Wegman Show in Final Days at Wexner Center

Now in its final stretch, the exhibition William Wegman: Funney/Strange remains on view through Sunday, December 30 at the Wexner Center. Featuring more than 200 works by Wegman—including his dog photographs, postcard paintings, drawings and video works from the last 40 years—the exhibition has drawn throngs of crowds to the Wexner Center galleries since its September opening, including more than 1,000 people the day after Thanksgiving alone and packed galleries on the weekend. Attendance at special events has also been high: 1,700 came for Family Day, 1,200 for an Ohio State Welcome Week Party, and 1,400 humans and 300 canines for Dog Day @ the Wex. About 1,100 people have dialed up the cell phone tours of the exhibition (which feature Wegman himself), and guided group and school tours have also been full.

Due in large part to a Wegman-centric direct mail campaign, Wexner Center membership has increased by about 27% this fall. The exhibition helped to generate record-breaking web site traffic on wexarts.org, as well as blockbuster sales in the Wexner Center Store (notably, brisk sales of Gray and Scarlet posters, featuring a photograph of Wegman’s Weimaraners in OSU hoodies, as well as Apple merchandise). Media coverage has included countless prominent stories and mentions in the local and regional media, including the Chicago Sun-Times (the travel writer was “drawn by the warm Polaroids of Weimaraners” but ended up embracing the ink and collage works) and a Pittsburgh paper, which called the show a “real tail-wagger.” In addition, the Wexner Center has carried out an extensive marketing campaign, including nine giant wallscapes downtown, on campus, and at Easton and Polaris.

Admission to the exhibition is free. Gallery hours are Thursday through Saturday 11 am–8 pm, and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday 11 am–6 pm. The galleries will be closed December 24 and 25. The Wexner Center is located at 1871 N. High St. at 15th Ave. at The Ohio State University. Parking is available in Ohio Union Garage just south of the Wexner Center, or South Campus Gateway garage (just east of High between 9th & 11th).