March 2020
Ohio Wesleyan Announces University’s Upcoming Public Events
Note: The events on this page through the end of the month have been canceled due to ongoing COVID-19 (coronavirus) developments. For more information, visit our COVID-19 (coronavirus) Information page.
DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University today announced its March 2020 lineup of public events. Unless otherwise noted, admission is free. For the latest OWU event information, visit www.owu.edu/calendar or “like” www.facebook.com/OhioWesleyanUniversityNews. For Battling Bishop athletics events, visit www.battlingbishops.com.
Feb. 25-April 5 – “From the Studio,” featuring new creations by Ohio Wesleyan’s fine arts faculty members, at the Richard M. Ross Art Museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. The exhibit will include works in clay, metal, painting and drawing, fabric, photography, printmaking, and sculpture by OWU’s Kristina Bogdanov, Cynthia Cetlin, Frank Hobbs, James Krehbiel, Jeffrey Nilan, and Jonathan Quick. Learn more about the artists at www.owu.edu/finearts. During the academic year, the museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. It will be closed March 8 through March 16 for spring break. The museum is handicap-accessible and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit www.owu.edu/ross for more information.
4 p.m. March 3 – Poet, novelist, essayist, and critic Ben Lerner, M.F.A., reads from his works, in Room 301 of Merrick Hall, 65 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. A professor of English at Brooklyn College, Lerner’s latest novel, “The Topeka School,” was one of the top 10 novels of 2019. His first novel, “Leaving the Atocha Station,” won the 2012 Believer Book Award, and excerpts from his second, “10:04,” earned The Paris Review’s Terry Southern Prize. One of his poetry collections, “Angle of Yaw,” was a finalist for the National Book Award for Poetry. His presentation is OWU’s 2020 Katherine Kearney Carpenter Lecture sponsored by the Department of English. Admission is free. Learn more at www.owu.edu/english.
8 p.m. March 6, 13, 20, and 27 – Evening programs at Ohio Wesleyan’s Perkins Observatory, 3199 Columbus Pike (U.S. 23), Delaware. Content varies based on sky conditions, but may include a planetarium show, observatory tours, and stargazing with the 32-inch Schottland Telescope. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Reserve tickets by calling (740) 363-1257. Learn more and get driving directions at www.owu.edu/perkins.
8 p.m. March 17 – “400: An Afrikan Epic” guest concert featuring acclaimed composer, recording artist, drummer, activist, and educator Mark Lomax II, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. “400” is a Lomax’s landmark exploration of the ancient history, 400-year struggle, and inspired future of Black America. Of the recording, The Borderland (UK) proclaims, “I can’t think of any other album … that is this breathtaking.” Admission is free. Learn more at www.owu.edu/music.
7 p.m. March 18 – Ric S. Sheffield, J.D., professor of sociology and legal studies at Kenyon College, discusses “Race and the Right to Vote in Ohio: A New Look at the Old Struggle for Inclusion,” in Room 301 of Merrick Hall, 65 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Sheffield previously served as an assistant attorney general for the State of Ohio as a civil rights attorney and as chief of the state’s consumer protection division. His research interests include the right to a fair trial, free speech and the press, and African American social and legal history. Sheffield’s presentation is OWU’s 2020 Butler A. Jones Lecture Series on Race and Society established by the Department of Sociology/Anthropology. Admission is free. Learn more at www.owu.edu/soan.
7:30 p.m. March 19 – Muhammad Qasim Zaman, Ph.D., the Niehaus Professor of Near Eastern Studies and Religion at Princeton University, discusses “Islam, Political Power, and Religious Authority,” in Room 301 of Merrick Hall, 65 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Zaman has written on Islamic political and legal thought, on institutions and traditions of learning in Islam, and on the flow of ideas between South Asia and the Arab Middle East. His latest books are “Modern Islamic Thought in a Radical Age: Religious Authority and Internal Criticism,” and “Islam in Pakistan: A History.” His current projects include a book on South Asia and the wider Muslim world in the 18th and 19th centuries. Zaman’s presentation is the 130th Merrick Lecture sponsored by the OWU Department of Religion. Admission is free. Learn more at www.owu.edu/religion.
7 p.m. March 20 – Ohio Wesleyan student recital featuring Jasmine Spitzer, voice, in Jemison Auditorium inside Sanborn Hall, 23 Elizabeth St., Delaware. Admission is free. Learn more at www.owu.edu/music.
3:15 p.m. March 22, 2020 – Guest recital featuring Ling-ju Lai, piano, in Jemison Auditorium inside Sanborn Hall, 23 Elizabeth St., Delaware. Admission is free. Learn more at www.owu.edu/music.
Noon March 24 – Ohio Wesleyan student recital featuring Taryn Barnes, flute, and Hannah Treadway, clarinet, in Jemison Auditorium inside Sanborn Hall, 23 Elizabeth St., Delaware. Admission is free. Learn more at www.owu.edu/music.
8 p.m. March 24 – Ohio Wesleyan Park Avenue Jazz Ensemble concert, conducted by faculty member Kevin Turner, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. Learn more at www.owu.edu/music.
4 p.m. March 25 – Groundbreaking poet, editor, critic, and activist Charles Bernstein receives an honorary degree, Ohio Wesleyan’s highest honor, at 4 p.m. and reads from his poetry collections at 5 p.m., in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. A book signing will follow. A retired professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, Bernstein has written more than 20 books of poetry and earned recognition including Yale University’s 2019 Bollingen Prize for American Poetry, the Roy Harvey Pearce/Archive for New Poetry Prize, and fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. In 2006, he was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. The Poetry Foundation describes his work as exploring “the wide-ranging uses of language within diverse social contexts. His poetry combines the language of politics, popular culture, advertising, literary jargon, corporate-speak, and myriad others to show how language and culture are mutually constructive and interdependent.” Books will be available for sale at the event. Admission is free. Learn more at www.owu.edu/english.
7 p.m. March 26 – Professor and author Alex Alvarez, Ph.D., discusses “Nations and Nationalism in a Warming World: Genocidal Risk in an Era of Climate Change,” in Benes Room B of OWU’s Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware. A criminology and criminal justice professor at Northern Arizona University, Alvarez’s latest book, “Unstable Ground: Climate Change, Conflict, and Genocide,” explores issues including record heat, drought, and access to natural resources. The book provides a foundation for his OWU presentation. The event represents Ohio Wesleyan’s 2020 Robert Kragalott Lecture on Genocide, Mass Atrocity, and Human Rights. Admission is free. Learn more at www.owu.edu/history.
8 p.m. March 27-28 – Ohio Wesleyan’s Spring Senior Project Production featuring “Frenesí/Ilusión” inspired by Teatro Inverso’s “Rosauro” and adapted from Calderón de la Barca’s classic “Life is a Dream.” Presented by seniors Sarah Gielink and Monty Almoro, the play explores the journey of Rosaura and Prince Segismundo in a coming-of-age story about family, power, and finding yourself. “Frenesí/Ilusión” will be performed in the Studio Theatre inside Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Tickets are free, but required because of limited seating. To reserve tickets, call the box office at (740) 368-3855. For more information, visit www.owu.edu/TheatreAndDance.
3:15 p.m. March 29 – “Mozart’s Requiem,” performed by the Ohio Wesleyan Choral Art Society with special guests including tenor Benjamin Bunsold, OWU Class of 1995, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Conducted by OWU faculty member Jason Hiester, the concert also will feature the Chancel Choir of Linworth United Methodist Church and soloists Catherine Goode (soprano), Raphaella Medina (mezzo soprano), and Scott Clark (bass). OWU alumnus Bunsold has over a 20-year performance resume singing operatic and concert engagements. His recent performances include Roméo (“Roméo et Juliette”) for Center Stage Opera in California. He also has performed at venues including the Fairbanks Symphony in Alaska, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera in Illinois, Kalamazoo Orchestra, and Drei Groschen Oper in Munich, Germany. Admission is free. Learn more at www.owu.edu/music.
7 p.m. March 31 – Political scientist Joshua Rovner, Ph.D., discusses “Democracy in the Shadow of Foreign Meddling,” in Benes Rooms A and B of OWU’s Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware. An associate professor at the School of International Service at American University, Rovner specializes in intelligence, strategy, and U.S. foreign policy. He is the author of “Fixing the Facts: National Security and the Politics of Intelligence” and a co-editor of “Chaos in the Liberal Order: The Trump Presidency and International Politics in the Twenty-First Century.” His presentation represents OWU’s 2020 John Kennard Eddy Memorial Lecture on World Politics sponsored by the International Studies Program and the Department of Politics and Government. Admission is free. Learn more at www.owu.edu/internationalstudies.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 90 undergraduate majors and competes in 25 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through Ohio Wesleyan’s signature OWU Connection program, students integrate knowledge across disciplines, build a diverse and global perspective, and apply their knowledge in real-world settings. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives” and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.