs. The digital photos are in a slideshow that plays in a continuous loop on Maxwell’s 75-inch television screen. The show is open to the public any time there isn’t another event scheduled in the community room. Information on purchasing prints and other products directly from Don Crumb Photography is available at the exhibit.
Image credits:
Polychrome Pass
by Don Crumb
Art exhibit: Mary Lou Higgins
Farm Animal Portraits
Photography by Mary Lou Higgins
August 1 through 30
When retired special education teacher Mary Lou Higgins started her small business, MLH Photography, she knew she would concentrate on outdoor portraits of families, students, and pets. But a special session photographing a friend’s horse awoke an appreciation for creating portraits of larger animals. Her love of this work became a yearlong project of photographing a variety of farm animals all over the 315 area, from alpacas to yaks to Texas Longhorns.
Mary Lou Higgins shares this collection in an exhibit of printed and digital photographs. The digital photos will be in a slideshow that will be played on our 75-inch television screen in a continuous loop. The show will be open to the public any time there isn’t another event scheduled in the community room. Information on purchasing prints and other products directly from MLH Photography will be available at the exhibit.
Image credits:
Gilly and Her Mama
by Mary Lou Higgins
July Art exhibit: Camillus Senior Center Art Show
July 1 through August 3
In the four years Christine Patsos has been teaching art at the Camillus Senior Center she has seen students develop their skills, learn new techniques and mediums, and evolve their art. This exhibit proudly displays the artistry of her senior students. Some have come as true beginners, others with varied art backgrounds.
The public is invited to see a lovely selection of the students’ drawings and paintings, on display in the main room of Maxwell Library. The opening reception on July 12 is free and open to the public, and it provides an excellent opportunity for you to meet the students and their instructor and perhaps to embark on your own personal study of art.
Image credits:
Camillus First United Methodist Church
by Terri Eisenhauer
June Art exhibit: Christine Patsos
Art in the Time of the Pandemic
Drawings and Paintings by Christine Patsos
May 31 through June 30
Christine Patsos, who has held exhibits at Maxwell in the past of both her own and her students’ work, shares this about June’s exhibit in her artist’s statement:
My art has been my creative companion in the solitude of the pandemic. Since the shutdown of March 2020, I completed all the work seen in this show. Most of my subjects I found within a mile of my home.
Many of my works are mixed media: ink and watercolor, colored pencil, and watercolor, and sometimes all three. I also work in colored pencil or watercolor alone.
Christine Patsos
The exhibit is free and open to the public. Please plan your visit when there are no regularly scheduled events in our Community Room.
Image credits:
Aqueduct Over Nine-Mile Creek
Watercolor by Christine Patsos
May Art exhibit: Marcellus-Skaneateles Art Guild
May 2 to 25
Works from members of the guild will be on display in Maxwell’s Community Room. We are very happy to welcome back our annual exhibit from this talented group of artists! This year’s participants are:
- Nancy Bales
- Judy Brown-Roenbeck
- Susi Buschbacher
- Deborah Connelly
- Sally Fellows
- Sharon Gibbons
- Judy Hand
- John Kosecki
- Christy Lemp
- Mary Mahle
- Jill Newton
- Nancy Scanlon
Image credits:
Motion
Watercolor by Susi Buschbacher
Art Exhibit: Todd Tanner
Chasing Light
Photography by Todd Tanner
April 2 through 28
Visitors to the Camillus Community Connection Facebook Group can see photographer Todd Tanner’s spectacular landscapes and other nature shots almost daily. Self taught since he was given a Canon Powershot camera eight or so years back, Tanner captures the depth, detail, and light present in our beautiful Central New York fields, lakes, and villages.
As lovely as his work is when viewed on a cell phone screen, it can be better appreciated in Maxwell Library’s exhibit during the month of April. In addition to installing larger wall prints of several photos, the library has worked with Todd and his wife Kathy to create a slideshow to play on our 75-inch screen in Maxwell’s Community Room. More than 40 selections cycle in a roughly 10-minute loop.
The show is open to the public any time there isn’t another event scheduled in the community room. Information on purchasing prints and other products directly from Tanner is also available at the exhibit.
See Kevin Rivoli’s video interview with Todd, “Chasing Light“. Used by permission from Kevin Rivoli, The Citizen.
Image credits:
The Puddle and Its Reflection
(JPG, Todd Tanner)
Art Exhibit: Barbara Krause
Gardens: Rising Above and Floating Below
Acrylics and raised acrylics by Barbara Krause
February 28 through March 29
Barbara Krause is a self-taught artist from the Village of Liverpool and a previous exhibitor at Maxwell. Her motto, “Life is Good. Drink the Wine. Smile — It’s Art,” describes the feelings she hopes her work inspires in those who view it.
Ms. Krause’s current exhibit, Gardens: Rising Above and Floating Below, is created to give the viewer a sense of calm seeing the places the art portrays — quiet special places in Nature to wonder about.
See more at Barbara K Whimsical Art.
Image credits:
Among the Coral
Raised acrylic by Barbara Krause
Art Exhibit: Arlene Conroy
Works by Arlene Conroy
Watercolors and oils
February 1 to 25
Arlene Conroy’s journey as an artist began 25 years ago with an introductory class on watercolor painting through BOCES. She discovered a lifelong love for the medium, and later began to work in oils, too. She brings her nature-based paintings in both watercolors and oils to Maxwell during February, hoping to provide a burst of color to this wintry month.
Image credits:
Onondaga Lake Shores Tree
Oil by Arlene Conroy
Art Exhibit: Deborah Masouras
Challenging Boundaries:
Works by Deborah Masouras
December 30 through January 29
Deborah Masouras is a Syracuse native, whose artistic ability and interests are as broad as they are bold. While Deborah’s fine art skills can often be seen in profoundly serious pieces, she is equally adept at displaying a playful, whimsical ability to color and shape across many mediums. Her exhibit at Maxwell showcases her work in oil, acrylic, collage, batik, needle felting, multimedia, and colored pencils.
Image credits:
Deco Dame
Oil and acrylic sculpting medium by Deborah Masouras
Art exhibit: Katie Deakin
Sponsored by the Friends of Maxwell Memorial Library
Katie Deakin’s art exhibit Wonderful Wildlife showcases a series of portraits, ranging from endangered and exotic to backyard wildlife. Using acrylic paints, she celebrates the beautiful creatures we share this planet with and hopefully gives pause for thought on how we can all do our part, big or small, to ensure their (and our) survival on a cleaner Earth.
Katie moved to the USA from Stoke-on-Trent in England in 2007 and has called Camillus home ever since. She is married, a mother of two middle schoolers, and has a Shih Tzu named Bubba. As a nature enthusiast, Katie loves to grow a garden that is not only pretty to look at but also attracts and helps birds, bees, and butterflies. During the summer months she raises Monarch butterflies to help increase their population numbers, which have been dropping off over the years.
She recently took her hobby of painting and turned it into a small business: KTs Custom Art. As well as canvases, Katie makes hand-painted cards, bookmarks, prints and wall plaques, to name but a few, and takes part in local art pop-ups and festivals. For details on upcoming events, follow Katie on Instagram, or on Facebook at KTs Custom Art.
Image credits:
Moonlit Barn Owl by Katie Deakin
September Exhibit: September 11, 2001: The Day That Changed the World
Wednesday, September 1 to Tuesday, September 28
Community Room
Free
This educational exhibition, created by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City, recounts the events of September 11, 2001, through the personal stories of those who witnessed and survived the attacks.
Told across 14 posters, this exhibition includes archival photographs and images of artifacts from the Museum’s permanent collection. Maxwell will display the poster exhibit in our Community Room from September 1 through 28.
Image credits:
Lower Manhattan around 8:30 AM on September 11, 2001
Photo by David Monderer
Courtesy 9/11 Memorial & Museum