Arts & Culture

10 Questions With Darin Olson, Director of Athletic Bands
Darin Olson, D.M.A., is the new director of Athletic Bands at Kent State University. He leads the Marching Golden Flashes, Flasher Brass Pep Band, Kent Symphony Band and University Band. Olson is currently an active member of College Band Directors National Association and the National Association for Music Education. Learn more about Olson and his plans for his future at Kent State as he answers these 10 questions.

TEXTURES, ‘The Most Ambitious Exhibition,’ Explores Discrimination of Black Hair
Black lives and Black cultures have been underrepresented and discriminated against for many years. TEXTURES: The History and Art of Black Hair is an exhibition coming to the Kent State University Museum in 2021 with the help of significant sponsorship from corporate and federal funding that focuses on celebrating and empowering these lives and cultures.

Museum Director featured in New York Times Article on Diversity in Fashion Museums
A recent article from The New York Times explored the lack of diversity in fashion museums across the world. Placing Kent State among the top fashion institutions in the world, the article featured museum Director Sarah Rogers and her efforts to create an inclusive and diverse collection in the museum.

Kent State Museum Announces Newest Exhibition, ‘Fortuna: Designs by Vincent Quevedo’
The Kent State Museum’s newest exhibition, “Fortuna: Designs by Vincent Quevedo,” marks the first new exhibition for the museum since its reopening in August and is on display now. It features works by award-winning designer and School of Fashion Associate Professor Vincent Quevedo.

Kent State Geauga Students Dominate 2020 Writing Awards
Five students from Kent State University at Geauga distinguished themselves as writing award winners during Spring Semester 2020. Each was a student of Bonnie Shaker, Ph.D., assistant professor of English. While Kent State Geauga students have won a total of 16 awards from 2014 through 2020 in different categories, five winners in one year is a notable achievement.

Virtual Screening of 'And She Could Be Next'
To celebrate Constitution Day, Kent State University Libraries is offering a virtual screening of the documentary "And She Could Be Next" on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion that will include the filmmakers and Kent State faculty members.

Recent Alumna Tapped Social Media to Land a Job With TikTok
When searching for a job in her final semester as a fashion merchandising major this past spring, Jenna Palek realized that during a global pandemic, very few companies would be hiring. Undaunted, she told herself “I simply will not take ‘no’ as an answer,” knowing “I was capable of finding not only a job but a great one.”

Shawn Powell Featured at Cleveland’s New Abattoir Gallery and in Vanity Fair Magazine
Kent State University Assistant Professor of Painting Shawn Powell is being featured in a two-person show at Cleveland’s new Abattoir Gallery now through Sept. 5. One of Powell's paintings was featured in Vanity Fair this August.

Kent State Celebrates 50 Years of Early Robert Smithson Land Art Located on Campus
The School of Art Collection and Galleries at Kent State University presents “Acquiring History: The 50-Year Legacy of Robert Smithson’s ‘Partially Buried Woodshed’ at Kent State University” from Aug. 4 through Sept. 26, 2020, at the Kent State Downtown Gallery.

Flashes of Inspiration: During a Pandemic We Can Celebrate Nature
Today’s Flashes of Inspiration features David Hassler, director of Kent State’s Wick Poetry Center, who is sharing the poem, “Thank You, Tree.”