The Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series
Since 2001, the Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series has presented guest artists respected in the field of theatre, dance, visual arts, music and architecture including such noted artists as Tony award-winners Stephen Schwartz, the composer of "Wicked," "Godspell" and more; "Next to Normal" actress Alice Ripley; the Grammy-winning Emerson String Quartet; postmodern minimalist artist Richard Tuttle; artists and fashion designers Ruben and Isabel Toledo; the internationally acclaimed dance company, Ballet Florida; and actor, dancer and arts advocate Ben Vereen and the Limon Dance Group, just to name a few.
The Schroth series was established by Cecile Draime and her late husband, Max, of Warren, Ohio, to honor their dear friend Thomas Schroth (1922-1997). A noted regional architect, Schroth designed the Butler Institute of Art’s Trumbull museum in Howland, as well as numerous other award-winning projects. Thomas Schroth spent his life in Niles, Ohio, as a prominent architect and inveterate collaborator in the artistic life of the Mahoning Valley and Northeast Ohio. A world traveler, he saw human creativity as a window framing human experience. The Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series brings intellectually diverse views through that window to the Kent campus and community.
The events are always free and open to the public.
Presented jointly by the College of Architecture and Environmental Design and the College of the Arts.
2026-2027 Thomas Schroth Visiting Guest Artists
Simon Ungless & Jody Neiderkohr, Fashion / Textiles
Sept. 15-17, 2026
Designer and printmaker Simon Ungless and partner Jody Neiderkohr bring sustainable fashion and silk screen surface design to Kent State for hands-on workshops, classroom visits and a free public keynote.
Learn More and View Event Details
Saya Woolfalk, Interdisciplinary Artist
Oct. 14-17, 2026
New York artist Saya Woolfalk brings her boundary-crossing practice to Kent State for a four-day residency including a riverside workshop, graduate studio visits and a free public lecture
Learn More and View Event Details
Jeremy Bullock, Composer / Filmmaker
Composer and musician Jeremy W. Bullock brings his film, TV and stage experience to Kent State for a yearlong collaboration with Music and Theatre and Dance students — culminating in a public film screening and Kent State's spring 2027 production of "Romeo and Juliet."
More information available soon.
Aimee Lee, Artist
Internationally renowned papermaker and artist Aimee Lee brings the ancient Korean practice of hanji to Kent State for a two-day hands-on workshop, alongside a solo exhibition of her work at the Kent State University Museum — Spring 2027.
More information available soon.
