CAZENOVIA — This fall, CazArts will present the September Autumn Leaves Arts Festival. This festival will be four weekends of 20 local arts events.

CazArts is an alliance of area arts organizations, individual artists, and the public that works to promote the creation and appreciation of arts in the greater Cazenovia area.

“The September Autumn Leaves Arts Festival invites you, whether local or visiting for the weekend, to enjoy this beautiful historic village as the leaves are turning and summer breezes off the lake are tinted with the breath of autumn air and the crispness of our fall evenings,” said CazArts Board President Geoffrey Navias. “With historic restaurants and inns, outdoor dining, strollable pathways through the Willow Patch along the [creek], and sunsets over Cazenovia Lake, the September Autumn Leaves Arts Festival invites you to take a moment, relax, and thoroughly enjoy art within our natural art.”

Highlights of the schedule include the grand opening of the Carpenter’s Barn Arts Hub, Jazz-N-Caz, and the Cazenovia Art Trail. Other events include art gallery receptions at Cazenovia Artisans and the Cazenovia Public Library, the debut of “Queendom” at Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, and the Manhattan Short Film Festival.

According to Navias, the idea for the festival was born at a meeting of the directors of a number of local arts organizations, during which each reported on their fall programs.

“The richness, number, and depth of great art programming was striking,” Navias recalled. “And each is struggling and working hard to get the word out. CazArts’ mission is to help build the arts community and to promote this community. [It was then that] the idea to bring these events together and showcase and market them together was born. The September Autumn Leaves Arts Festival can capture the imagination of those who live here and invite others from the region to come for a weekend . . .”

Schedule of Events

Siobhan Fallon Hogan movie “Rushed” on Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Catherine Cummings Theatre

Fallon Hogan is a Cazenovia native who has starred in a number of major motion pictures, including “Forrest Gump” and “Men in Black.” Her television work includes “Saturday Night Live,” episodes of “The Golden Girls,” and “Seinfeld.” Fallon Hogan wrote, produced and stars in Rushed, a revenge thriller about an Upstate New York Catholic mother whose life is turned upside down when her son is in a fraternity hazing incident. Following the movie showing, audience members will have a chance to speak with Fallon Hogan.

Ann Cross Retrospective Exhibit Reception on Sept. 2 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Cazenovia Public Library

Cross (1941-2020) was a well-known Cazenovia resident and artist who curated the gallery at the Cazenovia Public Library for a number of years. In honor of Cross’ life and work, her husband, John (Jack) Rooney, has gathered favorite pieces from his collection to display in the library gallery.

Cazenovia Artisans Reception on Sept. 4 from 2 to 5 p.m.

Cazenovia Artisans will host an opening reception for “Picking up the Pieces,” an exhibit featuring the work of Marilyn Fegan and Barbara Decker.

Fegan finds neglected or discarded furniture and other wooden items and paints them into a new existence with leaves, flowers and birds. Decker weaves cloth on her loom, thread by thread, and is known for her use of color and textures. Recently, she has been putting together pieces of her woven fabric to create unique garments.

“Picking up the Pieces” will run from Sept. 1-30.

Grand opening of Carpenter’s Barn Arts Hub on Sept. 10 from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

CazArts, in cooperation with the Village of Cazenovia, the Cazenovia Area Community Development Association, and Cazenovia College, has been working all year to refurbish, rebuild, and re-imagine the stone carriage house at the southeast corner of Lakeland Park as a community arts hub. The grand opening and open house (Sept. 11 from 2 to 5 p.m.) events will include 16 leading area arts organizations and will provide the public with an opportunity to see and support this new community arts center.

Historical tour of Carpenter’s Barn and Lakeland Park on Sept. 11 from 3 to 3:30 p.m.

Cazenovia Heritage is sponsoring a historical architectural tour of Carpenter’s Barn. Ted Bartlett, an award-winning preservation planner and advocate will lead the tour. For a brief history of Lakeland Park and Carpenter’s Barn, see the November 2020 CazArts Newsletter.

“Queendom” on Sept. 11, 12, 18 and 19 at 4 p.m. at the Stone Quarry Hill Art Park

Written and directed by artist-scholar Dr. Juhanna Rogers, Queendom is an interactive outdoor performative experience that explores the dream and possibility of reparations. The collaborative project and public events are supported by Stone Quarry Hill Art Park, the Women’s Fund of Central New York, and the Community Folk Art Center.

Jazz-N-Caz on Sept. 16-18 throughout the Village of Cazenovia

Presented by Cazenovia College, the event includes three nights of pop-up jazz concerts, featuring 20 local and nationally recognized musicians. Jazz-N-Caz performances are free and open to the public.

Lorenzo Fine Arts Tour on Sept. 19 at 2 p.m. at the Lorenzo State Historic Site

The tour showcases selections from the site’s art collection. Lorenzo is the 1807 Federal style home of Holland Land Company agent and Cazenovia founder John Lincklaen. The Lincklaen/Ledyard family continually occupied the mansion until the property and its contents were conveyed to New York State in 1968.

Manhattan Short Film Festival on Sept. 24 at 6:30 p.m. and Sept. 25 at 1 p.m. at the Cazenovia Public Library

Audiences at over 500 venues worldwide will come together to view and judge the work of the next generation of filmmakers. Viewers will vote on both the best short film and best actor. Votes will be tallied and combined worldwide to elect global winners.

Cazenovia Art Trail on Sept. 25 and 26 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout Cazenovia

Over 40 Cazenovia artists will open their studios and showcase their art during a two-day celebration honoring and exploring the work of local talent.

All events and facilities will be adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols.

For event details and the complete festival schedule, visit cazarts.com. Questions should be directed to [email protected] or 315-430-6557.

Through Sept. 30, every donation to CazArts will be tripled through the Ann S. Cross Fund for the Arts. Donations can be made through the CazArts website.