Courtesy of Leandro Soto Diaspora, by Cuban artist Leandro Soto, will be on display in Hopkins Hall CorridorNov. 4-15. Soto is visiting Ohio State in November.

Program exchanges Cuban culture and art

By Susan Wittstock, onCAMPUS staff

A new course, a visiting artist and a burgeoning exchange program are all coming together this fall to expose the Ohio State community to Cuban culture.

The departments of theatre and comparative studies are offering a course on Cuban performance and culture that will conclude in December with a nine-day trip to Havana. Also this quarter, Cuban theater artist Leandro Soto will present a performance/video/installation work on Nov. 1 and 3 in Mount Hall Studio Theatre and will have artwork on display in Hopkins Hall Gallery Nov. 4-15.

For the last several years, the Ohio Arts Council has been building a relationship with the Ludwig Foundation in Havana, Cuba. In 2000, when the Ludwig Foundation expressed interest in forming exchanges with theater artists, the OAC introduced Ohio State theatre faculty to Ludwig Foundation Executive Director Helmo Hernandez.

Hernandez was impressed with Ohio State's theatre program and, at his invitation, several contingents of Ohio State faculty and Ohio theater professionals, including Dan Gray, associate professor of theatre, Lesley Ferris, chair of the department, and Mary Tarantino, lighting designer, made trips to Cuba over the next two years to meet with artists, attend performances and offer workshops.

"It was really my first exposure to Cuban theater. It was very clear that there were dedicated artists doing interesting work and also clear they were working with very limited resources," said Gray, whose specialty is scene design.

The idea of offering a class to Ohio State students was the logical next step, Gray said. "It was always our intention to get students down there. We can't give financial support or equipment, but the thing we can do is exchange ideas," he said. "Our Cuban hosts are very interested in sharing Cuban culture with students."

Gray is teaching the seminar class with Jill Lane, assistant professor of comparative studies, who specializes in 19th century Cuban theater. The 15 students -- 10 undergraduates and five graduate students -- meet with Gray and Lane weekly.

Lane and Gray are trying to give the students a broad overview of Cuban culture.

"We're working to help the students become conversant with the key issues that inform Cuban performance and art; invariably, those issues engage social politics," Lane said.

While in Cuba, the Ohio State group will be immersed in Cuban culture, visiting museums, attending performances and meeting with theater and visual artists.

"We're excited to offer our students a first hand look at a culture they clearly wouldn't be able to see otherwise," Gray said.

Lane said Ohio State's program has a different focus than most. "It is unique to have a study abroad experience in Cuba not entirely focused on the political context. We are trying to understand Cuban reality -- including, but not limited to, politics -- through Cuban culture and art," Lane said.

Leandro Soto will meet with the class when he comes to Columbus in November. Soto is a theater artist who left his native Cuba in the late 1980s to live in Mexico. He has lived in the United States for nearly a decade.

Courtesy of College of the Arts Guest artist Leandro Soto will perform E Pluribus Unum in Mount Hall Studio Theatre at 8 p.m. Nov. 1 and 2 p.m. Nov. 3. For tickets, call 292-2295.

Soto will present E Pluribus Unum, a one-man show he premiered at Mt. Holyoke College in Massachusetts in March. Soto plays the role of a person who owns a flower shop, named E Pluribus Unum. In the process of arranging and rearranging the flowers, the character tells a metaphoric story about American culture.

"It will be a little like going to a gallery or exhibition with a performance component," Soto said. "I like doing performance art. It gives room for innovation. I'm more free to integrate new elements."

Cuban-American performer and writer Coco Fusco will host a post-performance discussion on Nov. 1. For more information, call 292-2295.

Soto's artwork also will be on display Nov. 4-15 in Radical Cuban Theatre: An Exhibition of Theatre Art in Hopkins Hall Corridor.

"My artwork is dealing with the situation of Cuba as a country. It is a reflection of that," he said. "It is political in certain ways, but it's more cultural and historical."

Soto enjoys working in different artistic styles. "This is what I teach -- an artist should develop all of his talents. We are living in a world where we need to be wearing many different hats at the same time," he said. "The Cuban culture was ahead of its time. We were very interdisciplinary in Cuba."

Courtesy of Facilities Planning and Development The renovation of Page Hall is expected to be completed by September 2004.

New home in Page to boost Glenn Institute

By Randy Gammage, onCAMPUS staff

A new home in a renovated Page Hall will take The John Glenn Institute for Public Service and Public Policy to new heights, and strengthen the bond between Ohio State and one of America's best-known heroes.

Scheduled for occupancy in September 2004, the new facility will dramatically increase office and research space, allowing the institute to expand policy research that brings together scholars from around the world, said John Glenn, a legendary astronaut and former U.S. senator. It also will provide state-of-the art facilities to extend student and training programs.

"Most important to me, Page Hall will provide a permanent home for students, faculty, community members and policy makers to interact together in a wide variety of formal and informal ways," Glenn said. "This interaction and joint exploration of ideas is what the John Glenn Institute is all about."

The University established the John Glenn Institute in September 1998, to engage citizens of all ages in public service, to enhance the quality of public service, and to disseminate the highest quality policy research. It also works with the John Glenn Archives to preserve Glenn's papers and memorabilia, using them to inspire public service in succeeding generations.

The institute is currently headquartered in Stillman Hall, but has no room for growth -- some staff members have been temporarily assigned working space at Fisher Hall, said Deborah Merritt, director of the institute.

"A major change will be the space for faculty and research projects," Merritt said. "It really will allow the research side of the institute to flourish at a new level. Once housed at Page, we will be able to submit major proposals to foundations for research support for interdisciplinary and policy projects."

The institute will occupy approximately 55 percent of assigned space in Page Hall, with space also being provided for classrooms, computer labs and the School of Public Policy and Public Management.

Work is expected to begin by January 2003, with a target completion date of September 2004. The project will cost $16 million, with $11 million coming from the University's capital budget and the remaining $5 million to be raised through a fundraising campaign that is just beginning.

The design of the renovated Page Hall "floats" a three-story, rectangular glass prism within the larger masonry building, creating new floor space and a striking appearance, according to Ruth Miller, architect 2 for the Office of Facilities Planning and Development.

Throughout, the building's open design underscores the overall missions of the John Glenn Institute and the School of Public Policy and Management — to create a bridge between the University and the outside world and encourage students, educators, administrators and visitors to participate in the exchange of ideas, Miller said.

On the first floor, a glass-enclosed public forum overlooking the Oval will allow groups of 45 or less to convene for intimate policy discussions following lectures being held at Mershon or other nearby sites. A state-of-the-art training room will support the institute's regular management training sessions, with catering opportunities available from a first-floor support room.

On the second floor will be a seminar room and accompanying breakout room for both large and small group meetings, while a modernistic lounge/library on the third floor, complete with a fireplace, will promote informal discussions among faculty, students and distinguished visitors.

The middle two floors of the facility, surrounding the central core, will house the School of Public Policy and Management on one side and the John Glenn Institute on the other. The institute will occupy the entire top floor.

From the display of Glenn Archives items inside the main entrance to the appearance of Glenn's wood-paneled third-floor office -- designed to evoke the idea of a space capsule overlooking the building's interior -- Merritt said the facility captures the spirit of the career of Glenn. The office will blend traditional, such as wood paneling and the trademark quilt that adorned Glenn's Senate office for many years, with modern, such as the glass prism that encases the office.

"The combination of the traditional government look with the modern look of the glass prism reflects Glenn's combination of a sense of public service and a sense of bravery and adventure," Merritt said.

Merritt said the renovated Page Hall will not only restore an historic building, but will personify the perfect match that exists between Ohio State's role as a land grant university, and Glenn's legacy of service and civic duty.

"The new facility will help maintain forever our connection with this very important and significant person," Merritt said. "People around the world claim John Glenn as their hero, but he has a special tie both to Ohio and Ohio State University. Page Hall will make those ties visible and permanent."

For details about the institute, visit the Web at www.osu.edu/units/ucomm/Glenn/index.html.