Sid Chafetz Show Opens Downtown

The OSU Urban Arts Space in the historic Lazarus building downtown presents Sid Chafetz: Engaging the World, which opened last week and continues through Saturday, Oct. 25. Chafetz, professor emeritus, has commented on his world -- from local and national political issues to timeless aspects of the human condition -- throughout his career. A survivor of the Battle of the Bulge in WWII, a two-time Fulbright scholar, world traveler and internationally exhibited artist, Chafetz is one of the treasures of Columbus. An opening reception is scheduled for Friday, Sept 26, 5-7 pm at the OSU Urban Arts Space. (Above, Three Politicians, 1951, etching)

Notable News

Ann Hamilton (Art) has been honored with the 2008 Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities for "a body of work that has established her as one of contemporary art's most influential voices." She is one of five recipients of the 14th annual awards recognizing the extraordinary achievements of individuals in the areas of Arts and Humanities; the Environment; the Human Condition; Public Policy; and Technology, the Economy and Employment. The Heinz Award announcement says, "A provocative visual artist, Ann Hamilton's installations around the world have woven a broad palette of media into engaging sensory environments. Her work is truly transformational, both in its visual beauty and the visceral impact it has had on the communities that have helped create and sustain it." The awards were established by Teresa Heinz in 1993 to honor the memory of her late husband, US Senator John Heinz and are administered by the Heinz Family Philanthropies. Award recipients receive a medallion and an unrestricted cash prize of up to $250,000.

Award-winning choreographer and dance professor Bebe Miller and her company premiere their latest multimedia piece Necessary Beauty at the Wexner Center Oct 1-5, the culmination of a two-year creative residency at the Wexner Center and OSU.

You're invited! Arts and Humanities faculty and staff are invited to Warhol Free Thursdays on Thurs, Sept 25, 4-8 pm at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Enjoy free admission to Andy Warhol: Other Voices, Other Rooms; a cash bar; and food from Cam's on Campus.

Theatre alums are in the news in NYC: Randy Skinner (BA, 2007) is choreographing the new Irving Berlin's White Christmas that will tour and play in New York over the holiday season, and former student Leah Hocking is featured in Billy Elliott this fall.

There are those who call themselves Buckeyes and then there are those who truly “walk the walk and talk the talk.” This is the case for Ohio State alumnus Charles William “Chuck” Thomas and his wife Donna who recently hosted a party for members of the OSU American Sign Language program in their Columbus home’s “Buckeye Room.” Also in attendance were Arts and Humanities Interim Dean John Roberts, Foreign Language Center Director Diane Birckbichler and Development Director Margo Wolanin. Longtime supporters of the university, Chuck and Donna recently extended their generosity to ASL, creating two funds that support programming, student financial aid and travel.

H. Lewis Ulman (English) and Melanie Schlosser, assistant professor for OSU Libraries, were the recipients of a Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for their project "Reliable Witnesses: Integrating Multimedia Distributed Electronic Textual Editions into Library Collections and Preservation Efforts." This award encourages innovations in the digital humanities through projects that are particularly innovative and have the potential to make a positive impact on the humanities. Working with electronic editions of materials in OSU’s Rare Books and Manuscript Library, the project will create a model for coordinating the efforts of faculty scholars, library professionals and IT support staff to develop, catalog, publish and preserve electronic texts that require ongoing support from multiple units.

Barry's Arts Blog (News, Advice and Opinion for the Arts Administrator) recently published a listing of the "Top 25 Most Powerful People in the Nonprofit Arts." Number 18? Ohio State's Margaret Wyszmirski, (Art Education) who tied with Rand Corp's Kevin McCarthy, and was recognized for her research, which is "rigorous, academic and sets the standard for inquiry into the measurable aspects of arts evaluation and research.

The OSU Percussion Ensemble was named a winner in the 2008 Percussive Arts Society International Percussion Ensemble Competition......and will play a showcase concert at the convention in Austin, Texas, in November.