Innovative Partnership Forged at Cutting Edge of Art, Fashion

Express Named Lead Sponsor for Wexner Center’s Warhol Show

Columbus—With an innovative combined gift of financial and viral marketing support, leading fashion retailer Express has come in as the lead sponsor for the Wexner Center exhibition Andy Warhol: Other Voices, Other Rooms. The partnership between the Wex and Express is an instrumental component in bringing this dazzling, multimedia exhibition to the U.S. and the Wexner Center.

“The Wexner Center for the Arts at The Ohio State University is a center for innovation, creativity, and learning that is recognized both nationally and internationally,” notes Michael Weiss, president and CEO of Express. “We are proud to be the title sponsor for their exclusive U.S. showing of Andy Warhol: Other Voices, Other Rooms; we think of it as the leading edge of art meets the leading edge of fashion. Our continued collaboration with the Wexner Center makes us believe that the world will be a more interesting and inspiring place.”

Notes Wexner Center Director Sherri Geldin, “We are thrilled that Express, a company whose sensibilities parallel ours, has come on board for this exhibition. Andy Warhol, the Wexner Center, and Express converge at the point where art meets fashion meets innovation. We look forward to the fruits of this relationship.”

Express is promoting the Warhol exhibition through geotargeted email blasts to its customers, staff and vendors, including a sweepstakes with prizes and  tickets to the Wexner Center’s November 8 Anniversary Gala and to the Wexner Center’s world premiere performances of The Shipment by provocative young theater director Young Jean Lee. Express is also cross-promoting Andy Warhol: Other Voices, Other Rooms on the front page of its web site (www.express.com), and through in-store promotions. These various channels are projected to reach about 5 million people.

The Wexner Center for the Arts is a multidisciplinary, contemporary arts center at The Ohio State University. Built in 1989 and named after the father of Leslie H. Wexner (chairman and CEO of Limited Brands), the Wexner Center serves as a creative laboratory for the arts, a hub for artists from across the globe, and a forum for contemporary culture. www.wexarts.org.

Express is the preferred young, sexy, and sophisticated designer brand for fashion-forward young women and men and all their lifestyle occasions. From casual to dressed-up, Express offers unparalleled style authority. Based in Columbus, Express operates more than 500 retail outlets in the United States and generates $1.8 billion in sales annually. www.EXPRESS.com.