Press Release

December 13, 2019 | By Cole Hatcher

Ohio Wesleyan University Announces January 2020 Events

DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University today announced its January 2020 lineup of public events. For the most up-to-date OWU event information, visit www.owu.edu/calendar or “like” www.facebook.com/OhioWesleyanUniversityNews. For a list of Battling Bishop athletics events, visit www.battlingbishops.com.

Jan. 15 through Feb. 9 – “Bijoux Contemporains: Francophone Artists Reimagine Adornment,” featuring works by 13 jewelers from French-speaking countries in Canada and Europe, at the Richard M. Ross Art Museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Each creator reimagines the ways art and jewelry inform one another in a contemporary context. The exhibit is organized by Noel Guyomarc’h in collaboration with Erin Fletcher, director of the Ross Art Museum; Mary Anne Lewis Cusato, associate professor of modern foreign languages; and Cynthia Cetlin, professor of fine arts. Featured jewelers are Marianne Anselin, Marie Eve Castonguay, Ambroise Degenève, Gabrielle Desmarais, Catherine Granche, Aurelie Guillaume, Sophie Hanagarth, Patricia LeMaire, Nelly Van Oost, Claude Schmitz, Catherine Sheedy, Magali Thibault-Gobeil, and Anne-Sophie Vallée. Watch more about the exhibit on WOSU-TV’s “Broad & High.” When classes are in session, 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 will be closed for winter break from Dec. 13 through Jan. 14. The Ross is handicap-accessible and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit www.owu.edu/ross for more information.

Jan. 15 through Feb. 9 – “Figuring Our Humanity,” featuring two-dimensional prints and three-dimensional ceramic works that invite the viewers to contemplate the expressive, unique, and timeless visual qualities of the human figure, and the idea of humanity, at the Richard M. Ross Art Museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. The exhibition is curated by Kristina Bogdanov, associate professor of fine arts, and OWU alumna Tammy Wallace, assistant director of the museum. The exhibit includes ceramic artists Jim Bowling, Sarah Hahn, Kyle and Kelly Phelps, Tara Polansky, Richard Swanson, Paul Wandless, and Janis Mars Wunderlich along with prints from Ohio Wesleyan’s permanent collection by Leonard Baskin, Peter Blake, Wanda Ewing, Dorothy Getz, Alberto Giacometti, Toshijiro (Nenjiro) Inagaki, Karl Kasten, Oskar Kokoschka, Kathe Kollwitz, Georges Rouault, Arthur Segal, Sadao Watanabe, and Janis Mars Wunderlich. Special events planned in connection with the exhibition include figure-drawing classes at 7 p.m. Jan. 23 and Feb. 6. Classes are free for OWU students with a valid school ID and $5 for all others. When classes are in session, 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 will be closed for winter break from Dec. 13 through Jan. 14. The Ross is handicap-accessible and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit www.owu.edu/ross for more information.

7 p.m. Jan. 18 – The OWU Middle School Honor Band Festival, featuring nearly 175 middle school musicians from across Ohio, in Gray Chapel inside University Hall, 61 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Membership in the Honor Band was competitive, with students selected based on musicianship and attitude. Because of the number of students selected, they will perform as two bands, conducted by Mary Kate McNally, OWU Marching Band director; Richard Edwards, associate professor of music; and Yuji Jones, band director for Marion City Schools’ Grant Middle and Harding High schools. Songs scheduled to be performed include “Sunchaser” by Carol Brittin Chambers, “Woven” by 2007 OWU alumna Nicole Piunno, “Ancient Flower” by Yukiko Nishimura, and “The Devil’s Workshop” by Kimberly Archer. Admission is free. Learn more at www.owu.edu/music. Watch the video.

Jan. 19 and 20 – 2020 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration

  • 3 p.m. Jan. 19 – The 35th annual MLK worship service, at Delaware City Vineyard, 32 Troy Road, Delaware. The free event will feature remarks from the Rev. Dr. Ervin Smith, emeritus professor of Christian ethics at the Methodist Theological School in Ohio.
  • 7:45 a.m. Jan. 20 – The 27th annual MLK Breakfast Celebration, sponsored by Ohio Wesleyan and the Delaware County Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Committee, in the Benes Room of OWU’s Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Korie L. Edwards, Ph.D., associate professor of sociology at The Ohio State University, will serve as featured speaker. Edwards is a leading scholar of race and religion in the United States. Her books include “The Elusive Dream: The Power of Race in Interracial Churches” and “Against All Odds: The Struggle for Racial Integration in Religious Organizations.”

The breakfast buffet will open at 7:45 a.m., followed by the program from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Individual tickets are $25, with eight-person table sponsorships available for $175. Proceeds support MLK Celebration Committee initiatives, including the MLK Scholarship, awarded to outstanding graduates of Delaware City and County schools. Tickets may be purchased online at 2020MLKBreakfastDelaware.eventbrite.com or by mail at: Office of the University Chaplain, Attention: Sharon Hayes, OWU/HWCC 308, Delaware, OH 43015. Reservations and payment are requested before Jan. 10. Checks should be payable to the MLK Celebration Committee. A limited number of tickets may be available at the door, but the event has sold out in year’s past. For more information, contact Hayes at sehayes@owu.edu or (740) 368-3083.

8 p.m. Jan. 24, and 31 – 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 star gazing 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. 

Jan. 25 – Bishop Backers Winter Community Day 2020

Admission to all activities is free with a canned food or monetary donation to benefit the hunger alliance. Parking is free and available in all OWU lots. The expo will be held inside Gordon Field House, 105 S. Sandusky St., Delaware, and the basketball games in the adjacent Branch Rickey Arena.

  • Noon to 3:30 p.m. – Delaware Expo of area nonprofit organizations and businesses, featuring:
    • Children’s activities from the Delaware Community Center YMCA
    • Columbus Zoo and Aquarium animal ambassadors (2:15-3:15 p.m.)
    • Dogs from the Humane Society of Delaware County
    • Free raffle drawings for a big-screen TV and other items
    • 50/50 raffles to benefit the Delaware County Hunger Alliance
  • 1 p.m. – OWU women’s basketball game vs. the Allegheny College Gators of Meadville, Pennsylvania
  • 3 p.m. – OWU men’s basketball game vs. the Allegheny Gators

Learn more or register for an expo exhibitor’s table before Jan. 10 at www.owu.edu/BishopBackers.


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.