The Wexner Center for the Arts to present March and April talks on the possibilities for the future and human potential in the social and built environments

In the coming weeks, the Wexner Center for the Arts, the multidisciplinary arts laboratory at The Ohio State University, will present two public discussions that highlight examples of inequity in American society and offer guidance on how to move beyond a legacy of inhumanities and imbalances. The talks will focus, respectively, on the future of race relations in America and the impact of designed environments on human potential.  

As Wex Learning & Public Practice Director Dionne Custer Edwards notes, “This year, both the Director’s Dialogue on Art & Social Change and the DeeDee and Herb Glimcher Lecture will harness the space of possibility and expand our imaginations on the capabilities of humanity, particularly as it pertains to just and sustainable existences.” 

Up first is the Director’s Dialogue on Art & Social Change on Wednesday, March 9 at 6 PM. The virtual discussion, entitled 400Forward, has been organized in partnership with composer and drummer Dr. Mark Lomax, II and inspired by his Wex-supported project 400: An Afrikan Epic.  

A panel featuring award-winning writer Hanif Abdurraqib; artist Camae Ayewa (Moor Mother); poet, curator, and artist Anaïs Duplan; and PolicyLink Director of Housing Rasheedah Phillips will reflect on how the year 2020 marked not only 400 years of Africans in America, but also signaled a dramatic time of significant social change around the globe. Together, they’ll discuss what Black America might embody in the 400 years ahead, to prompt new thinking and actions that could help facilitate the creation of a more just, equitable, and inclusive society.  

The Director’s Dialogue will be moderated by writer, curator, and activist Kimberly Drew, a former social media director for the Metropolitan Museum of Art who was just named Associate Director of New York-based Pace Gallery.  

Then, on Wednesday, April 6 at 7 PM, the Wex presents the 2022 DeeDee and Herb Glimcher Lecture. Presented in partnership with Ohio State’s Knowlton School, the annual event offers fascinating guest speakers in the fields of art, architecture and environmental design. This year's program features licensed architect Kimberly Dowdell speaking from the Mershon Auditorium stage. The lecture will also be livestreamed via wexarts.org. 

Originally from Detroit, Dowdell is a principal in the Chicago studio of HOK, a leading global design firm. She co-founded the SEED Network in 2005 and is a former national president of the National Organization of Minority Architects, where she more than doubled membership within two years. 

A frequent speaker on architecture, sustainability, and the future of cities, Dowdell will focus for this lecture on the urgent issues of climate action, social equity, and how the built environment can maximize human potential while minimizing environmental impact. She’ll draw on examples of environmental disparities in central Ohio to consider how we can improve our collective future through sustainability.