By Cole Hatcher
Ohio Wesleyan University has announced its January 2023 lineup of public events. Unless otherwise noted, admission is free.
2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
- 2 p.m. Jan. 15 – An online-only panel discussion on the topic “From Civil Rights to Wakanda: An Exploration of Blackness & Media.” The free virtual event will include panelists Phokeng Dailey, Ph.D., OWU assistant professor of communication; OWU student Saharla Loyan of Westerville; Jason Timpson, OWU’s director of Multicultural Student Affairs; and Tamika Vinson-Reid, co-chair of the Delaware African American Heritage Council. Dawn Chisebe, OWU’s chief diversity officer, will moderate the discussion. For more information or to watch the online event, visit owu.edu/MLK.
- 8:30 a.m. Jan. 16 – The 30th annual MLK Breakfast Celebration, in the Benes Rooms of Ohio Wesleyan’s Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Doors open and breakfast begins at 7:45 a.m. for the ticketed event. The formal program begins at 8:30 a.m. and concludes at 9:30 a.m. Nick Bankston, chief executive officer of Gladden Community House and Columbus City Council member, is the keynote speaker. Urban Strings Columbus will perform. Individual breakfast tickets are $25 and event sponsorships are $240 for a table of eight ($30 each in recognition of the event’s 30th anniversary). Proceeds support the Delaware County MLK Scholarship Program. Tickets may be purchased until Jan. 9 by visiting https://bit.ly/30thAnnualMLK or by mailing a check to the MLK Celebration Committee in care of the Ohio Wesleyan Chaplain’s Office / MLK Celebration, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware, OH 43015. For more information, visit owu.edu/MLK.
Jan. 18-March 26 – “Ohio Imprint: Dick Arentz & Brian Harnetty,” part of the Richard M. Ross Art Museum’s new Artists in the Archive series, with contemporary artists invited to bring their work into conversation with selections from the museum’s permanent teaching collection, in the West Gallery of the museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. For this exhibit, interdisciplinary artist Harnetty responds to a series of prints by photographer Arentz from the museum’s holdings. Arentz’s platinum and palladium prints of Ohio focus on farms, factories, water towers, and other human-made structures that shape the natural world. Harnetty revisits these sites and explores their contextual stories. The resulting sound collages, video, and photographs reflect on themes of place, labor, history, the archive, and the ecological imprint of humans. The exhibit will open with a public reception from 2-4 p.m. Jan. 22, 2023. Learn more at www.brianharnetty.com. During the academic year, the Ross is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The museum will be closed for spring break from March 11-20, 2023. The Ross is handicap-accessible and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit owu.edu/ross for more information.
Jan. 18-March 26 – “Black Palimpsest: Jared Thorne,” part of the Richard M. Ross Art Museum’s new Artists in the Archive series, with contemporary artists invited to bring their work into conversation with selections from the museum’s permanent teaching collection, in the Kuhlman Gallery of the museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. In this exhibit, Thorne’s multimedia artworks bring a critical lens to a series of masks from the museum’s African Art holdings. Thorne’s project approaches these masks as palimpsests–objects where the original context has been effaced and overlaid with new understandings but aspects of the original are still visible. The exhibit explores the cultural comodification of African art objects in Western museums while asking how these same objects signify history, identity, and authenticity for many African Americans. The exhibit will open with a public reception from 2-4 p.m. Jan. 22, 2023. Learn more at jaredthorne.com. During the academic year, the Ross is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The museum will be closed for spring break from March 11-20, 2023. The Ross is handicap-accessible and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit owu.edu/ross for more information.
3 p.m. Jan. 29 – OWU faculty recital featuring associate professor Frank Chiou, piano, in Jemison Auditorium inside Sanborn Hall, 23 Elizabeth St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
All Ohio Wesleyan public event information is subject to change. For the latest updates, visit owu.edu/calendar or “like” www.facebook.com/OhioWesleyanUniversityNews. For more Battling Bishop athletics events, visit battlingbishops.com.
