Spotlight on Art and Activism Projects from Ohio State University

IA member Ohio State University shares three projects that demonstrate the power of the arts in addressing community history, sustainable design, and the creative process.

Irrepressible Soul and the Black Experience
More than an art exhibit showcasing Black and Afro-diasporic artists, Irrepressible Soul was a month-long series of community events to celebrate Juneteenth becoming a national holiday. Curated by Iyana Hill, a senior at the Ohio State University, and Dr. Terron Banner, manager of community learning and experience at the Urban Art Space, the exhibition celebrated and explored the multidimensionality of the Black aesthetic through artwork and educational programming (see video linked above). In collaboration with Sole Classics, Black Footwear Forum, Canvaas, the OSU Department of African American and African Studies, the OSU AAAS Community Extension Center, and the Columbus Music Commission, the exhibit featured artwork across mediums, from video installations, photography and graffiti to paintings and sculptures. Community workshops included a health and wellness event, a black-tie evening, performances, and a celebration finale for the Irrepressible Soul experience.

Dancing Stories: Comings, Goings, and Finding Home
OSU’s Artist Laureate, Dr. Nyama McCarthy-Brown, brought her new production Dancing Stories: Comings, Goings, and Finding Home, to OSU’s regional campuses in Lima and Mansfield, Ohio as well as special engagements at Miami University and The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. The show featured a collection of dances that uplift themes of identity, inclusion, and expanding ideas around who gets to dance. McCarthy-Brown presented two works with her cast of eight OSU dance majors and shared a short dance film featuring BalletMet dancer, Victoria Watford (see video linked above). Each performance featured a collaborative performance with OSU dancers and members of the local community. A piece by graduate students in the OSU Department of Dance, Lucy Dillon and Kierra Williams, was also part of this performance.

Design Activism for Sustainability

A design studio course leaned into “Design Activism for Sustainability” to promote pro-environmental behavior among college students on the Ohio State campus. Students in this collaborative course, led by Associate Professor Susan Melsop spent the semester learning about climate change, environmental stewardship, and actionable ways they might support OSU’s sustainability initiatives on campus. With partnerships developed among OSU’s Facilities, Operations, and Development (FOD), the Zero Waste Management team, and Greenscope Consulting, a composting start-up, design students applied their design skills and constructed “engagement wagons” for peer-to-peer learning across campus. The interactive, mobile wagons made of recycled materials prompted conversations on sustainability, and specifically encouraged students to understand principles of regenerative agriculture and the benefits of composting food scraps. Composting bins were made available to students who signed up for the composting program.

Featured Image Credit: OSU dance majors performing ‘Dancing Stories’; image courtesy OSU