Press Release

December 13, 2016 | By Cole Hatcher

Ohio Wesleyan University Announces January 2017 Public Events

DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University today announced its January 2017 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 a schedule of Battling Bishop athletics, visit www.battlingbishops.com.

8 p.m. Jan. 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. Advance tickets are $10 for adults, and $8 for children and senior citizens. Reserve tickets by calling (740) 363-1257. Learn more at www.owu.edu/perkins.

2017 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration: ‘Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?’

  • 3 p.m. Jan. 15 – The 32nd annual worship service will be held at Methodist Theological School in Ohio, 3081 Columbus Pike, Delaware. The featured speaker will be the Rev. Gregory Kendrick Jr., pastor at United Methodist Church for All People in Columbus.
  • 7:45 a.m. Jan. 16 – The 24th annual MLK Breakfast Celebration, sponsored by Ohio Wesleyan University and the Delaware County Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee, will be held in the Benes Room of OWU’s Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware. The featured speaker will be the Rev. Dr. Valerie Bridgeman, founder of Woman Preach Inc. and an associate professor of Homiletics and Hebrew Bible at the Methodist Theological School of Ohio. The breakfast buffet will begin at 7:45 a.m., followed by the program at 8:30 a.m. Individual breakfast tickets are $20, with eight-person table sponsorships available for $160. Tickets may be purchased online at eventbrite.com or by mail via the Ohio Wesleyan Office of Community Service Learning, Attn: Susanna Long, 40 Rowland Ave., HWCC 308, Delaware, Ohio 43015. Reservations and payment are requested before Jan. 6. (A limited number of tickets may be available at the door.) For more information, contact Long at sslong@owu.edu or (740) 203-6812.

Jan. 17-April 2, 2017 – “Sculpture” by Carol Boram-Hays and “Paintings” by Louise Captein, at Ohio Wesleyan’s Richard M. Ross Art Museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware.

  • Boram-Hays, who teaches at Columbus College of Art & Design, uses metal remains reclaimed from industrial sites as well as steel ductwork, conduit, and electrical wiring to create art that explores “our conflicted relationship with industrialized culture.” She casts the metal within concrete poured into forms and then uses mason stains to color their surfaces. Learn more at carolboramhays.com.
  • Captein teaches at Otterbein University and is originally from the Netherlands. Her paintings are based on sketches of brightly colored paper collages. Each painting is an exact copy of the original collage and involves a careful mixing of colors and meticulous application of thin layers of paint to create a smooth surface. Learn more at otterbein.edu/public/About/Faculty/LouiseCaptein.aspx.

An artists’ reception for the two exhibits will be held from 4-6 p.m. Jan. 19 at the museum. During the academic year, the Ross Art 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. The museum is handicap-accessible and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit www.owu.edu/ross for more information.

Jan. 21 Bishop Backers Community Day 2017

This family-friendly event will include children’s activities; a visit from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium; an expo of area organizations and businesses; raffle drawings; and OWU men’s and women’s basketball games. Admission to Community Day, including both basketball games, is free with a canned food donation.

  • Noon-3:30 p.m. – The expo opens in Gordon Field House, 105 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Attendees will learn more about the community, including volunteer opportunities, and enjoy free children’s activities. Food will be available for sale. (Expo registration information is available online at owu.edu/BishopBackers.pdf.
  • 1 p.m. – OWU Women’s Basketball vs. DePauw, in the adjacent Branch Rickey Arena. The game will be streamed live at owu.edu/stream. Learn more at www.battlingbishops.com.
  • 3 p.m. – OWU Men’s Basketball vs. DePauw, in Branch Rickey Arena. The game will be streamed live at owu.edu/stream. Learn more at www.battlingbishops.com.

7 p.m. Jan. 21 – 53rd annual OWU President’s High School Band Festival, featuring high school musicians from around the region and Ohio Wesleyan’s Symphonic Wind Ensemble, conducted by OWU music professor Larry Griffin, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. The event will be streamed live at www.owu.edu/stream. Admission is free. Learn more at www.owu.edu/music.

5 p.m. Jan. 27 – OWU professor Sean Kay, Ph.D., launches his new book, “Rockin’ the Free World!: How the Rock & Roll Revolution Changed America and the World,” with a reception and book-signing, at the Richard M. Ross Art Museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Books will be for sale during the two-hour event, which will include remarks from Kay, professor of politics and government since 1999. Admission is free. Learn more at www.owu.edu/seankay.

7 p.m. Jan. 31 – Richard Steigmann-Gall, Ph.D., associate professor of history at Kent State University, discusses “From Populism to Fascism? What History and Europe Tell about the 2016 American Election,” in Benes Rooms A and B of OWU’s Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Steigmann-Gall is the author of “The Holy Reich: Nazi Conceptions of Christianity, 1919-1945.” His presentation is sponsored by the OWU International Studies Program. 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 nearly 90 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 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,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.