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Lancaster | Pickerington
Communications + Marketing
Cheri Russo
Lancaster, OH
43130-1097
1570 Granville Pike
740.654.6711, ext. 281
(C)
740.407.3520
[email protected]
April 9, 2013
O.U. Lancaster Celebrates the Arts with Special Fundraising Event
Widows of Former Dean Ray Wilkes and Former Art Professor Anthony Davenport helped plan the event
Lancaster – The Ohio University Lancaster Campus is reflecting on the past and taking a
glimpse into the future at a special fundraising event on Saturday, April 13 at 7 p.m. The
event is called “Ohio University Lancaster Celebrates the Arts: A Reflection and A
Glimpse.”
“The Lancaster Campus has a rich history in arts and culture,” said Lancaster Campus
Development Director Mandi Custer. “It’s important to look back on that history and use
it as the building blocks for a bright future at OUL.”
The reflection part of the evening appreciates the work of Anthony Davenport, an artist
and a former Ohio University Lancaster professor of art. Davenport worked at OUL from
1978 to 2004. Those in attendance will also look back at past theatrical performances
held in the Jeffrey R. Wagner Theatre on campus. Wagner was director of the theatre
from 1969 – 1998.
“Anthony Davenport and Jeffrey Wagner were a big part of why the arts are so important
on the Lancaster Campus,” said Custer. “Their contributions to building the arts at O.U.
Lancaster were huge and we know that they would want the Lancaster Campus to build
on what they started as we move forward.”
The glimpse part of the night will look at the campus’s vision for the Raymond S. Wilkes
Gallery for the Visual Arts. The gallery is named after the former campus dean who
served in that role from 1978 to 1994. Davenport and Wilkes started at OUL during the
same year and worked together to build arts and culture on campus. Their widows, Maria
Wilkes and Kay Davenport, helped plan the evening’s festivities. The night will also
glimpse into the future of theatre and performing arts at Ohio University Lancaster.
“Arts and culture is so important on the Lancaster Campus,” said Lancaster Campus
Dean Jim Smith. “We want the community to see what the future can be at OUL. But,
we need the community’s support and help to build that vision.”
The event will include live music and a backstage look at Little Shop of Horrors, which is
being performed by the OUL Theatre from April 18 – 27. There will also be food, wine,
a coffee bar, an art exhibition and a special performance by OHIO’s Section 8. Section 8
is an a cappella men’s singing group.
You can register for the event online by going to www.ohio.edu/lancaster and clicking
the “OUL Celebrates the Arts” button on the left hand side. The cost for the event is $50
per person and all proceeds benefit the OUL Arts and Culture Fund as part of The
Promise Lives Campaign. The Campaign is a $450 million fundraising initiative at Ohio
University to support scholarships, faculty, the student experience, facilities, and
community outreach. So far the Campaign has raised more than $419 million in support
of these priorities. The Campaign ends in June, 2015.
On the Lancaster Campus, funds are being raised to support scholarships, arts and
culture, facilities and future endeavors through planned giving.
Ohio University’s Lancaster Campus and Pickerington Center are a critical gateway to
education and opportunity for students and the community. Fourteen associate’s degree
and nine bachelor’s degree majors are offered, along with four master’s degree programs
at the Pickerington Center. The Lancaster Campus has experienced tremendous progress
since its founding in 1956, and continues to provide a high quality university education
within a small-college setting at an affordable price.
To learn more about The Promise Lives Campaign or to make a donation, visit
www.ohio.edu/lancaster or contact Mandi Custer at [email protected] or 740-654-6711
ext. 234.
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