Workshops

Broadbent Gallery | Judy Levin, Curator

Magical Designs for Mozart's Magic Flute is an exhibition conceived and curated by distinguished theatrical and opera designer Judy Levin to compare scenic and costume designs of this much loved opera. These selected productions, extolled for their remarkable visual achievements, speak to the many interpretations given to the opera by scholars over the years, as well as the role of the creative teams in shaping each production.

Since it premiered in 1791, The Magic Flute has inspired countless teams of directors and designers to create imaginative productions beguiling audiences of all ages. It is the tale of Prince Tamino and his efforts to rescue Pamina, the abducted daughter of the Queen of the Night. He is armed with a magic flute given to him by the Three Ladies: accompanied by the Queen's bird-catcher, Papageno, who was given silver bells; guided by Three Boys. Tamino finds Pamina, and after enduring tests and trials, finds enlightenment. The struggle between the dark forces of the Queen of the Night and those of the victorious Sarastro, the high priest of Isis and Osiris, who represents the forces of light, leads to the triumph of reason and virtue. The action of the opera, set to Mozart's sublime music, has delighted audiences worldwide for over two centuries.

The exhibition explores the design concepts of eighteen different productions to the opera, and groups them in the gallery according to the general approach of each production team.

Visit the Exhibition Website

Media Sponsors: WCLV Classical 104.9 Ideastream and Cleveland Magazine

Organized by the Kent State University Museum in partnership with the New York Library for the Performing Arts

2016 @ Infinitum (Create + Lead + Learn) Exhibition opens at Sichuan

This exchange exhibition showcases works of 18 faculty members from Kent State University, joined by works of 18 faculty members from Sichuan University.  The exhibition uses Quick Response Codes to honor unique individual and cultural stories by giving special attention to each artist's portfolio. From late March through April 2016 the exhibition is opened to the Chinese public at the Sichuan University Art Gallery in Chengdu, China.

At the opening reception on Friday 25 March at 3 p.m., Associate Director of KSU Beijing, Mr. David Wei was joined by the Associate Dean, Mr. He Yu of SCU Arts College as the guests of honor. In their speeches, both recognized that this exchange exhibit has served as a wonderful opportunity to foster greater mutual trust and intensified understanding among faculty members from both cultures. The exhibit has traveled from the KSU Museum to Sichuan; prior to this, it was installed in the Stager and Blum Galleries for six month from June 2015 to January 2016.  This project has received generous support from the E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Kent State University Research Council, and the AY 2013/14 Catalyst Project grant from KSU College of the Arts.

Among those present at the opening were a group of KSU students who had arrived at Chengdu that morning after traveling Xi’an and Beijing for a week.  This event was part of the KSU School of Art 2016 Travel-Study to China Program led by Professor Jack McWhorter and Dr. Koon-Hwee Kan.  For the entire day of 25 March, the KSU students interacted with their SCU team members, with whom they have engaged in a lively conversation for more than a month prior to their trip via email.  During their face-to-face interactions they continued the discussion as a team while at the group gathering time, students from both universities presented their I SEE YOU 2.0 Project. These students will be holding their own exhibition to showcase their collaborative art and research projects in late April at the lobby gallery of KSU Fine Arts building at Stark.

Visiting artist Steve Roden will present the lecture "Ways of Making / Ways of Seeing" at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 19, in the Center for the Visual Arts, Room 165. Steve Roden will be on campus May 18-21 as part of the Kent Blossom Art painting and drawing workshop. For more information on the artist, visit http://www.inbetweennoise.com/.

Visiting artist Angela Dufresne will present a lecture at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 27, in the Center for the Visual Arts, Room 165. Angela Dufresne will be on campus May 26-29 as part of the Kent Blossom Art painting and drawing workshop. For more information on the artist, visit http://angeladufresne.com/.

Visiting artist Lauren Gallaspy will present a lecture at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 1, in the Center for the Visual Arts, Room 165. Lauren Gallaspy will be on campus May 30 - June 4 as part of the Kent Blossom Art ceramics workshop. For more information on the artist, visit http://www.laurengallaspy.com/.

Visiting artist Corrie Slawson will present a lecture at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, in the Center for the Visual Arts, Room 165. Corrie Slawson will be on campus June 2-4 as part of the Kent Blossom Art printmaking workshop. For more information on the artist, visit http://corrieslawson.com/.

Visiting artist Adam Field will present a lecture at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8, in the Center for the Visual Arts, Room 165. Adam Field will be on campus June 5-10 as part of the Kent Blossom Art ceramics workshop. For more information on the artist, visit http://www.adamfieldpottery.com/.

Visiting artist Amy Cutler will present the lecture "Peeling the Onion" at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 9, in the Center for the Visual Arts, Room 165. Amy Cutler will be on campus June 9-12 as part of the Kent Blossom Art printmaking workshop. For more information on the artist, visit http://www.tonkonow.com/AC_prints1.html.

 Higbee Gallery | Sara Hume, Curator 

The exhibition, Fashions of Southern Africa, brings together the work of fashion designers currently active in South Africa and Namibia to showcase the ways that people in southern Africa dress, make clothes and think about fashion. The exhibition looks beyond a simple binary between “western fashion” and traditional African dress to see that there is original distinctive fashion in Africa.

News coverage concerning Africa often focuses on the challenges the continent faces with poverty, disease and war. Far less attention is paid to the fact that Africa boasts the fastest growing middle class in the world. With this increasing spending power, sectors such as the fashion industry have the potential to see enormous growth in the years to come. This exhibition brings together established designers and many emerging young designers who represent the region’s future. Fashion is no longer directly dictated out of Paris, New York and London. These brilliant African designers bring fresh perspectives on style and fashion.

The exhibition includes pieces from more than a dozen designers from South Africa and Namibia. The list of South African designers includes established names such as Marianne Fassler as well as young designers including Laduma Ngxokolo and Rich Mnisi. The exhibition includes not just clothing but also accessories such as shoes by Maria McCloy and jewelry by Pichulik.

 The fashion industry in Namibia is less developed than that of neighboring South Africa. To compete against the dominance of global fashion brands, talented designers in Namibia such as Maria Caley and Quin-Leigh Hammond draw from elements of traditional Namibian culture in their designs. The exhibition also features clothes from My Republik, an emerging brand which currently has two stores in Namibia and is poised to open more, including in neighboring countries, Botswana and Zambia.

The funding for the project came in part from the Catalyst Interdisciplinary Project Grant from the College of the Arts. The exhibition is part of a larger series of events in partnership with the Department of Pan-African Studies and the Fashion School.

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Stager/Blum Galleries | Tameka Ellington, PhD and Stacey Lim, Au.D., PhD, Co-Curators

(dis)ABLED BEAUTY: the evolution of beauty, disability and ability is a celebration of highly designed assistive devices, adaptive devices, and apparel for those living with disabilities. Historically, people with disabilities have not always been held in the same esteem as able-bodied persons regarding level of beauty, intelligence and ability. Thus, many needing assistive devices would hide their disabilities in order to avoid the negative stigmatization that accompanied the concept. Our former President, Franklin D. Roosevelt concealing his disability is an excellent example of this.

This exhibition featuring more than forty items including prostheses, hearing devices, and mobility devices aims to change the negative stigma associated with disability. The items featured in this exhibition are not for concealing, but rather, they were designed to be seen and shown off. These devices make their wearer fashionable, able and to some degree... superhuman. After experiencing (dis)ABLED BEAUTY, maybe we will all believe that "disability is not a brave struggle or 'courage in the face of adversity.' Disability is an art. It's an ingenious way to live."  - Neil Marcus