Friday, October 16, 2015

Ohio Northern University to present exhibition featuring maps created, utilized during Hurricane Katrina


ADA — The Ohio Northern University Department of Art and Design presents Mapping Katrina, dynamic visual documentation of New Orleans before, during and after Hurricane Katrina, in the Elzay Gallery of Art from Oct. 16 to Dec. 13.

This exhibit features numerous maps created and utilized during the natural disaster in 2005. It features a stunning visual display of topographical, statistical, and geographical information that was gathered during the storm. The exhibit was curated by Harry “Jimmy” Wilson, ONU assistant professor of management and geographical information systems.

Wilson has diverse work experience in private, government and education sectors that includes specializations in geographic information systems (GIS), disaster science, cultural resource management and archaeology. He worked at the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development during Katrina as a cartographer and GIS specialist while pursuing his Ph.D. in geography from Louisiana State University, which he earned in 2007.  He has taught at ONU since 2007 and recently transferred to the Dicke College of Business Administration to teach information systems and GIS for business courses.

A reception and talk with Wilson will take place in room 115 of the Wilson Art Center on Friday, Oct. 16, at 6:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served in the lobby of the Elzay Gallery.

This event is free and open to the public.




Ohio Northern University’s quality, student-centered education distinctively combines nationally ranked sciences, arts and professional programs for more than 3,600 students in its five colleges: Arts & Sciences, Business Administration, Engineering, Pharmacy and Law.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Malone University Department of Visual Arts presents – The Fountain Gallery Exhibit

Canton, OH.  October 13, 2015.   Department of Visual Arts - The Fountain Gallery will feature  A Journey in Photographs  by Brad Bielawski from October 15 through December 14. The Fountain Gallery is located on the Malone University campus in the Johnson Center for Worship and the Arts. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. through 6 p.m.



Bielawski’s striking photographs featured in the exhibit were taken during his travels throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. Bielawski lives in Warren, Pennsylvania where he designs consumer products at Whirley DrinkWorks, using a variety of techniques from traditional hand sketching to digital sculpting. More information about Bielawski and his work can be found at  www.facebook.com/bielawskiphoto.

Artist Statement: “My technique is something like that of a photojournalist, capturing every moment from the obligatory landmarks to the more ‘ordinary’ bits. Though, in many parts of the world, the ‘commonplace’ things are novel and noteworthy; a white-knuckled rickshaw ride through insane traffic or the ‘I-can’t-believe-people-eat-that’ offerings at the butcher shop. You never know where a great image may arise from, so I always keep my camera at the ready. More often than not, the image finds me.”

Located on 96 rolling acres in Canton, Ohio, Malone University is comprised of the College of Theology, Arts, and Sciences; the School of Education and Human Development; the School of Business and Leadership; and the School of Nursing and Health Sciences.  Malone is a Christian university for the arts, sciences, and professions in the liberal arts tradition, affiliated with the Evangelical Friends Church, offering 41 majors, 42 minors, and 11 graduate programs.  Nationally, Malone University is ranked in the top four percent of colleges and universities in career outcomes, top 10 (#9) best online financial aid packages, and top 50 (#30) most affordable Christian colleges as well as top 100 (#80) in the Best Online Christian Graduate Schools Guide. Regionally, U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges 2015 ranks Malone University among the top colleges and universities in the Midwest in the category Regional Universities, and to its list of best online bachelor’s programs.  Statewide, Malone appears on the list of colleges offering the best lifetime return on investment in Ohio.  Malone University has been recognized by the prestigious Templeton Foundation as a leader in character development, as a military-friendly  school by Victory Media, and as one of Northeast Ohio’s top workplaces by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Celebrated Chinese artist focus of upcoming exhibit in Parkersburg

Work of Dongfeng Gao to be on display for one month starting Oct. 9

MARIETTA, Ohio — Capturing breathtaking views of natural landscapes, photographer Dongfeng Gao is a renown artist in his homeland of China.

The Asian Studies Program at Marietta College is sponsoring a month-long art exhibit of his work starting Friday, Oct. 9 in the Mezzanine Gallery of the Parkersburg Art Center, located at 725 Market St. in Parkersburg, West Virginia. The opening reception will take place from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 9. Admission to the reception is $10 per person.

The exhibit will feature many distinct sceneries in China, including the Badain Jaran Desert, the Tibetan Plateau and Pamir Mountains.

Dr. Luding Tong, Professor of Chinese Language and Literature and Director of the Asian Studies Program at Marietta College, first learned of Gao’s photography talent from one of her Chinese language lab tutors.

“This student told me that Mr. Dongfeng Gao, a talented Chinese photographer, had recently moved in town,” Tong said. “Mr. Gao has deep family connections with Marietta College. His son, Chao Gao, graduated in 2013 with a dual degree in Petroleum Engineering and Economics; his daughter-in-law, Jing Cao, graduated in 2014 with a dual degree in Finance and Economics; his nephew, Lu Gao, graduated in 1999 with a dual degree in Accounting and Computer Science.”

Tong said she knew she wanted to help host a photography exhibit featuring Gao’s work last year when she first saw his work.

“I marveled at the fantastic scenery in north- and southwest of China that were captured in Gao’s views of the boundless desert, Mount Everest, the golden Euphrasian Poplar forest, and Tibetan costumes,” Tong said.

The Asian Studies Program has brought Asian art exhibits, such as the Gao show, the 2006 Shaofang Shen Lifetime Art Exhibit, the 2010 Tranquil Visions Exhibit of 1947 alumnus Dr. Richard Krause’s art collection (in collaboration with the Art Department) and the 2013 Mao Xuefeng Art Exhibit, to Marietta College over the last decade. Bringing these types of Asian cultural experiences to Marietta complements the 2015 Strategic Plan of the College.

“I am drawn particularly to the artist’s sensitivity to the meanings of life and nature,” Tong said. “This sensitivity is philosophically and masterfully captured in the shots of life emerging in the desolations of withered branches, the transience of life, the yin-yang dynamics, such as light and shade, bold rocks and refined sand waves, and stillness and motions. Gao’s photography is an earnest statement of the artist’s passionate love of nature and life; the pictures express the artist’s concern and advocacy for the protection of the ecology of the desert.”

Located in Marietta, Ohio, at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers, Marietta College is a four-year liberal arts college. Tracing its roots to the Muskingum Academy begun in 1797, the College was officially chartered in 1835. Today Marietta College serves a body of 1,300 full-time students. The College offers 45 majors and has been listed among Barron’s Best Buys in College Education and Peterson’s Competitive Colleges, and has been recognized as one of the top regional comprehensive colleges by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review, as well as one of the nation’s best by Forbes.com.