Arts for Ohio is a key force behind the reason why OU students get into art events free.
Ohio University student IDs do more than remind everyone of the university’s “it’s y{}u” marketing campaign. They also grant students free access to a seemingly endless list of theater, dance, music, art and film events on campus.
And it’s all because of Arts for Ohio.
Entering its ninth year, Arts for Ohio is an initiative that allows students to attend events for free. The program is funded through the Provost’s office, receiving an annual $300,000 budget.
Maureen Wagner, project director of Arts for Ohio, said in the past, tickets could range from $8 to $12.
“It is a great sort of 'passport experience' to connecting students with other students and with their faculty outside of classes and to connect them with the arts experiences that are available to them,” she said.
With the initiative, students can see essentially all College of Fine Arts events for free. For the 2014-15 year, Arts for Ohio also gave students free access to weeklong events with the It Gets Better Project, master classes with visiting artists and a screening of a documentary starring an OU alumna, which was followed by a talkback with the actress and filmmaker.
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The Post caught up with Wagner, who is also the assistant dean for student services in CoFA, to discuss the importance and impact of Arts for Ohio.
The Post: What would you want new students to know about Arts for Ohio?
Wagner: That it’s here for you and … an alumnus came and went on and on and said this is such a wonderful, valuable resource that you really, really miss when you’re gone. He said the two things he misses most in his day-to-day life, now that he’s graduated, is being able to attend events for free and Alden Library
P: If something is sponsored by Arts for Ohio, what does that mean?
W: With your Ohio University ID, you can get into all sorts of dance concerts, music concerts, theater performances, the galleries and exhibitions, the galleries in the Kennedy Museum, and also, there are a lot of things that are available at The Athena Cinema. … Arts for Ohio also sponsors the Spring Literary Festival. There’s just all sorts of different projects and programs that Arts for Ohio sponsors. If you see the logo, that means it’s going to be incredibly excellent quality and it’s going to be free for students.
P: What makes an event qualify for funding from Arts for Ohio?
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W: They need to involve partnerships and use the arts as a vehicle and it has to be free for students. The preference is that these are the kinds of projects in which a student is not just an audience member. Students have an opportunity to engage in a different way or have a different level of integration. … They’re engaging with the artist in rehearsal. They’re also engaging with the artist hanging out and having coffee … so that there’s more to it than just watching something.
P: Who does Arts for Ohio commonly partner with?
W: Just this past year, we worked with African Studies and the Division of Theater — they produced the “Fugard at OHIO” festival … We partner with the Creative Writing program often. … The Chris Stain mural, which is beautiful, on Court Street right now came out of a printmaking proposal. Learning Communities, the Performing Arts (and Concert) Series, the Campus Involvement Center — just to name a few.
P: Any events you're especially excited for next year?
W: Oh certainly. I encourage students to check out the Honey for the Heart studio. It’s during October. … I’m always really excited about that, but I also think there’s some really exciting work that’s coming out of all of our schools. … There’s also some really great partnerships that happen through some of the theme programs with (the College of) Arts and Sciences and the Athena … (like) Science on Screen which we hope to get again because it was a super cool program.
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