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Wed, May 25, 2022
Free and low-cost initiatives strengthen relationships with artists and the community
In the days ahead, the Wexner Center for the Arts at The Ohio State University returns to a full schedule of in-person programming and offers greater access to all with free gallery admission, as well as discounted parking for select events through a new institutional partnership.
Curators and artists in all of the disciplines the center presents and supports—Visual Arts, Film/Video, Learning & Public Practice, and Performing Arts—are engaging in new ways with partners from Ohio State, the student population, and the community.
The multifaceted summer exhibition—Portal For(e) the Ephemeral Passage, opening June 10—and the 2022–23 season that follows display the Center’s increased focus on collaborations and connections.
The first exhibition at the center guest-curated by an Artist Residency Award recipient, jaamil olawale kosoko, Portal For(e) is the culmination of three years of work with the artist and involves a partnership between all curatorial disciplines.
Behind the scenes, efforts are underway to deepen relationships with artists and audiences. Wexner Center Artist Residency Award recipient Carlos Motta has engaged local artists and activists, as well as university scholars and an international group of creatives, in discussions around the idea of changing the name of the Wex’s home city of Columbus; this has since inspired another residency artist, Saeed Jones, to partner with Motta on proposing an alternative.
The Wex has created opportunities for artists to stretch their practice, such as Ruun Nuur. A writer and creator of the independent feminist film magazine SVLLY(wood), Nuur moved into curating with creative partner Ingrid Raphaël under the banner NO EVIL EYE, and the team was invited to select short films for the Wex’s fall 2020 community resource project Free Space. Pivoting to production, Nuur coproduced and Raphaël codirected (with journalist Melissa Gira Grant) the documentary short They Won’t Call It Murder, which screened during the October 2021 Unorthodocs festival. Now, Nuur is a residency artist, working with the center’s Film/Video Studio on her first feature.
Also, a new Art & Resilience Department is working to explore and support wellness initiatives with organizations like Sanctuary Night, a startup nonprofit led by a licensed social worker and dedicated to creating a safe environment for vulnerable women.
In its public events, the center has increased the number of free and virtual options, such as the Wex-supported VR theater work Anti-Gravity Donuts by James Dennen, and embraced tools such as open captioning and image descriptions. There are also new partnerships with students reflected in events with the group Rhythm and Paint and the monthly film program Cinéseries.
Sam Green, 32 Sounds; image courtesy of ArkType
Federico Fellini July 7–August 18, 2022 NEW RESTORATIONS
This 11-film tribute to one of the world’s most influential filmmakers presents classics La dolce vita (1960) and 8½ (1963) alongside less-screened titles like Il bidone (1955), all in new restorations from Luce Cinecittà in Rome.
Saeed Jones Lambert Family Lecture September 16, 2022
The award-winning author returns to the Wex to celebrate the release of his new book Alive at the End of the World. Jones’s recent works include the memoir How We Fight for Our Lives (2019) and poetry collection Prelude to Bruise (2014).
Carlos Motta: Your Monsters, Our Idols September 16–December 30, 2022 ARTIST RESIDENCY AWARD PROJECT
Exploring queer histories and legacies of colonialism, the Bogotá-born artist’s largest US solo exhibition to date premieres his first multichannel sound installation, which probes the implications of changing the name of Columbus, Ohio.
Sam Green September 27–October 27, 2022
The past Artist Residency Award recipient and Film/Video Studio artist returns to the center for this four-night retrospective of his hybrid documentaries—featuring a performance of his new “live cinema” work 32 Sounds accompanied by musicians JD Samson and Michael O’Neill.
Unorthodocs October 27–31, 2022
The sixth-annual festival exploring the possibilities of creative nonfiction filmmaking will feature works such as Anthony Banua-Simon’s Cane Fire (2020), a perceptive look at Hollywood’s complicated relationship with Hawaii and its Indigenous populations.
On Pause Fall 2022/Winter 2023
Partake in a relaxing and therapeutic union of art and meditation in the center’s galleries through this ongoing collaboration with The Yoga Carriage @ Replenish.
Abby Z and the New Utility Radioactive Practice November 17–20, 2022 ARTIST RESIDENCY AWARD PROJECT MIDWEST PREMIERE
Drawing on a variety of movement styles—from modern dance and tap to synchronized swimming and soccer—this genre-bending performance choreographed by Abby Zbikowski tests the limits of its performers as they reconceive histories warped by racist, sexist, and classist misinformation.
Zoom: Family Film Festival December 9–10, 2022
Save the date for the Wex’s annual weekend of affordable films and activities for all-ages audiences. With works that showcase kids’ perspectives around the world, this institutional tradition is a fantastic way to introduce young ones to the movies.
Meditation Ocean Constellation Meditation Ocean Winter 2023 ARTIST RESIDENCY AWARD PROJECT
The culmination of Hope Ginsburg’s 2020–22 Wex residency, this collaborative project featuring the premiere of the multichannel video installation Meditation Ocean connects ocean ecology, human wellness, and activism through an array of cross-departmental programs.
Kulapat Yantrasast DeeDee and Herb Glimcher Lecture March 2023
Known for stunning museums, private residences, and other projects that foreground his remarkable sense for human-centric design, the founder and creative director of Why Architects will be the next featured guest for this annual endowed lecture series.
Lemi Ponifasio | Elisa Avendaño Curaqueo | Natalia García-Huidobro Love to Death March 23–25, 2023 OHIO PREMIERE
A trio of artists—singer/composer Elisa Avendaño Curaqueo, flamenco dancer Natalia García-Huidobro (both from Chile) and Samoan artist Lemi Ponifasio—focus on South America’s Mapuche people and question identity and destiny in this interdisciplinary performance.
Pioneers of Queer Cinema May–June 2023
Organized by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, IndieCollect, and Outfest, this landmark 17-film series spotlights pioneering LGBTQ+ filmmakers and films ranging from 1947 to 1996, including works by Kenneth Anger, Todd Haynes, Cheryl Dunye, and more.
Art & Resilience at Sanctuary Night Ongoing
The ongoing collaboration with Franklinton-based nonprofit Sanctuary Night supports vulnerable women through weekly, trauma-informed workshops led by Wex educators and community artists. The lead teaching artist for 2022–23 is April Sunami.
For more information about these programs and initiatives to broaden access at the Wex, visit wexarts.org or call the Visitor Experience team at 614-292-3535.
Free gallery admission is generously supported by American Electric Power Foundation, Cover My Meds, PNC Bank Foundation, Adam Flatto, Bob and Mary Kidder, and Bill and Sheila Lambert.
Discounted parking for select events is possible with support from Campus Parc.
