Magical Moments
Ohio Wesleyan University Announces April 2023 Calendar of Public Events
DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University today announced its April 2023 lineup of public events. Unless otherwise noted, admission is free.
March 30 through April 1 – Ohio Wesleyan hosts its first Melvin Van Peebles Symposium to honor the life and legacy of the 1953 OWU graduate and accomplished filmmaker whose work broke through the boundaries of race and gender. The symposium will feature film screenings and academic and artistic presentations about his work and its impact. Actress-dancer-director Jasmine Guy (“A Different World”) will serve as keynote speaker. Additional speakers will include award-winning writer Wil Haygood, author of “Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Films in a White World,” and academic, author, and artist Simone Drake, an Ohio State University professor who helped to edit the book “Are You Entertained?: Black Popular Culture in the Twenty-First Century.” DJ O Sharp and Marshall L. Shorts Jr. also are part of the symposium. General admission tickets are $115 per person. Discounts are available for large groups and for Ohio Wesleyan alumni, students and employees. For more information, visit owu.edu/VanPeebles.
3 p.m. April 2 – Ohio Wesleyan Choral Art Society and Chamber Choir, conducted by faculty member Jason Hiester, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. Learn more at owu.edu/PerformingArts.
4:15 p.m. April 6 – British literary scholar and critic Christopher Ricks, author of “Along Heroic Lines,” presents Ohio Wesleyan’s 2023 Carpenter Lecture, in the Milligan Room of Slocum Hall, 75 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. In “Along Heroic Lines,” Ricks writes essays that explore heroics and the heroic. Critics say his works are “full of verbal fireworks, witty quick-changing tones, highly stimulating to say the least.” In addition, he has written numerous essays on the works of Tennyson, T.S. Eliot, Keats, Beckett, and even Bob Dylan. Ricks currently teaches at Boston University and formerly served as faculty at Bristol, Cambridge, and Oxford University. The annual Katherine Kearney Carpenter Lecture is sponsored by OWU’s Department of English. Admission is free. Guests are requested to wear facial coverings during this event. Learn more at owu.edu/English.
8 p.m. April 7, 14, 21, and 28 – Friday night guest nights, at Perkins Observatory, 3199 Columbus Pike (U.S. 23), Delaware. Content varies based on weather conditions, but may include a planetarium show, observatory tours, and stargazing with the 32-inch Schottland Telescope. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 on the day of the event and at the door. Reserve tickets by calling (740) 363-1257. Learn more at owu.edu/Perkins.
7 p.m. April 13 – Telescope workshop, “Binocular Basics – Using Binoculars to Augment Your Telescope Observing,” at Perkins Observatory, 3199 Columbus Pike (U.S. 23), Delaware. The observatory is offering a series of monthly workshops between February and May to help participants become experienced telescope observers. The remaining two-hour workshop is May 11, “Advanced Observing Techniques – Lunar, Deep Sky, and Solar Observing.” Workshop tickets are $30 per session. Reserve tickets by calling (740) 363-1257. Learn more at owu.edu/Perkins.
7:30 p.m. April 13-15 and April 21-22 – “Xanadu,” with a book by Douglas Carter Beane and music and lyrics by Jeff Lynne and John Farrar. Set in 1980, “Xanadu” follows the journey of a magical and beautiful Greek muse, Kira, who descends from the heavens of Mount Olympus to Venice Beach, California, on a quest to inspire a struggling artist, Sonny, to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time – the first roller disco! (Hey, it’s 1980!) When Kira falls into forbidden love with the mortal, her jealous sisters take advantage of the situation, and chaos abounds. Directed by faculty member Brian Granger, “Xanadu” will be performed in Ohio Wesleyan’s Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Admission is free for everyone for all performances, but seating is limited and reservations are requested. To reserve tickets, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts or call the box office at (740) 368-3855 beginning two weeks before the show debuts.
April 15 through May 13 – The annual Fine Arts senior exhibit, “Kaleidoscope,” with works by nine OWU Class of 2023 graduates, at the Richard M. Ross Art Museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. All pieces are juried and selected by OWU professors. The exhibit will open with a public reception from 5-7 p.m. Saturday, April 15. During the academic year, the Ross 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. The Ross is handicap-accessible and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit owu.edu/Ross for more information.
April 16-May 12 – Paintings by Ohio Wesleyan professor emeritus Marty Kalb, recipient of a newly announced 2023-2024 Individual Excellence Award from the Ohio Arts Council, at the Richard M. Ross Art Museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. The state award celebrates the creativity and imagination that exemplify the highest level of achievement in the Fine Arts. Kalb’s upcoming exhibit includes paintings that capture the ocean as it interacts with the tides, wind, and shore. Each image isolates a single moment in time, reminding viewers of the force of the ocean and the changeable nature of water. A Delaware resident, Kalb taught painting, drawing, and modern art history in OWU’s Department of Fine Arts from 1967 to 2007. Learn more about him and his work at martykalb.com. During the academic year, the Ross 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. The Ross is handicap-accessible and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit owu.edu/Ross for more information.
3 p.m. April 16 – Ohio Wesleyan senior recital featuring David Gale, violin, in Jemison Auditorium inside Sanborn Hall, 23 Elizabeth St., Delaware. Admission is free. Learn more at owu.edu/PerformingArts.
7 p.m. April 16 – Ohio Wesleyan senior recital featuring Tiyinoluwa Olushola-Alao, composition, in Jemison Auditorium inside Sanborn Hall, 23 Elizabeth St., Delaware. Admission is free. For more information, visit owu.edu/PerformingArts.
8 p.m. April 18 – Ohio Wesleyan departmental and composition studio recital, in Jemison Auditorium inside Sanborn Hall, 23 Elizabeth St., Delaware. Admission is free. Learn more at owu.edu/PerformingArts.
8 p.m. April 20 – Ohio Wesleyan’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble, conducted by faculty member Christopher Lizak, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. Learn more at owu.edu/PerformingArts.
3 p.m. April 23 – Ohio Wesleyan Chamber Orchestra concert, conducted by faculty member Deborah Price, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. Learn more at owu.edu/PerformingArts.
4:15 p.m. April 25 – Elissa Washuta, nonfiction writer and member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe, reads from her latest book, “White Magic,” in the Milligan Room of Slocum Hall, 75 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. “White Magic” was a finalist for the PEN/Open Book Award, longlisted for the PEN/Jean Stein Award, and named among 2021’s best books by Time magazine, the New York Public Library, and NPR. According to its Kirkus Starred Review, “White Magic” is a “fascinating magic trick of a memoir that illuminates a woman’s search for meaning.” An assistant professor of creative writing at The Ohio State University, Washuta also is the author of “Starvation Mode” and “My Body Is a Book of Rules,” and she is co-editor of the anthology “Shapes of Native Nonfiction: Collected Essays by Contemporary Writers.” Her honors include a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a Creative Capital award, and the Artist Trust Arts Innovator Award. A question-and-answer session and book signing will follow her reading. Admission is free. Learn more about Washuta at washuta.net and more about OWU’s Department of English at owu.edu/English.
8 p.m. April 25– Ohio Wesleyan’s Park Avenue Jazz Ensemble, conducted by instructor Kevin Turner, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Admission is free. Learn more at owu.edu/PerformingArts.
7 p.m. April 28 – Terpsicorps 22/23 student dance concert, in Chappelear Drama Center, 45 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Admission is free. Learn more at owu.edu/PerformingArts.
All Ohio Wesleyan public event information is subject to change. For the latest updates, visit owu.edu/calendar or “like” www.facebook.com/OhioWesleyanUniversityNews. For more Battling Bishop athletics events, visit battlingbishops.com.
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 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives” and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “Best Colleges” lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.