MARION, OH (MARION COUNTY NOW)—The Wayne & Geraldine Kuhn Fine Arts Gallery in Morrill Hall at The Ohio State University will present the informational gallery exhibition “Sustainability Stories” from April 11 to May 31, 2024. The exhibit, funded by The Ohio State University Sustainability Institute, will hold a free public opening reception on Thursday, April 11, at 12:30 p.m.
The idea for the inaugural Sustainability Exhibit was inspired by a New York Times article on Climate Museum Pop-Ups in SOHO, according to Ohio State Marion Assistant Dean and exhibit organizer, Leslie Beyer-Hermsen.
“With the wealth of information that The Ohio State University has available to present on such a timely topic as climate, particularly in the context of sustainability, it made sense that we might want to create our own pop-up museum in our art gallery—just in time for Earth Week,” Beyer-Hermsen explained.
The exhibit will feature a collection of various artifacts, including art, poetry, research, and documentation of community projects, all addressing sustainability. The displays in the gallery come from different perspectives—anthropology, the biological sciences, fine art, poetry, the citizen agriculture movement—each telling their own sustainability stories.
The exhibition is curated to reflect a series of loosely interconnected themes. As visitors move clockwise along the opening west wall of the gallery, they will first encounter the section called “Laying Down Roots,” reflecting the history of our interactions with the land. Next is the “Spreading Seeds” section, representing both metaphorical and literal movement resulting in changes to our habits and natural spaces. The “New Growth” section depicts the idea of rebirth and new beginnings. The “Digging Our Own Future” section showcases displays of self-sufficiency in food production while maintaining healthy soil, water, and wildlife. Lastly, the “Watershed” section hopes to inspire a change in mindset and habits regarding our use of natural resources.
“The goal of the Sustainability Stories is to inform, inspire, and call to action,” said Beyer-Hermsen. “We hope that the exhibit will inspire individuals who come through the gallery to find ways to insert themselves over the next year and into the future in some of these initiatives.”
The Wayne and Geraldine Kuhn Fine Arts Gallery serves The Ohio State University at Marion students, faculty, staff, and the Marion community. The gallery is located off the main lobby at the east entrance of Morrill Hall, located at 1465 Mount Vernon Avenue, Marion. The gallery is free and open to the public.