Sculpture Students and the Dairy Building

Eighteen students in the Department of Art -- including Sarah Krupp (above) and Aaron Parker -- are exploring the relationship between art and a historic building on campus. Vivian Hall, opened in 1952 and named for Dean Alfred Vivian was home to the university’s dairy plant and agricultural/food science laboratories. Some of the first-floor laboratories and offices are still being used, but much of the building is vacant. Malcolm Cochran (Art) obtained permission for the building to be used for site-specific installations by undergraduate and graduate students. During winter quarter, they have been transforming most of the second floor and some of the larger spaces on the first floor into art installations, according to student Nicole Gibbs.

Each student has selected a room or space in which they are creating their work. “It is important to Professor Cochran that the installations respond to the history, physicality, conditions and/or prior use of the building,” Gibbs says. Materials used in the projects range from video, light and performance to mixed media, paper, plant material and wood construction. One student is making a documentary film about the project and artists.

The Vivian Hall installations will be spotlighted for the public during An Evening with Vivian Sunday, March 9, from 6 to 9 pm at Vivian Hall, 2121 Fyffe Rd on campus, free and open to all. For information, call (614) 292-5072 or e-mail cochran.1@osu.edu.

Notable News

Congrats to Christine Ballengee Morris (Art Education) who has been named the 2008 Western Region Higher Education Art Educator of the Year by the National Art Education Association. The award recognizes exemplary contributions, service and achivements of one outstanding NAEA member each year. It will be presented to Morris during the organization's annual convention in New Orleans later this month.

As part of its 40th anniversary celebration, the Department of Design welcomed distinguished guests Dean Lindsay, George Burden and Edgar Reinhard (shown above, l-r, visiting a class). The trio discussed their life's work as designers and educators with an audience of about 250 students and professionals on Feb 12 at Knowlton School of Architecture's auditorium, one of the two public programs that week. The other, at the Wexner Film/Video Theater welcomed additional guests Gregg Davis, Haig Khachatoorian and Judith Riley; the panel discussed Design Education for the 21st Century' with emphasis on the unique opportunities at Ohio State. Former chair Charles Wallschlaeger provided the introduction, and Design chair Wayne Carlson with Deane Richardson were insightful moderators. Support for an entire week of activities -- including an interdisciplinary workshop where teams of students researched and projected design concepts for promoting public transportation, fighting child obesity and seven other subjects -- was provided by Design Central and RichardsonSmith Designers, as well as the Department of Design and College of
the Arts. The Department's celebrations continue throughout 2008, with plans for a special alumni event in November.

Speaking of Design -- the Columbus Dispatch published a feature about the department in its Feb 28 Metro section.

The Department of Art's Visiting Artist Series presents an artist's talk and reading with Ann Lauterbach at 4:30 pm Tuesday, March 4, in the Wexner Film/Video Theater. Lauterbach, a prolific and accomplished poet and author, has frequently engaged with the visual arts. Since 1991, she has been co-chair of the writing program at the Center for Curatorial Studies and Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts at Bard College.

Art alumnus Juan Granados is featured in a video created by the Savannah College of Art and Design while he conducted a two-day workshop there.