The Wexner Center for the Arts is holding its second annual open house Wednesday, Sept. 21. Credit: Katie Good | Asst. Photo Editor

The Wexner Center for the Arts’ open house is back for its second year, looking a little different with new exhibitions, projects and an increased digital presence.

The open house will showcase the variety of film, craft and art programs the Wexner Center has to offer this year. The event will be held Wednesday from 4-7 p.m. and is free for students, family, staff and community members, Jean Pitman, manager of community, youth and family programs at the Wexner Center, said.

“There are a lot of interesting free things going on, including a poetry reading by poet Aline Mello, a new art gallery exhibition from Carlos Motta titled ‘Your Monsters, our Idols’ and a School of Music student performance in the plaza,” Pitman said.

A handful of films screened at The Sundance Film Festival will also be shown, including “Goodbye Jerome!,” “If I Go Will They Miss Me” and “You Go Girl.” There will be two free screenings at 4:30 and 7 p.m., and all ages are welcome, Pitman said.

“Open house is an opportunity to mingle and check out the Wexner Center,” Pitman said. “People can stop in for a few minutes or the whole thing.”

Pitman said she is most excited about the Zine-making art studio event from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Zine is self-publishing art that can be collaged or drawn, and the studio will supply the materials needed to create and bind a booklet, she said.

Zine is a great hands-on art medium where attendees get to make and take their work home, Pitman said.

The Wexner Center is also launching its first mascot. “Griddy,” a smiling cartoon character modeled after the shape of the Wexner Center, will be its new face, Lilyana Bryan, graphic design intern for the Wexner Center, said.

“I think it will bring a refreshing energy to the Wex because it is something fun that people can get excited about,” Bryan, a second-year in visual communication design, said.

Bryan said Griddy is “just here for a good time” and can be found on T-shirts, flyers and stickers.

“The typical cartoon glove hands, with cute shoes and ankle socks,” Bryan said. “His body is a rectangular cubic grid with beautiful big eyes and a cute smile.”

Along with the open house and Griddy’s introduction, the Wexner Center will launch its TikTok page, Melissa Starker, media relations manager for the Wexner Center, said in an email.

While the Wexner Center has already posted a few videos, including a series titled “Ask a Museum Day” with film/video curatorial assistant Layla Muchnik-Benali, it is open to suggestions in the comments, Muchnik-Benali said in a TikTok. The Wexner Center can be found on TikTok at @wexarts and encourages tagging it when filming a video during the open house or anytime in front of the metal grid.

“We’re joining the ever-growing number of art institutions around the world who are sharing content on TikTok as a new way to illuminate the work we do and make the Wex more visible and inviting to students,” Starker said.