Thursday, November 20, 2008

Royal Shakespeare Company Partnership

Photo of the Week

Ohio State formally announced a partnership with the UK’s Royal Shakespeare Company Nov 7 at the University’s Board of Trustees meeting. President Gordon Gee calls the international partnership one of the university’s most important initiatives, an opportunity for two world-class institutions to come together to create a premier program for the study, teacher training and production of Shakespeare, inspired by the methodology and highly respected practices of the Royal Shakespeare Company. The partnership – the first of its kind in the US – is spearheaded by The Arts Initiative at Ohio State, and includes the College of Education and Human Ecology, the Colleges of the Arts and Humanities, and the Wexner Center for the Arts. One of its predominant components will be a three-year teacher education program centered upon the Royal Shakespeare Company’s renowned “Stand Up for Shakespeare” program (above). Additionally, the Royal Shakespeare Company / Ohio State partnership will establish a Young People’s Shakespeare Festival, tentatively planned for 2012. For more details, click here. (Photo: Ellie Kurttz) Below, visitors from the Royal Shakespeare Company join OSU leaders at the Board of Trustees meeting. From left, David Frantz, Les Wexner, Gordon Gee, Lady Sainsbury, Karen Bell, Jacqui O’Hanlon, Michael Boyd, Brian Edmiston, Vikki Heywood.
Notable News

The OSU/Royal Shakespeare Company partnership already is garnering some international attention. The UK's Birmingham Post has this to say about it. A feature also appeared in the Columbus Dispatch.

What is The Arts Initiative at Ohio State? It's the office of Karen Bell, associate vice president, formerly known as the Office for Arts and Culture. Why the switch? To more accurately reflect our mission to advance the arts and impact our communities. Hope you enjoy the new blog for The Arts Initiative!

Ohio State recently created a video documentary about the Columbus Museum of Art's exhibition Objects of Wonder from The Ohio State University, which features comments from Karen Bell, associate vice president, and alumna Melissa Wolfe, curator.

It's everything Andy at the Wexner Center these days! Andy Warhol: Other Voices, Other Rooms continues at the Wexner Center through Feb 15, and features more than 700 items in virtually every medium that Warhol used —film, video, audio material, photography, painting, sculpture, drawings, wallpaper and more.

"Wishes and Dreams" by Retro-Blue is a new jazz CD featuring some OSU folks, including alums and instructurs from Music -- Tom Battenberg, Andy Woodson, Jim Curlis and Don Nichols. Find out more here.

PhD student Loring Resler from Art Education worked with students at Weinland Park to create a mural of Barack Obama. The Obama campaign loved it...and posted it on their website!

Gift shopping! The Department of Art's glass and ceramics students host their annual Holiday Sale in Hopkins Hall Lobby Thurs, Nov 20 and Fri, Nov 21, 10 am-6 pm. All items are handmade by students; you'll find decorative vases, jewelry, cups, plates, sculptural work, handblown Christmas ornaments, candy canes, bowls and more! Proceeds buy supplies and help fund visiting artists. For info, contact Bethany Haeseler at haeseler.4@gmail.com.