The little plastic ID card all Ohio University students are given in their first year can be a free ticket to numerous arts events.
Arts for Ohio, a university initiative housed within the College of Fine Arts, makes the free admission possible. The program is now in its seventh year of allowing students’ productions to be free and open to everyone on campus.
“It’s about accessibility to arts, not about cost,” said Maureen Wagner, project director for Arts for Ohio.
Without the initiative, ticket cost could range anywhere from $8 to $12, she said.
With a $300,000 budget per year through the provost’s office, Arts for Ohio’s free performances include the Winter Dance Concert, music performances, a film festival, art galleries and plays put on throughout the year.
In addition to the free student performances, Arts for Ohio’s yearly budget allows for visiting artist recitals and galleries, with a catch — if someone is going to perform, they should have a way to interact with students.
“If Arts for Ohio is funding it, or even a portion of it, Arts for Ohio is going to say, ‘Are they coming to a class?’ ” Wagner said. “Are they doing a workshop? When can students meet the person sometime socially, like for coffee?”
Wagner said that if those experiences between audience and artist are there, it is suitable for Arts for Ohio.
“It’s not just having an arts encounter but hopefully having an opportunity for it to be meaningful on an educational and personal level,” Wagner said.
The initiative also works with other groups at OU and even outside of it. Those projects, called arts partnerships, are what made last year’s events such as Nuit Blanche Athens Arts Festival, or a partnership with African Studies and Stuart’s Opera House to bring Tinariwen to the venue last year.
Claire Berlin, manager of communications and marketing for Arts for Ohio, said the arts partnerships have the opportunity to break down barriers for students to try new things.
“It’s opening up more, making this art accessible to anyone on campus,” Berlin said.
The attitude the leaders of Arts for Ohio has of making the arts programs free and accessible on campus is something students in the College of Fine Arts echo, too.
“I tell a lot of people about what shows are going down, or what I’m working on and spread the word,” said Sara Swartout, a senior studying playwriting. “I let them know that it’s more accessible than it might seem.”
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