Artventurous Ambitions: Ohio State’s focus on the arts brings new opportunities to Columbus

It’s hard not to feel inspired by the arts at Ohio State. Reflected in old and new spaces all around the Oval are signs of an enduring legacy — creativity interlinking more than a century of inspiration, innovation and imagination. Pop artist Roy Lichtenstein helped define modern American art and his Modern Head sculpture stands on campus to this day. Designer Martin Keen revolutionized comfortable and innovative footwear around the world. The operatic soprano Ruby Elzy became one of the most iconic voices in the history of opera. Alumni from the Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts have won Tonys, Oscars and Emmys and regularly return to campus to talk to students about their experiences. With two new facilities in the heart of the Columbus campus, a vice provost for the arts, and a new artist laureate, the arts at Ohio State are writing a new chapter in their great story with a focus on elevating community engagement.

“We finally have these spaces that are commensurate to the quality of the faculty and the students,” said Lisa Florman, vice provost for the arts and a professor in the Department of History of Art. “Now we want to animate those spaces and use them not only to elevate the profile of the arts for our students and faculty — though certainly those things — but also really use them as a way to connect ourselves to the surrounding communities.”

The newly built Timashev Family Music Building and the Theatre, Film, and Media Arts Building are in the heart of the Columbus campus and welcome musicians, actors and filmmakers at all stages of their craft, while renovated studios play host to artists, designers and dancers who create innovative and thought-provoking pieces that address current issues and timeless human emotion. “I’m still kind of pinching myself,” said department chair E.J. Westlake. “We now have an opportunity to explore new ways of storytelling across our disciplines.” 

In September of 2022, Florman was appointed vice provost for the arts. In her role, she specializes in connecting faculty, students and staff to actualize their shared ideas and vision for the arts at Ohio State. A visiting artists program, funded by Florman’s group in the Office of Academic Affairs, encourages departments to bring artists to campus for residencies that include performances or exhibits as well as classroom lectures and public educational events. 

Nyama McCarthy-Brown, associate professor in the Department of Dance, was the inaugural Artist Laureate and during her one-year appointment, she focused on engaging diverse audiences in urban, rural, suburban and metropolitan areas. Her production, Dancing Stories: Comings, Goings, and Finding Home, featured a collection of dancers that uplift the themes of identity and inclusion and expand ideas around who gets to dance. Kevin McClatchy, associate professor in the Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts and director of the Shakespeare and Autism Project, has been selected as the 2024-25 Artist Laureate. He began a one-year appointment on July 1, 2024. In downtown Columbus, the Urban Arts Space gallery bridges the gaps between campus, the city and community artists, with exhibits that challenge perceptions and bring new perspectives into the art curriculum. 

Students like Iyana Hill, a studio art and African American and African studies double major who interned at Urban Arts Space, can curate exhibits that bring together campus and community artists to address current events through an arts lens. With new performance seasons in the School of Music, the Department of Dance and the Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts, exhibits at Hopkins Hall and the Urban Arts Space, and a wide range of other performances, lectures and events, the arts at Ohio State invite community members to become part of the inspiration and creativity that’s found across all  of Ohio State’s campuses. 

“If people tour the campus, they see buildings, they have no idea what’s happening behind those doors,” said Fabienne Münch, chair of the Department of Design. “To me, this is an extraordinary opportunity for the College of Arts and Sciences, for the university and the neighboring communities to make the invisible, visible."