POTSDAM – A new exhibition at The Art Museum at SUNY Potsdam showcases works of Ecuadorian art from the collection of Dr. Alexis Levitin, on display through Oct. 28 in the Roland Gibson Gallery.

The exhibition opens today, Sept. 15, with a reception and a talk led by the collector, from 5 to 7 p.m., in the Gibson Gallery. This event is free, and all are welcome to attend.

The exhibition will showcase a unique collection of Ecuadorian artworks collected by Dr. Levitin, a SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus at SUNY Plattsburgh, during his extensive travels through the years.

"For me the basic idea is that even small, lesser-known countries can produce wonderful art, if we simply travel abroad, open our eyes and look for it. And anyone can start a real collection even with limited financial resources if they collect in the so-called developing world," Levitin said.

The show will be on display in the Gibson Gallery, located in Brainerd Hall. The gallery is open on weekday afternoons, from 1 to 5 p.m. on Monday, Thursday and Friday, and from 1 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. Additional hours are also available by appointment. Admission is free, and the exhibition space is wheelchair accessible. For more information, call (315) 267-3290 or visit www.potsdam.edu/museum.

Levitin is an award-winning translator of poetry and prose from Spanish and Portuguese to English. Among his 40 books of translations, the retired literature faculty member has translated Ecuadorian authors such as Ana Minga ("Tobacco Dogs," 2013), Santiago Vizcaino ("Destruction in the Afternoon," 2015) and Carmen Vascones ("Ultraje/Outrage," 2018). He has also translated the leading authors of Brazil and Portugal.

Levitin has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Fulbright Commission, the Witter Bynner Foundation, the Gulbenkian Foundation and Columbia University's Translation Center, which awarded him the Fernando Pessoa Prize. He has given readings and lectures on translation at more than 100 colleges and universities in the U.S., as well as institutions in Brazil, Portugal, Ecuador, the Czech Republic and France.

The Art Museum at SUNY Potsdam serves as the center for visual arts at the College, and encompasses all of the collections found throughout campus, including in the Gibson Gallery. The Museum is dedicated to the exhibition and interpretation of quality works of art, and its collection includes significant artworks from the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as earlier pieces.

SUNY Potsdam's Department of Art offers both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts degree programs in art history, art education, studio art, fine arts, graphic design and new media. Graduates have gone on to pursue professions in the fine arts, art administration, art therapy, digital design, K-12 and university teaching, museum curation, audio/visual administration, publishing, gallery ownership, interior design, architecture, commercial printing, pattern making, photojournalism, studio ceramics and more. For more information, visit www.potsdam.edu/art.