Radiant displays will create eruptions of artistic rebirth throughout this week as the Wexner Center for the Arts reopens to the public. After the recent completion of its $15.3 million renovation, the three-year project has finally come to a close.
When it made its 1989 debut on the arts scene, the Wexner Center was instantly acclaimed a cultural landmark. Over the years, the exhibits, performances, projects and programming have earned the Wexner Center prominent status, said Director Sherri Geldin.
“All of works,” she said, “go out into the world and carry the Wexner Center name, The Ohio State University name, and remind people that Columbus, Ohio, although perhaps not normally considered a cultural hotbed, is in fact, the engine for a lot of contemporary work that is being done in the world today.”
As the country’s only fully multi-disciplinary arts center based in a major research university, the Wexner Center sought improvements to retain its upstanding reputation and allow it to rise to its fullest potential, said spokeswoman Erik Pepple.
In addition to refurbishing the visual quality of the galleries, architectural adjustments were also made to preserve the condition of the artwork on display. Logistics such as lighting, temperature, humidity and condensation were all factors in this carefully calculated restoration, Geldin said.
The renovation halted many of the programs of the center, but the improvements made prove the inconvenience worthwhile, Pepple said.
“The ultimate goal was to have everything at its peak operating potential, especially with the gallery,” he said. “After things are around 15 or 16 years old, you eventually need to do upgrades to get into the contemporary museum status. This ensures that all of the art we bring into the Wexner Center is presented at its best capacity. Our galleries were always nice, but now they’re truly luminous.”
Improvements were made throughout the building, including key areas such as the Film Video Theater, Mershon Auditorium and the gift shop, now known as The Store. A small screening room, known as The Box, was added as well.
The largest project was renovating the galleries, which now welcome the brand new exhibit, “Part Object, Part Sculpture,” whose pieces uniquely illustrate a series of time periods.
Upon entering the set of sky-lit galleries, which expand the length of the building, visitors will cross the area along the expansive wooden ramp of the glass-cased arena. Viewers will find pieces not only adorning the walls, but hanging from the ceilings and randomly placed in the middle of the floor.
Describing the “Part Object, Part Sculpture,” Chief Curator Helen Molesworth, refers to the four galleries alphabetically. Gallery A, which depicts the World War II era, combines elements of the machine and the body. These works incorporate the use of metal, fabric, rope and wood to represent the wounded, punctured time period. This particular gallery exudes a compulsive, mechanically erotic tone, Molesworth said.
Gallery B displays art from the 1950s and 1960s post-war era, which reflect commodity and is playful, yet abstract, Molesworth said. With its use of household objects in expansively creative settings, Gallery C encompasses the feeling of domesticity gone wild.
Gallery D exudes what Molesworth refers to as a theme of “earth, wind and fire,” and presents a contemporary feel that explodes the idea of sculpture and installation. Featuring what some would refer to as the highlight of the exhibit, Gallery D displays the “Big Bang Theory” piece-a large chandelier modeled on the works of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City’s Lincoln Center. This piece, which uses nickel-plated aluminum, electrical lighting, hand-blown glass and steel cables and rigging, is the only structure that will remain on permanent display.
In celebration of this occasion, The Wexner Center hosted large-scale events over the weekend, such as Friday’s reopening ceremony and Saturday’s performance from dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones, recipient of the 2005 Wexner Prize. Sunday’s Wex-Wide Open House unveiled the galleries to the public for the first time, offering free tours, t-shirts and refreshments.
In addition to the Columbus art community, the Wexner Center attracts a number of student visitors as well, Pepple said.
“We do have a solid student base,” he said. “I think the biggest thing is that there’s nothing else like us in the area as far multidisciplinary art centers.”
Among the students who visited the galleries on Sunday, some were quite receptive of “Part Object, Part Sculpture.”
“A lot of exhibits in the past seemed inaccessible, almost esoteric, for people who aren’t art experts,” said Katie Suschlesinger, a graduate student studying astronomy. “But I like this, it seems like something I would come and see again.”
Others, however, were more critical.
“I expected it to be bigger with more spaces,” said Cory Fine, a freshman architecture major. “The exhibits aren’t really my style, but it doesn’t mean it’s bad, I do still like it.”
Allison Buenger, a freshman arts/humanities major, said she enjoyed some parts of the exhibit as well as the interesting the passage-ways, which link the galleries to one another.
Along with the gallery artwork, the reopening will also generate a hip new selection of exhibits and performances, Pepple said.
“Our programming has always been very ambitious,” he said. “With the renovation, we will continue to be more and more, especially in regards to music and films. I think the mission is to continue with that to bring the cutting edge and to present the new stuff. The Wexner Center is the art of today and tomorrow.”
Although the renovation contributes a brand new look, the goal of the Wexner Center will continue to be aimed at providing world-class artistic experiences for visitors, Geldin said.
“We try and be a hub for this community of cultural crossroads,” she said, “where artists in all disciplines, from all continents, come to forge new ideas, create new work, present their work and allow professionals to have critical discourse about it and allow the public to draw their own reactions.”
