Meet Ohio State’s first vice provost for the arts

So far, I’ve had two priorities. First, to foster conversations around the arts so as to increase collaboration among our various units and with communities outside our walls. And second, to stand up several artist residencies and visiting artist series, so that our students can be exposed to some of the most exciting work being made around the country today. 

I’m not sure many people realize what an impressive history the arts have here at Ohio State. To give just a few examples: The first BFA student in the Department of Dance, Dianne McIntyre ’69, went on to win three Bessie Awards for her choreography, a Guggenheim Fellowship and both Artist and Impact Awards from the Doris Duke Foundation. Emerita Professor Bebe Miller ’75 MA, was not only awarded four Bessies and a Guggenheim; she was also named a Master of African American Choreography by the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington. Ann Hamilton, distinguished professor emerita in the Department of Art, has won national and international awards for her site- and community-responsive practice, including the National Medal of the Arts — as did perhaps our most famous arts alumnus, Roy Lichtenstein ’46, ’49 MA, ’88 DRH.

Our students and faculty have contributed in profound ways to shaping American culture and setting standards of excellence in their respective fields — as well as opening those fields up to different areas of inquiry. Embedded in that last thought is the other part of the answer I’d give here. The arts are powerful agents of change. As studies have repeatedly shown, exposure to the arts significantly enhances individuals’ creativity, as well as their openness to new ideas, their sense of well-being and their desire for personal growth. They foster community engagement, open dialogue and empathy toward others. All of those are things I want for our students and for the university as a whole.

I have been a member of the faculty at Ohio State for 29 years now, and I have loved teaching and doing research and writing, as well as being a department chair. Over the past couple of years, though, I realized that I wanted a chance for the work I do to have an even greater impact. My goal in this position is to make sure that no student graduates from Ohio State without having had some fairly significant engagement with the arts, whether it’s as an audience member or as an active participant. I would love it if we could give every single student the opportunity to make art—to operate within a set of constraints but, ideally, outside of their comfort zone, so that they’re pushing boundaries, risking failure. That, it seems to me, is where the really exciting discoveries happen. How great would it be if all Ohio State students had that capacity and mindset?  

We’re planning to launch an app this fall that will offer people a guided tour of the public art on our campuses. My hope is it will be really informative, look great, and help raise awareness of some of the terrific work we have.

We never refuse to accept gifts for scholarships or research experiences, but I would also encourage alumni who work in the arts, or whose companies are looking for students, to reach out. And, of course, we’d love it if, when you come home for a football game, you take in an exhibition at the Wexner Center or Hopkins Hall Gallery, hear a concert in the new Timashev building, or see a dance performance. We have so much to offer — and I need help spreading the word!