Art & Design Community Programs

Visiting Artists Program
Our visiting artists program regularly brings to campus well-known artists and scholars. The program provides important educational opportunities for students and the University community. The Elzay and Stambaugh Studio galleries feature exhibit space for experimental works by faculty, alumni, students and internationally, nationally and regionally prominent artists. The visiting artists give students learning experiences through workshops, lectures and networking.

Recent visiting artist have included Nancy Sirkis (photographer), Sean McConnor (painter), Kylie Heidenheimer (painter), Bernie Casey (painter), Michael Howell (professor and sculptor), Robbie Bailey (photographer), Kate Bender (printmaker), Michael Robinson, Liz Sparks (ceramicist), Brett Price (sculptor), Paul Osbourne (graphic designer) and Jill Davis (charge artist).

For more information about our visiting artists program, to receive the the exhibit schedule or to be added to the mailing list, please contact the department of art and design at (419) 772-2160.

Visiting Artist-in-Residence Program
The department of art and design also hosts visiting artists in residence throughout the year. During the fall 2007 quarter, distinguished photographer Robert Bailey of New York City taught two photography courses and gave lectures about his work. Beginning in January, his students' work was displayed in the Stambaugh Studio Theatre Gallery. Robert's work has been featured on the Today Show, NBC Nightly News, the Washington Post, USA Today and the Discovery Channel. Notable clients include Unicef, Nike, United Air Lines and the U.S. Treasury Department.

Another recent visiting artist was Marilyn Lysohir, BA '72, a distinguished ceramic sculptor. While on campus, she taught a course in large-scale ceramic-sculpture construction and created her own ceramic sculptures in an art department studio space, which was accessible to the general public. Marilyn also mounted two ceramic installations in the university galleries. One exhibit featured The Dark Side of Dazzle, an interpretation of a camouflaged battleship based from childhood memories. The other installation was Fish Dreams, a series of ceramic fish. The fish were on sale for the benefit of an ONU art student scholarship.

Film Series Program
The department sponsors a quarterly film series for students and the University community. Past films have included Brazil, Delicatessen and The Wall. The films are shown in the Wilson Art Center on Wednesday nights beginning at 6 p.m. For a complete schedule, visit www-new.onu.edu/academics/getty_college_arts_sciences/areas_study/art_design/film_series.

Exhibition and Gallery Program
Operated by the department of art and design, the Elzay and Stambaugh Studio Theatre Galleries are educational art galleries for the Ohio Northern community and for the Northwest Central Ohio region. The gallery season is designed to serve as a cultural resource, host national and international touring exhibitions and programs and host original exhibits distinctly suited to an academic environment.

The exhibition and gallery program's mission is to showcase shows and events of invited artists and designers who encourage dialogue about the visual arts: studio processes, history, criticism, curation and cultural context.

Admission to the Elzay and Stambaugh Galleries is free and open to the public, daily from noon until 5 p.m. The Stambaugh Studio Theatre Gallery also is open prior to Freed Center events. For additional information, to schedule a tour or to be placed on the arts exhibition mailing list, please contact the department of art and design at (419) 772-2160 or art@onu.edu.

Student Exhibitions
The department of art & design considers exhibition opportunities for students to be an important component of the educational process and mission. Student shows include:

Foundations Honors Exhibit
The Foundations Honors Exhibit is held at the end of each academic year. The exhibit is set up to assess artistic development and personal artistic direction. All art and design students, regardless of major, are required to submit work after the first year of study. Students submit work that depicts proficiency in media, techniques and processes, and proficiency in the works' relationship to intent, image and artistry. Students consult with their studio advisors at the beginning of spring quarter to identify work to be submitted for the exhibit. The foundations program faculty helps students prepare for the show.

Jurors look for essential competencies of basic composition principles, concepts, media and formats; of basic foundation techniques; of basic abilities to conceive, design and create work in one or more fine arts areas; and of basic knowledge of various production methods and their relationship to the conceptualization, development and completion of the work.

Junior BFA/BA Exhibition
All art and design juniors are required to participate in the junior BFA/BA exhibit, usually scheduled at the end of spring quarter. This exhibit begins the thesis/capstone program and is intended to provide a forum for the display, critique and discussion of work.

Faculty members assess student artistic development, including concept development, formal design, craftsmanship and presentation of work. Other assessments include the ability to create and develop visual form in response to communication problems, the ability to understand the relevancy of tools and technology that shape visual solutions, and the ability to understand the history, theory and criticism of design from a variety of perspectives.

Works-In-Progress Exhibition
All graduating art and design seniors participate in the works-in-progress exhibition. Currently, the exhibit is held in the Wilson Art Center. The intent of this exhibition is to provide students a forum for display of new work and current directions. This show provides an opportunity for faculty and other students to review work and become acquainted with the direction of senior students. Faculty assess student artistic development and personal direction, including concept development, formal design, craftsmanship and presentation of work. Other assessments include the ability to solve communication problems, the ability to describe and respond to the audiences and contexts that communication solutions must address, the ability to create and develop visual form in response to communication problems, the ability to understand the relevancy of tools and technology that shape visual solutions, the ability to understand the history, theory and criticism of design from a variety of perspectives, and an understanding of basic business practices.

Senior Capstone Experience
All art and design students are required to complete a senior capstone. This allows students to integrate many concepts and theories from their major course of study into a final project and/or activity. For graduating art and design majors, a research project, portfolio, exhibit and public lecture are part of the capstone experience.

As a graduation requirement, students complete a final exhibit of work completed in the BA/BFA program in art, art education, advertising design and graphic design. This exhibit is scheduled prior to graduation during spring quarter.

Faculty members assess student development and personal intent, including concept development, formal design, craftsmanship and presentation of work. Graphic design assessments include the ability to solve communication problems, to describe and respond to the audiences and contexts that communication solutions must address, to create and develop visual form in response to communication problems, to understand the relevancy of tools and technology that shape visual solutions, the ability to understand the history, theory and criticism of design from a variety of perspectives, and an understanding of basic business practices.

The Annual Student Juried Exhibition
This exhibit features work in all media by currently enrolled students. All art majors are required to enter work in the annual student juried exhibition, which is held each spring in the Elzay Gallery of Art. Two professional artists and/or designers jury entered work into the exhibit. They are also hired to award prizes in two-dimensional (drawing, illustration, painting, printmaking, photography), three-dimensional (sculpture, ceramics) and graphic design. Majors with sophomore standing are responsible for the organization and presentation of the show.

The Fine Art Exhibition and Sale
One of the department's annual events is the winter and spring exhibition and sale, which displays and sells some of the best work by students and faculty. The proceeds support both the Kappa Pi art honorary and the artists.

Summer Trips Abroad
The department has a well-established travel tradition, offering fine art and cultural emphasized trips to Europe every two years. Trips have included a broad range of artistic, historical and cultural experiences, and have included trips to countries such as Spain, Italy, France and Greece. These trips are open to all art students and the University community. In summer 2008, a trip to England was planned.