ODU’s Wehrle Gallery Announces 20-21 Theme: Focusing Our Vision

Ohio Dominican University’s (ODU’s) Wehrle Gallery will host several exhibitions during the 2020-21 academic year that support its theme of “Focusing Our Vision.” These exhibits will be designed to inspire individuals to further examine the significance of current events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, calls for social justice reform, and a range of environmental matters.

Ohio Dominican’s Wehrle Gallery Announces 2020-21 Theme: Focusing Our Vision“It is our hope that these exhibitions will encourage individuals to look both inward, toward our Ohio Dominican community, and outward, toward the global community, as we contemplate a range of important health, social justice, and environmental issues that impact our lives,” said Janette Knowles, Ph.D., ODU associate professor of Art and director of the Wehrle Gallery. “During the fall, visitors will be invited to look inward to reflect on the current health crisis and calls for social justice reform as they view pieces from the university’s historic collections as well as works by current students and alumni. Then during the spring, our focus will turn outward as visitors experience exhibitions that highlight a range of global environmental issues.”

The Wehrle Gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Admission is free. The gallery is located on ODU’s campus at 1216 Sunbury Road, Columbus, 43219.

Celebrating the Collections and Community of Ohio Dominican University

Aug. 17 – Dec. 7, 2020

This series of installations and exhibitions will look at the richness of the collections and creativity of Ohio Dominican University. The fall will feature some of the ethnographic treasures collected by some members of ODU’s founding congregation, the Dominican Sisters of Peace, as well as fine art from the university’s permanent collection. Student and alumni works also will be on display that address the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and calls for social justice reform.

Frayed: A World in Peril

New Work by Char Norman and Helen Hoffelt
Jan. 17, 2021 – Feb. 21, 2021
Opening reception: 1-3:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021
Fiber artist Char Norman and photographer Helen Hoffelt traveled to Equador to study and document the fragile ecosystem of the rainforest so we may learn from it.

Women Carry the Weight of the World
An Antiguan Journal by Eliana Calle-Saari
March 14 – April 16, 2021
Opening reception: 1-3:30 p.m., Sunday, March 14, 2021
Eliana Calle-Saari travelled to Antigua in March of 2020 to move her daughter home from medical school. The country closed its borders and Saari was unable to leave the island for almost 90 days. Amidst food shortages and electrical outages, Saari drew and created woodcuts of Antiguan women carrying food, bags, children, and animals, and she saw this as a metaphor for the fact that women carry the weight of the world.

From the Halls of Wehrle: 2021 Senior Exhibition
May 2 – June 30, 2021
Opening reception: 1-3:30 p.m., Sunday, May 2, 2021
Celebrate with ODU’s graduating seniors. This exhibition is the capstone of Art, Art Education, and Graphic Design students, and features a range of content and media.