ART Party with President Gee

The Ohio Union sponsored a special event, "ARen'T you glad you're with Dr Gee" at the Arts Initiative office at South Campus Gateway last Friday. Ohio State students with "ART" in their names -- like Arthur and Martha -- were invited to the evening event where students mingled with President E Gordon Gee and painted sun visors and bow ties. . . and even got a lesson in how to tie a bow tie. The winning bow tie was chosen by Dr Gee and will be framed and presented to him later. The event was held in conjunction with Big Arts Week, and South Campus Gateway was hopping with the sounds of live music on the plaza. Photos courtesy of Ohio Union.

Notable News

Apply for a Digital Storytelling Workshop by May 4. Would you like to tell the story of your teaching, research or outreach through a video or audio project? OSU's Digital Storytelling team invites you to apply for an intensive, hands-on Digital Storytelling Workshop to be presented Tuesday, June 16 through Thursday, June 18. Project ideas related to teaching, research or outreach will be given preference according to Liv Gjestvang, coordinater, Digital Union. Apply online here or read more here. Application deadline is May 4.

Walkscape OSU -- Join the campus-wide experiment in creative bipedalism by going for a walk. Visit new places, take new routes, look with a fresh eye. Walk by yourself, in pairs, in small groups, en masse. Document your experience with words, images, objects or sounds and contribute to the Walkscape Scroll that will be on the Oval May 20, 10 am – 4 pm. Sponsored by the Institute for Collaborative Research and Public Humanities and the Arts Initiative at Ohio State to inspire creativity on campus. For ideas, suggestions or to leave a comment, visit the walkscape blog or email livingston.28@osu.edu.

Day by Day....

The Ohio State Department of Theatre partners with CAPA to present the musical Godspell April 16-19 at the historic Southern Theatre in downtown Columbus. Originally conceived by John-Michael Tebelak, with music and new lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, the Ohio State production is directed by Mandy Fox. For tickets call (614) 292-2295. Above, (l-r) Kristen Russell, Meredith Lark, Danny Ferguson and Gabriel Lopez rehearse a scene. Photo by Eric Mayer.

Notable News

The Organization of Art School Students Union (OASSU) will host an artist talk with Chris Martin at 4 pm Weds, April 15, in room 262, Hopkins Hall. Martin is an abstract painter who creates poetic works bursting with color, employing elements of collage and landscape imagery.

The Wexner Center will announce its slate of summer films -- indoor and outdoor series -- on Weds, April 15, at 2 pm via live streaming video.

Don't forget about Big Arts Week at Ohio State next week -- with a whole slate of events planned on and around campus. Enjoy performances, art exhibitions, improv, films, jazz, dance, bands and more!

Got an interest in the relationship of the cosmos and the psyche? Richard Tarnas, professor of philosophy and cultural history at the California Institute of Integral Studies, presents a lecture and workshop Fri, April 17, and Sat, April 18, at First Community Church in Columbus. The events are sponsored by the Jung Association of Central Ohio. Full time students may attend the Fri lecture for free; bring ID. For details, click here.

Synchronous Objects Launched

It was a packed house at a symposium April 1 at Ohio State celebrating the launch of the interactive web project Synchronous Objects for One Flat Thing, reproduced. The symposium featured choreographer William Forsythe and web project collaborators Maria Palazzi (ACCAD), Norah Zuniga Shaw (Dance) and other Ohio State researchers from a wide range of disciplines. It was held at the Wexner Center, concurrent with the opening of the exhibition William Forsythe: Transfigurations. The interactive web project (above), now available to the public, is the result of a multi-year collaboration with The Forsythe Company, based in Germany, and Ohio State. The project presents an original collection of screen-based visualizations (video, digital artwork, animation and interactive graphics) that reveal interlocking systems of organization in the choreography. It has been featured in the New York Times, the Columbus Dispatch and the online site Information Aesthetics.

Notable News

It's never hard to find things to do around the Ohio State campus . . . but for one week in late April, there's a big bunch of arts events all going on at once! We're calling it Big Arts Week and it includes everything from a student organization-sponsored arts festival to exhibitions, a film fest, variety show and the always popular OSU Jazz Festival.

Call for artists! The second annual Art Al Fresco, a day-long event in the Short North to spotlight the power of public art, is seeking entries for this year's event, scheduled for Aug 15. Last year, the outdoor event drew over 10,000 people. Up to 50 artists will create temporary public art installations in outdoor venues, from parks and courtyards to rooftops and sidewalks. Applications, due May 22, are available online.

Student filmmakers take note! InMyShorts.com is seeking submissions for an online film festival. Submit your work online by April 11 and compete with other OSU students for prizes and recognition. Top-rated films will be shown at the Landmark Gateway Theatre on April 11 at 7 pm. Go to the website, "join" the Ohio State University group and upload your video to enter the competition. Videos must be under 10 minutes and under 50 mbs. All categories are accepted, and can be anything from experimental to musicals to Hollywood!

The media-savvy Builders Association returns to the Wexner Center April 16-18 for Continuous City, a show that looks at how our "networked selves" are stretched to occupy multiple locations. Sequences filmed in Columbus will be integrated in Continuous City's globe-spanning dreamscape.