2011 ISSUE 2
ASCENT NEWS FROM THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE MFA Theatre student, Moopi Mothibeli traveled from Cape Town to our town to find his acting voice.{page 6}
in this ISSUE
4
MISS ALEX SHAKES IT OUT Bringing the power of dance to local students
OHIO STATE AND THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE
6
Moopi Mothibeli (pictured at right on cover) is at home wherever he performs
HAMLET INVADES COLUMBUS {pg. 8}
8 9
SUMMER READING Published books and recommendations from faculty MARK SHANDA TAKES THE STAGE Meet our new dean of arts and humanities
HOLLYWOOD TO BOLLYWOOD
MATT BAIN’S ANIMATED ADVENTURE FOR DREAMWORKS
12
OUT OF THE FIELD AND INTO THE CLASSROOM Student veterans settle into college life { }
REVEALING THE PAST
A LOOK INSIDE THE MUSEUM OF CLASSICAL ARCHAEOLOGY
16
10 14
THE CAMOUFLAGE PROJECT An interdisciplinary endeavor in three parts DOG CATCHERS AT ACCAD Science and art tackle medical mysteries
HONORING OUR OWN
THE OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS OF OUR FACULTY AND ALUMNI
18 { } Watch the TITAN ARUM bloom at artsandsciences.osu.edu.
ASCENT A MESSAGE FROM DEAN STEINMETZ
WELCOME to the College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio State.
THE ACT OR I wish that all of you could be here right now. Ohio State in spring is THE place to be. Even Shakespeare is coming.
PROCESS OF ASCENDING; ADVANCEMENT
From my window, I can see hyacinth blossoms swaying in the breeze and students playing Frisbee on the Oval. It is a time of promises kept, as another group of our best and brightest head into the world to make a difference. Spring works its magic all across campus. This issue abounds with stories embodying the generous, global, hopeful spirit of Ohio State, such as dance major Alex Powers who takes the magic of dance to physically-impaired 6th graders; the journey of South African theatre student, Moopi Mothibeli; and a trio of undergraduates visiting our new China “Gateway.” You will also meet a passionate advocate for the arts and humanities, our new Dean of Arts and Humanities, Mark Shanda. Enjoy the spring. Please let us hear from you.
For us, ASCENT reflects the amazing potential and value of an Ohio State arts and sciences education. The Buckeye experience is powerful, transformative, and stays with us throughout our lives, reaching far beyond geographic borders. We want to share these stories with you—and we hope that you’ll share your stories, ideas, and feedback with us. (Contact information below.)
CIRCULATION To maximize our outreach to alumni, while remaining committed to responsible fiscal stewardship, we print ASCENT three times a year. One third of our alumni will be mailed an issue with each printing; all of our alumni will receive a print version once a year. This allows us to tailor our content to our three areas: Social and Behavioral Sciences, Natural and Mathematical Sciences, and Arts and Humanities. All alumni for whom we have email addresses (45%) will receive the e-newsletter for each edition and also can access these stories on our website, artsandsciences.osu.edu/ascent. PRINT Please contact us to receive all three issues of this publication in print. eNEWS Send us your email address to receive the html issue of ASCENT.
Joseph Steinmetz | Executive Dean and Vice Provost Peter March | Interim Divisional Dean, Natural and Mathematical Sciences Mark Shanda | Divisional Dean, Arts and Humanities Gifford Weary | Divisional Dean, Social and Behavioral Sciences Libby Eckhardt | Chief Communications Officer Elizabeth Tarpy Alcade | Communications Director Greg Bonnell | Sr. Visual Communications Specialist Eva Dujardin Dale | Sr. Visual Communications Specialist Victoria Ellwood | Communications Director Shantay Piazza | Communications Specialist
photo: Stephen Wolfe
Sandi Rutkowski | Communications Director Karin Samoviski | Visual Communications Specialist
JOSEPH E. STEINMETZ, PhD Executive Dean and Vice Provost College of Arts and Sciences The Ohio State University
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 186 University Hall 230 N. Oval Mall Columbus, Ohio 43210 asccomm@osu.edu
artsandsciences.osu.edu
3
MISS ALEX SHAKES IT OUT Alex Powers’ students sing and bop along to the beat of the song, stretching their arms in the air with movements in synch with Powers and with one another.
On a rainy, early spring day in central Ohio, ALEX POWERS, a fourth-year student in the Department of Dance, arrives in the ground-oor classroom for kids with orthopedic impairments at Indianola Informal K-8 just north of campus. Moments later a parade of children enters, most in wheelchairs or with walkers, some assisted by an aide. As soon as they spy Alex, their faces brighten with big smiles. With lots of chatter and giggling, and more than a few hugs, they get started on another Tuesday with Miss Alex. For her senior project, Powers, a dance major with a physical therapy emphasis, is bringing dance to the class one day a week. Most of the children involved have cerebral palsy, and are in the 6th grade.
4
OUR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO FOCUS COURSES AND A FINAL PROJECT AROUND THEIR OWN INTERESTS. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE MANY EXTRAORDINARY, CREATIVE {Susan Petry, chair of the Department of Dance} APPLICATIONS OF DANCE WE SEE FROM OUR STUDENTS. “I’m really interested in how dance can relate to their physical movement,” Powers said. “I want to help them move as much as they can, and have fun too. They really get excited about it, although some of them think I’m a little cuckoo!” Powers went into the class thinking she’d have them explore more serious musical styles and movement. But she quickly realized that she would have to use something that is current and really speaks to the children. “They absolutely love Justin Bieber, so we are all working together to choreograph a dance to his song, Baby,” she said.
Their teacher, Lindsay Sapp, sees a lot of value in Powers’ visits. “The students have grown in their knowledge of different movements as well as expressing themselves musically,” she said. “They’ve also grown as a group,
and have learned to interact with each other in a more positive, supportive way. They love Alex, and she’s done a wonderful job of accommodating their different needs and getting them engaged.”
HAITIAN EMPOWERMENT PROJECT MOLLY FARRELL, assistant professor in English, collects oral history narratives in the Noailles tent community in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti. Farrell said, THIS
EXPERIENCE IS ALL ABOUT LEARNING TOGETHER. WE’RE HERE TO LISTEN TO THEIR STORIES, SHARE INTELLECTUAL RESOURCES AND INITIATE A DIALOGUE THAT WILL ALLOW US TO COMMIT TO EDUCATION IN HAITI AND OHIO STATE.
As soon as the music cues, she stands at the front of the class as she shouts out the next part of the dance — “Shake it out! Make a heart! Give yourself a hug! Rock the baby!” The happy students sing and bop along to the beat of the song, stretching their arms in the air with movements in synch with Powers and with one another. After running through the choreography a few times, Powers, the students, and even the aides, join in for some rather noisy and definitely upbeat freestyle dancing to a few Michael Jackson and Beyoncé tunes.
photo: Jo McCulty
“Everyone pitches in to choreograph the dance,” she said. “It’s great to watch them get excited about something maybe they’ve never done before. Their range of motion has improved a lot, and they really feel a sense of accomplishment.” Learn more about the Haiti Empowerment Project at haiti.osu.edu
OHIO STATE AND SHAKESPEARE 6
The Ohio State University and the UK’s Royal Shakespeare Company have joined together in a unique, international partnership for education, research, and performance.
ALL THE WORLD’S A S
THIS FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND COLLABORATION IS CENTERED ON GUEST ARTIST RESIDENCIES, AND A COMPELLING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR K-12 TEACHERS AND TEACHING ARTISTS IN OHIO, ROOTED IN THE RSC’S STAND UP FOR SHAKESPEARE PROGRAM. The endeavor is already having a profound impact in schools across the state, reaching more than 3,000 children in its first two years. Ohio State also has joined with Lincoln Center Festival and Park Avenue Armory to bring the Royal Shakespeare Company to New York City for an unprecedented six-week residency in summer 2011. As part of that residency, Ohio State will welcome alumni, friends, faculty, and students to an exclusive performance of Romeo and Juliet, followed by a fundraising gala and cast party, on July 12.
When MOOPI MOTHIBELI was a small child, he lived in an old, segregated section of Johannesburg, South Africa, which, he said, was “widely regarded as the ghetto.” His parents grew tired of the political strife there, and moved the family away from the heart of the turmoil to the suburb of Vereeniging, a mid-sized industrial town south of the city on the banks of the Vaal River. “I grew up in a time when the worst of the upheaval was taking place; the country was just on the brink of democracy,” he said. “When I was young, I was not fully aware of what was happening around me. Looking back now, I see that we were dealing with heavy political tensions every day.” Today, Mothibeli is far from home, but his studies in the Ohio State Department of Theatre’s master of fine arts (MFA) program in acting keep him too busy to be homesick. A LONG WAY FROM HOME “I was doing my undergraduate studies at Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa, which at the time had an exchange partnership program with Ohio State,” said Mothibeli. “Lesley Ferris, a professor from Ohio State, came to our university and guest-directed a production of Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible. I was fortunate
More information is available at artsinitiative.osu.edu.
A STAGE
THE DEPTH OF THE TRAINING HERE IS HELPING ME TO FIND A ‘SENSE OF TRUTH’ WITHIN MY WORK. to be cast in the role of John Proctor. During her stay, Lesley introduced to us Ohio State’s MFA program, which I became very interested in. I always had ambitions to extend my studies abroad to enrich myself as an aspiring artist and student.” “Moopi stood out as a very powerful performer,” Ferris said. “He’s one of the most dedicated students I’ve ever worked with.” Ohio State’s Department of Theatre conducts a three-year MFA program in acting, with a group of nine or 10 students going through the threeyear cycle together. Following a video audition and telephone interview,
left: Moopi Mothibeli and friends at Muizenberg Beach, Cape Town. above: MFA actors Moopi Mothibeli and Charlesanne Rabensburg in Othello.
Mothibeli was on his way to Ohio State to join the group in 2009. Now, he’s finishing up his second year of the program, and recently garnered rave reviews for his role as the lead in Ohio State’s production of Shakespeare’s Othello. ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY Alison Bomber, from the UK’s Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), directed the production while in residency at Ohio State during winter quarter. The Ohio State / RSC partnership focuses on artist residencies and educational
development programs with local schoolteachers and MFA actors. Mothibeli and eight other MFA actors are closely involved in the partnership. Last summer, they traveled to Stratfordupon-Avon in England with 20 local schoolteachers to work with RSC educators and actors in the Stand Up for Shakespeare America program. This spring, he and the other acting students will spend time with teachers and their students in classrooms in Columbus and Reynoldsburg City Schools.
Ohio State has created “Team Buckeye” — a superpeloton captained by Archie Griffin, senior vice president for alumni relations — for this summer’s Pelotonia, raising money for cancer research. Any Ohio State-affiliated participant can join Team Buckeye through pelotonia.org.
Find out more at TEAMBUCKEYE.OSU.EDU
7
HAMLET INVADES COLUMBUS
SUMMER READING SUMMER IS THE PERFECT TIME TO RELAX WITH A GOOD BOOK. Is your reading list ready? Here is a sample of a few of the Arts and Sciences faculty publishing books this summer, and a glimpse of their summer reading list. Read more online at artsandsciences.osu.edu/ascent.
Ohio State is bringing the UK’s renowned Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and its YOUNG PEOPLE’S SHAKESPEARE production of Hamlet to Columbus in June for six performances. The performances will be the North American premiere of the 70-minute production, created especially for young people and families. The Arts Initiative at Ohio State presents the performances with support from the Department of Theatre and CATCO/Phoenix.
BRINGING THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY’S PRODUCTION OF HAMLET TO COLUMBUS REPRESENTS A REMARKABLE OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR COMMUNITY, said President E. Gordon Gee. “It builds on the university’s deep and creative For 8 more information, visit artsinitiative.osu.edu.
collaboration with an unparalleled theatre company and underscores the University’s central role in sustaining and growing artistic expression.” Hamlet, directed by Tarell Alvin McCraney, RSC/Warwick International Playwright in Residence, will be performed twice daily on June 25, 26, and 27 at the Columbus Performing Arts Center—show times are 3 and 7 p.m. on June 25; 1 and 5 p.m. on June 26; and 3 and 7 p.m. on June 27. The earlier shows each day will be followed by a 45-minute workshop; later shows will conclude with a Q & A session. Performances are free but ticketed and will be available in June by calling the Ohio State Theatre box office at (614) 292-2295. As a related event, central Ohio author Lisa Klein will be reading from her book, Ophelia, which is told from the perspective of Hamlet’s Ophelia.
JILL M. BYSTYDZIENSKI, chair and professor, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, author of Intercultural Couples: Crossing Boundaries, Negotiating Difference, published by New York University Press. A rare and comprehensive understanding of the multidimensional experiences of intercultural couples. SUMMER BOOKS: Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth by Margaret Atwood Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin Little Bird of Heaven by Joyce Carol Oates
SUPPORT THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY AT OHIO STATE STAND UP FOR SHAKESPEARE AMERICA AND Give the gift of an Ohio State education, go
LEE MARTIN, professor, English, author of Break the Skin: A Novel, published by Crown Publishing Group. A novel about “wanting to matter to someone, wanting it so badly that you did things you never could have imagined, and you swore they were right — all for the sake of love.” SUMMER BOOKS: Emily, Alone by Stewart O’Nan Green Fields by Bob Cowser The Love of My Youth by Mary Gordon
SEAN O’SULLIVAN, assistant professor, English, author of Mike Leigh. Contemporary Film Directors, 1st edition. University of Illinois Press. This book radically revises the traditional perception of films directed by Mike Leigh, who is best know for Secrets and Lies, Vera Drake, Topsy-Turvy, Naked, Happy-Go-Lucky and Another Year. SUMMER BOOKS: The Moment of Caravaggio by Michael Fried Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (this time, I mean it) Support the STAND UP FOR SHAKESPEARE AMERICA program at the core of the partnership of The Ohio State University and Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as arts outreach at Ohio State. RICA AND ARTS OUTREACH (Fund Number: 313492) ation, go.osu.edu/asc-giveto.
WARREN BENSON MCCORKLE, assistant professor, English, author of Rhetorical Delivery & Technological Discourse, published by Southern Illinois University Press.
JARED GARDNER, associate professor, English, author of Projections: Comics and the History of 21st-Century Storytelling (due this fall), published by Stanford University Press.
An exploration of the symbiotic relationship between delivery and technologies of writing and communication.
Discover the ways in which the comics form has for more than a century experimented with approaches to storytelling.
SUMMER BOOKS: Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World by Jane McGonigal Moving Bodies: Kenneth Burke at the Edges of Language by Debra Hawhee
SUMMER BOOKS: The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood by James Gleick The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
MARK SHANDA TAKES THE STAGE Professor MARK SHANDA was appointed dean of arts and humanities on February 1, 2011 following five years of service as chair of the Department of Theatre. He has been a faculty member of Ohio State’s Department of Theatre for 25 years. “I thought I was going to be a lawyer,” said Shanda in a recent interview. Shanda grew up in Perry, Iowa. His uncle was an attorney and television shows like Matlock and Perry Mason piqued Shanda’s interest in the law. His career path changed in high school, when he was offered the chance to design and build the stage props for a play his freshman year. continued on pg. 11
9
HOLLYWOOD TO BOLLYWOOD
top: The street market in Bangalore; right: Matt Bain on a lunch cruise in India.
Last September, Ohio State alumnus MATT BAIN left the San Francisco Bay area to spend three months in India’s own Silicon Valley, in the bustling, high-tech city of Bangalore. Bain works for DreamWorks Animation in Redwood City, California, creator of animated Shrek and Madagascar franchises, and was stationed in India to help support and train the staff at DreamWorks’ just-opened third animation studio. India was chosen by DreamWorks for a reason. “There’s an incredible amount of talent in India, and this particular area has exploded in the past decade with all sorts of technology, internet companies and a lot of ex-pats,” Bain said. “And with the rich tradition of Bollywood movies, India has a very upand-coming movie industry.” Bain earned his master of fine arts (MFA) from Ohio State in
10
THE STREET MARKET IN BANGALORE IS AN INCREDIBLE MASS OF HUMANITY, WITH VENDORS AND CARTS LOADED WITH EVERYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE — COLORFUL SILK SCARVES AND SARIS, SUGAR CANE, VEGETABLES, JEWELRY, FLOWERS, MEATS, AND LOTS OF SEAFOOD. 2008 in the Department of Design’s digital animation and interactive media program. He studied at Ohio State’s Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD) and upon graduation was immediately hired by DreamWorks Animation. Last fall, Bain and his wife Tracy left for India, where he joined the Final Layout Department at DreamWorks.
Mark Shanda, continued from pg. 9
As a senior in high school, he made his last appearance as an onstage performer, that of a talking fireplace, and he has been working behind the scenes ever since. He was hooked and theatre (design and production) became his passion. Shanda went on to earn a BA in speech/theatre and political science from Iowa State University and an MFA in theatre technology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Shanda served as the resident technical director in the Department of Theatre as well as teaching courses in drafting, technical direction, sound, theatre technology, properties, and metals. He co-authored Drafting for the Theatre, a theatre technology textbook in use by virtually all major theatre programs in the country and is a long-time contributor to Theatre Design and Technology magazine. When he assumed chair of the Department of Theatre, Shanda exchanged the role of a daily, hands-on decision-maker for that of a long-range planner and visionary, which suited him just fine. “I was there to train and support the staff,” Bain said. “In animated films, final layout comes right after rough layout is finished. It’s our job to support the other departments down the line, including camera moves, stereography (3D animation), set dressing (adding sets like buildings, trees and rocks), and the animation and lighting departments.” The Bains returned to California in late December, and Matt is now at work on the film Madagascar 3, scheduled to be released in 2012. He is not the only Buckeye at the studio; Bain regularly runs into other Ohio State alumni in the hallways. “ACCAD does a great job of giving students a solid foundation for all aspects of the animation pipeline,” he said. “It also let me explore my own interests – animation and music visualization. That’s what got DreamWorks Animation interested in me; I was actually hired about four or five months before I graduated!” ve
On weekends, Matt and Tracy explored Bangalore and its bustling outdoor markets, visited nearby villages, and even went on safari. “It’s definitely worth seeing how a different part of the world lives,” he said. “You can see pictures of a place, but nothing compares to being there, seeing it, hearing it, smelling it, tasting it. . . even if you get violently ill from eating something from a street vendor that you shouldn’t have.”
“There is always more than one answer to a question,” explained Shanda. I
AM AMAZED AT THE LEVEL OF CREATIVE AND ANALYTICAL THINKING THAT RESULTS WHEN YOU LOOK AT A PROBLEM FROM MULTIPLE ‘WHAT IF’ PERSPECTIVES. As dean of arts and humanities, Shanda will be juggling the interests and demands of over 6,000 students, 500+ faculty, and a large staff spread out over 21 departments. “I am an advocate for the arts and humanities,” Shanda stated. “My greatest challenge is to enable and inspire excellence in our faculty, staff, and students and identify those connections across departments and colleges that will redefine Ohio State as a national and international leader for innovative research and teaching.” Join fellow Buckeyes for the College of Arts and Sciences Tailgate Party Saturday, Sept. 10. Registration opens in July; a limited supply of football tickets for Ohio State vs. Toledo will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Details can be found at artsandsciences.osu.edu/alumni.
11
OUT OF THE FIELD AND INTO THE CLASSROOM Student veteran and VLC participant, Chad McMahon served four years with the Marine Corps before enrolling as a student. “Leaving the military and going straight to college is pretty overwhelming,” he said. YOU
COME FROM AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE YOUR DAYS ARE HEAVILY STRUCTURED, TO AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE YOU’RE RESPONSIBLE FOR CREATING YOUR OWN STRUCTURE. FEW STUDENTS ON CAMPUS HAVE HAD THIS EXPERIENCE. McMahon is working with a long-term study examining how prosthetics can improve the quality of life for veterans with amputations.
It all started three years ago when Lecturer Susan Hanson was teaching Representations of the Experience of War. Although the course had been offered through the Department of Comparative Studies for decades, she realized that the content would be perfect for returning veterans. “Our idea was to offer the class exclusively to veterans,” said Eugene Holland, chair of Comparative Studies. “We wanted an opportunity for them to engage in conversations with other veterans and reflect on the representations of war experience in a variety of media.” Hanson spearheaded an initiative that would become the Veterans Learning Community (VLC). The VLC provides veteran and military students with opportunities to interact with faculty and staff, take special-topic general education curriculum (GEC) courses, and develop and collaborate on undergraduate research projects.
12
“The VLC offers that extra cushion of support that can ease the transition to campus life,” said Art major and Air Force veteran Erica Slone. Slone and fellow veteran, Ash Woolson, received an Idea Lab Grant in 2010 for their exhibition, Visualizing the Experiences of War. For the exhibition, 20 pairs of artists and veterans worked together to create a diverse collection of artwork to communicate the military experience to civilians. “I think that we tend to remember our experiences in fragments initially, but the more we share them with others, the
View exhibit at uas.osu.edu/exhibition/visualizing-experiences-war
by the military as an institution,” she said. “Sharing a bond of educational inquiry with a background in armed service enhances each student’s engagement and adds to the diversity of our university in very positive ways,” said Mark Shanda, divisional dean of arts and humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences. Student veteran Tyler Parks is
majoring in International Studies with a specialization in Security and Intelligence. He started classes in the fall of 2010 and participates in the VLC. Parks said, THE
STUDENT VETERAN POPULATION ON CAMPUS IS INCREASING AND THE VLC AND VETS 4 VETS OFFER A FOUNDATION WE CAN CONTINUE TO EXPAND.
CURRENT STUDENT VETS AT OSU:
1114 Student Veterans; 36 Active Duty Students (Does not include any ROTC students); 240 Military Family members; 99 Employees serving in the National Guard or Reserves; 1050 Employee Self-identified Veterans
VETS 4 VETS
Anna Rice, founder and president of Vets 4 Vets, said, VETERANS
WANT TO HAVE A NORMAL COLLEGE EXPERIENCE, BUT THEY FEEL LIKE IT’S NOT POSSIBLE BECAUSE OTHER STUDENTS MIGHT NOT RELATE TO THEIR AGE, LIFE EXPERIENCE, OR MILITARY BACKGROUND.
left: 2004 in Haswah, Iraq in the Al Anbar province. Chad McMahon was on watch behind a machine gun. above: (top) A sculpture by photography MFA
{ } candidate Ashley Moore, Day Patrol, 2010. Moore’s collaborator was Iraq and Afghanistan veteran and Marine Corpsman, Jesse Launch. (bottom) Hanging jackets contributed by The War Experience Project founder and wIraq veteran Rick Lawson. right: Anna Rice, Army Veteran and founder and president of Vets 4 Vets
more we begin to understand them and gain perspective,” said Slone.
Rice came to Ohio State in 2003 but was deployed in 2005. When she returned to campus nearly two years later most of her friends had graduated and she wanted to connect with the university outside of the classroom.
Dorothy Noyes is associate professor of English and Comparative Studies and director of the Center for Folklore Studies, which was an early sponsor of the VLC. “Susan’s students have done especially interesting work documenting the rituals and metaphors of military culture, and that helps them to become conscious of how they themselves have been shaped r
While the VLC provides an engaging academic environment for student veterans, Vets 4 Vets creates a social network with opportunities for student veterans to connect with their peers outside of the classroom.
“Our organization is a reminder of the many different types of students learning at Ohio State. Vets 4 Vets makes it possible for us to take a piece of Ohio State and make it our own,” said Rice.
13
REVEALING THE PAST
THE MUSEUM OF CLASSICAL ARCHAEOLOGY
“Archaeology is like a puzzle; it is not so much about finding the pieces, but using them to understand the past,” said Timothy Gregory, professor of history, director of the OSU Excavations at Isthmia, and MUSEUM OF CLASSICAL ARCHAEOLOGY (MoCA) director.
Mesopotamian cuneiforms (400 BC); religious objects; and, artifacts used to construct lavish Roman-period buildings.
“Archaeology is a hands-on discipline; before this museum, there was no way to give students access to the actual artifacts,” said Gregory. Now, we can provide whole classes, or It takes many disciplines to reconstruct and interpret the pieces. individual students, the opportunity to see and work with the MoCA is operated by three departments: Greek and Latin, objects, learning the stories that only they can tell.” History, and History of Art. Artifacts from Greek and Latin’s collection and the OSU Excavations at Isthmia sit side by side. DIG DEEPER PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER: INSIDE MOCA
The Museum of Classical Archaeology, a small, jewel box-like enclosure, hints of hidden treasure, buried secrets and lives lived long ago. Glassed-in shelves exhibit: pottery from all periods including prehistoric Cypriot and Neolithic (4000 BC); iron tools and weapons; examples of ancient writing — Egyptian papyrus,
14
Ohio State is a leader in classical archaeology, one of only a handful of American universities with fieldwork projects in Greece and Italy. Gregory spends several months each year in Greece, where he oversees site maintenance, coordinates projects of scholars from various institutions, and works on his own research. “We are responsible for two million objects. This site amounts For more information visit isthmia.osu.edu.
Timothy Gregory (pictured talking to student at left) spends several months each year in Greece, where he oversees site maintenance, coordinates projects of scholars from various institutions, and works on his own research.
THIS YEAR WE ARE BEGINNING A NEW PROGRAM, ON THE GREEK ISLAND OF KYTHERA, FOCUSING ON ARCHAEOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY. WE HOPE TO INVOLVE STUDENTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AS WELL AS ARTS AND HUMANITIES. NOTE: This is the second in a three-part series on the Museums of the Arts and Sciences. MoCA was established by a grant from the University’s Office of Research in 2005. The objects in the Museum are gifts from private donors. All were legally acquired through authorized channels.
DANCE UPTOWN to an enormous research facility, an archive, with so much data and so many objects that can be studied in so many different ways; it is an incredibly rich resource.” Many of Gregory’s students, both graduate and undergraduate, join him for an unparalleled learning experience.
Experience dancing and drumming, rock and hip-hop at Dance Uptown. The popular spring concert is coming back to campus MAY 26 AND 27. Live performance featuring works by internationally-known choreographers at Ohio State’s top-rated Department of Dance. Advance tickets are available through the Ohio State Theatre Box Office (theatre.osu.edu/boxoffice) and the Wexner Center for the Arts (wexarts.org).
THE ISTHMIA CONNECTION The museum literally connects onsite work at the OSU Excavations at Isthmia with campus studies. “When students and researchers can’t go to Greece digital technology brings Greece to them via OSU Excavations in Greece, where our students and faculty carry out research each year,” Gregory said. “Our vision for the future is to create a virtual museum. We can’t expand by taking in new material, but we can become more interactive and expand via other media.” “The museum also provides access and learning opportunities for the public,” Lita Tzortzopoulou-Gregory said. “A significant number of K-12 students each year take part in activities that focus on archaeological methods and techniques and the art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome.”
15
THE CAMOUFLAGE PROJECT
from left: MFA actors Kevin McClatchy, Ashley Kobza, Aaron Zook, photo: Jim Brown
A three-part interdisciplinary endeavor at Ohio State took a close look at secret agents, camouflage, deception and disguise during World War II. THE CAMOUFLAGE PROJECT, a joint venture with the Department of Theatre and the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD), is giving new meaning to the expression “theater of war.” On one level, the project theatricalizes the history of military camouflage, particularly the Special Operations Executive in France, and the role played by British women secret agents, according to Lesley Ferris, co-director of the performance with Jeanine Thompson, both from the Department of Theatre. It also revealed the artistic side of these activities. A wide variety of artists, such as scenic, costume, and makeup designers, along with vaudeville magicians, were employed to use their theatrical skills to deceive the enemy.
DOG CATCHERS AT ACCAD Growing up in Peru, SUSANA DEL RIO KUROIWA was never particularly fond of dogs, especially large breeds, following an unnerving encounter with a German shepherd mix. These days, del Rio Kuroiwa is finding a new rhythm with big dogs thanks to her work on a unique interdisciplinary research project. Del Rio Kuroiwa, who’s pursuing an MFA in digital animation and interactive media, and studying at the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD), is tracking the movement of Doberman Pinschers in a collaborative project with Ohio State’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “We’re studying the gait of dogs, both healthy Dobermans and those with a disease that affects their movement,” she said. The study, Kinetic and Kinematic Gait Analysis of Doberman Pinschers, is being conducted by Dr. Ronaldo da Costa. Del Rio Kuroiwa, who continues ACCAD’s involvement started by former grad student Neelima Karanam, uses Motion Capture technology to track how the dogs walk, and translating it into an easily visualized computer model. The end result will help better evaluate patients with cervical spondylomyelopathy, or Wobbler’s disease, potentially aiding in the
16
top:A Doberman Pinscher suits up in the Motion Capture Lab. right: Susana del Rio Kuroiwa cleans up the motion capture data for use by researchers.
The collaborative project was conceived by Ferris and Theatre’s Mary Tarantino and was funded by the Mershon Center for International Security Studies and the College of Arts and Sciences. It included, a new, multimedia performance work combining digital animations, mapping, and video projections with live performances in May. A companion exhibition was created parallel to the performance space, and featured historical background on the art of camouflage, and examples of military equipment, disguises, and gadgets. On May 19-21, an international symposium focused on the multiple artistic and instrumental meanings of camouflage, and attracted participants from as far away as London, New York, Glasgow, and Leeds. Plans are underway to tour the project to London in 2012.
Graduate students in the Department of Design have envisioned an inspiring weekend event – the STIR SYMPOSIUM – that will allow participants from many disciplines to collaborate, think, and discover new ways to approach big global issues.
More details are available on the project’s website, camouflage.osu.edu.
Full details, registration information and more are on the Stir website, STIR.OSU EDU.
development of improved treatments. This disease occurs in large and giant breed dogs, as well as horses, and causes compression of the spinal cord in the neck, leading to an unsteady (“wobbly”) and incoordinated gait. “Wobblers affects large breeds, especially Dobermans and Great Danes,” explained Kari Foss, a graduate student at the College of Veterinary Medicine. “We don’t currently have a sound way of assessing dogs to determine the best treatment.”
The OCTOBER 7-9 event, to be held at the Ohio Union, will explore topics such as education, conservation and sustainability, food production and agriculture, transportation, and community/city planning. Stir organizers have issued a CALL FOR PAPERS, with a July 1 deadline. Arts and Sciences faculty members, graduate students, and alumni are invited to participate.
data to a computer, where del Rio Kuroiwa cleans it up so researchers can assess the dog’s gait. “No one else is doing this type of research,” said Foss. “It’s a 3D analysis of the dog’s gait, the joint angles in her elbows and feet, and the sway of her hips.” She said their goal is to measure ten healthy dogs and ten with gait problems.
That’s where ACCAD’s Motion Capture Lab comes in, The project, adds Vita Berezina-Blackburn, ACCAD animation welcoming four-legged visitors to the lab. On a recent Saturday, specialist, is a great collaboration. “Obviously, this sort a 5-year-old Doberman named Logan was the research subject. of research is really valuable for the College of Veterinary “We outfit each dog in a stretchy black, dog-sized suit, and attach reflective markers to the suit,” explained del Rio Kuroiwa Medicine. It’s also great for ACCAD. IT OFFERS A UNIQUE as she carefully placed markers on Logan’s joints and along her EXPERIENCE FOR OUR GRADUATE STUDENTS, spine. The lab is equipped with 12 cameras, each surrounded by a red ring of light. The dog is walked along a straight line in the dark lab, and the red light bounces off the reflective balls. The cameras capture the movements and transfer the
GIVING THEM MOTION CAPTURE EXPERIENCE THAT MAY BE VALUABLE LATER IN CAREERS IN ANIMATION, PUPPETRY, EVEN MOTION-BASED GAMING SYSTEMS.”
17
DANIEL HOBBINS, associate professor of medieval history, is Ohio State’s first faculty member to receive the American Academy in Berlin’s “Berlin Prize.” The American Academy, a premier research destination for scholars in the humanities, social sciences, law, and the fine arts, invites about 20 scholars a year to spend one or two terms in residence.
ANN HAMILTON
SELECTED DISTINGUISHED UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR Arts and Humanities Distinguished Professor ANN HAMILTON was selected as an Ohio State Distinguished University Professor, a title awarded permanently to no more than three exceptional faculty per year. The title recognizes accomplishments in research, scholarly or creative work, teaching, and service that are both distinguished and distinctive. Hamilton will receive a $30,000 one-time cash award to support her academic work. Hamilton is widely recognized as a leading figure in contemporary art. A visual artist artist, she is internationally recognized for the sensory surrounds of her large-scale multi-media installations. Hamilton’s site responsive environments create immersive experiences that poetically respond to the architectural presence and social history of their sites.
photo: Fredrick Marsh 18
Since 1981, Hamilton has participated in over 60 solo and group exhibitions. In 1999 she represented the United States at the 48th Venice Biennale. Evidence of Ohio State’s recognition of Hamilton’s work can be seen in her permanent installation, VERSE, in Ohio State’s landmark space, the William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library. VERSE, a public art project, is a twocolor cork floor laid as a field of words set in relief and located in the Buckeye Reading Room. (pictured) In 2009, Hamilton was inducted into the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1993, she was the only visual artist to receive a MacArthur Fellowship.
Hobbins is the author of several influential articles and the book, Authorship and Publicity Before Print, for which he received the Ohio Academy of History’s book prize and the Jacques Barzun Prize for Cultural Studies from the American Philosophical Society. While in residence, mid-September to midDecember, 2011, Hobbins will pursue a new project — Origins of Print: How Medieval Culture Ushered in the First Media Revolution. JAMES LENAGHAN, doctoral candidate in history, is the first Ohio State student in 10 years to be awarded a dissertation fellowship by the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation. Lenaghan, who was awarded the $20,000 fellowship in 2010, studies with Professor Geoffrey Parker, and is writing his dissertation on state religion and the etiology of insurgent violence in Ireland and PolandLithuania from 1569 to 1649. Yearly grants are awarded via the international competition to support doctoral candidates as they enter the writing stage of their theses,
FACULTY AWARDS
HONORING O
I CANNOT THINK OF A MORE DESERVING AND DEEPLY COMMITTED ARTIST AND PROFESSOR WHO BRINGS SO MUCH LIGHT, HUMANITY, AND PASSION TO EVERYTHING THAT SHE DOES AND EVERYONE SHE TOUCHES. {Olga Viso, director, Walker Art Center}
G OUR OWN enabling them to complete them in a timely manner. IT’S
A GREAT HONOR TO HAVE MY WORK ACKNOWLEDGED BY THIS OUTSTANDING ORGANIZATION, said Lenaghan,
FACULTY AWARDS
who also is a past winner of a presidential fellowship at Ohio State. “It’s also a great reflection on the quality of my Ohio State education.” The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation focuses on research of human violence, aggression, and dominance.
EACH YEAR, THE UNIVERSITY RECOGNIZES AND HONORS FACULTY WHOSE TEACHING AND RESEARCH EXCELLENCE, AS WELL AS EXEMPLARY SERVICE, RAISE THE BAR FOR THEIR PEERS. These awards are
ALUMNI AWARDS An evening to be remembered and the first of many to come, the inaugural College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner on April 29, was a gathering of stellar alumni. The event gave us the opportunity to recognize and honor some of our outstanding alumni who represent the best of Ohio State.
DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT Chester A. Crocker (BA, history, 1963) is a research professor of diplomacy at the School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University. Nancy J. Currie (BS, biological sciences, 1980) is the NESC chief engineer at the NASA Johnson Space Center. John D. Ong (BA, MA, history, 1954) is chairman emeritus of the B.F. Goodrich Company. DISTINGUISHED SERVICE Ronald H. Schild (BS, biology, 1970) serves on the Honors and Scholars Advisory Committee of The Ohio State University Alumni Association Advisory Council.
highly-coveted and well-deserved. Again this year, Arts and Sciences faculty prove their leadership in all three areas, claiming 14 of the 20 awards made. Read the full story at artsandsciences.osu.edu/ascent.
CONGRATULATIONS:
Marilyn Johns Blackwell, Nicholas B. Breyfogle, Lilia Fernández, Timothy E. Gregory, Kay Halasek, Jennifer Higginbotham, Joseph R. Holomuzki, Melissa K. Jungers, Christine Keating, Scott Levi, Junko Shigemitsu, William Theodore (Ted) McDaniel Jr., Edward E. Valentine Jr., Joel D. Wainwright
CELEBRATING CULTURAL CONNECTIONS THE GLOBAL GALLERY, an innovative visual forum sponsored by the World Media and Culture Center, presents online exhibitions and images in the Hagerty Hall lobby. It celebrates diversity and how the differences in cultures can never outweigh the commonalities and the importance of connecting with people. View the online “installations” at WMCC.OSU.EDU/GLOBALGALLERY.
19
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU After you have read our newsletter, please take a few moments to complete our reader survey: artsandsciences.osu.edu/survey
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 186 University Hall 230 N. Oval Mall Columbus, Ohio 43210
artsandsciences.osu.edu
We are committed to creating a dialogue with our readers. However, we currently have access to only 45% of our alumni emails. Please help us serve you better by sending us your email address at asccomm@osu.edu. You may also reach us by mail: Communications Services 1010 Derby Hall 154 N. Oval Mall Columbus, Ohio 43210
GLOBAL GATEWAY ELLIOT STONE, a first-year student studying international relations; DARRILYN MACKLIN, a first-year student majoring in Chinese; and, TESSA XUAN, a third-year biochemistry major (left to right) are looking forward to their first trip to China this summer. They are three of the 13 students joining East Asian Languages professor Mark Bender on a month-long “Global Gateway” study abroad program, where they will explore the diverse and dynamic mix of ethnic, rural and urban cultures in southwest China. The program is based at the Southwest University for Nationalities in Chengdu. Ohio State recently opened the China Gateway, its first international office, in downtown Shanghai. The center will increase opportunities for collaborative research and educational partnerships for faculty, students, and alumni. Follow their experiences this summer on our Facebook page. (Simply go to our website and click on the facebook icon.) For more information visit oia.osu.edu/gateways.
ASCENT is printed on 100% recycled paper using soy-based inks
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Columbus, OH Permit No. 711