LoKo Festival Events
Events will be added to this webpage throughout the season, so visit regularly for the latest updates and details.
Monday, April 27
Word Salad: A Presentation of Poetry & Art Inspired by the Work of Anna Warfield
Time: 6 - 7 p.m.
Location: Student Union MPR
Join us for an evening of creativity as students share original poetry and artwork inspired by Anna Warfield’s recent exhibition at SLC Arts. Explore language, expression, and imagination in this unique showcase of emerging voices. Experience how words and visuals come together in unexpected, inspiring ways!
Friday, May 1
Plein Air Kick Off: Art in the Open
Time: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Location: Academic Quad
Celebrate the start of plein air season at SLC Arts Plein Air Kick Off with the LoKo Arts Festival at SUNY POTSDAM! Join local artists and community members for a day of outdoor painting, creativity, and connection as we capture the beauty of our North Country landscapes. All skill levels welcome—bring your brushes and inspiration! Artists who register for the SLC Arts Plein Air Festival and participate in the LoKo Plein Air Day can exhibit their LoKo work at the SLC Arts Council closing exhibition on May 31!
Art Attack Exhibit Opening
Time: 5 - 7 p.m.
Location: Gibson Gallery
Join us in celebrating the transformation of Gibson Gallery into a vibrant celebration of student creativity. This juried showcase features an exciting range of media and perspectives from artists across campus, highlighting both emerging talent and graduating BFA seniors. This event is open to the public and all those wishing to experience the bold, original work shaping the arts community at SUNY Potsdam.
Saturday, May 2, 2026
Highlighting the Arts
Time: 9 a.m. - Noon
Location: Performing Arts Center - Lobby
Join SUNY Potsdam Art Education students and SLC Arts in “Highlighting the Arts,” a free, hands-on art program for children in grades PK–8. Designed to promote accessibility, creativity, and community engagement, the event invites families from Potsdam community to explore the visual arts together in a welcoming campus setting.
Participants will rotate through vibrant, “highlighter” inspired versions of painting, drawing, collage, printmaking, and mixed media sculpture. Each activity blends guided instruction with open-ended exploration, encouraging creativity, problem-solving, and self-expression while remaining developmentally appropriate and adaptable for diverse ages and abilities. Children will experiment with a range of materials and techniques, discovering personal interests, and building artistic confidence along the way.
Free and open to the public, this collaborative event strengthens connections between SUNY Potsdam and the broader community, celebrating the arts as an inclusive, shared experience that inspires young creators and future educators alike.
MadFest
Time: 4 - 10 p.m.
Location: Marshall Park Bandstand
Join us for the 10th anniversary of Madstop's annual music festival! Madfest 26' will feature folk and Americana artists from the North Country and around New York State.
Come support local musicians. Free snacks and live music.
Pluralidad: A Concerto for the Contours and Colors
Date: March 5, 2026
Time: 5 - 7 p.m.
Location: The Gibson Gallery
This is a powerful new exhibition by Raquel Acevedo Klein ’16. A dynamic composer, conductor, vocalist, instrumentalist, and visual artist, Klein brings a truly multi-disciplinary arts experience to campus with her latest project, Pluralidad: A Concerto for the Contours and Colors. Through this exhibit, you will see the fantastic blend of colorful pieces and visual storytelling, exploring identity, heritage, and the experiences that shape who we are.
Whether you are drawn to her background music, visual art, or interdisciplinary performance, this exhibition promises an inspiring and thought-provoking experience you won’t want to miss.
Anna Warfield Presentation
Date: March 6, 2026
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Kellas Lecture Hall – Room 106
“My work is queer.
It’s both straightforward and unclear.
It’s a processing of identities - many of them.
It’s about how we communicate; the words we use and don’t use.”
Anna Warfield gave a talk that transcends disciplines, and combined her work with text-based fibers and engaging poetry. Her discussion followed topics like the body, unlearning, communication, identity, and how it all connects with the art she creates. After a months-long residency and exhibition in the North Country, Warfield also shared her experience of showcasing her artwork and navigating a career in professional, visual art.