Creative Responses

Creative Responses

Ross Art Museum Exhibits Environment-Inspired Works by OWU Professors, Recycled Materials Artist

DELAWARE, Ohio - Continuing its year-long curatorial and programmatic exploration of environmental issues, Ohio Wesleyan University's Richard M. Ross Art Museum will debut three exhibits Oct. 14 that feature artists reacting to "humanity's impact on our planet," says Christopher Yates, museum director.

"Our goal is to offer a range of artistic perspectives guided by the theme 'Reflections on the Land & Environment,'" Yates said. "We're hoping our programming offers a positive forum to share fears, solutions, and hopes for the future."

The community is invited to meet the artists during a free reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 16 at the museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. The three exhibits, display dates, and participating artists include:

'Sprawl: OWU Faculty Show'

Oct. 14-Dec. 14, 2025

Ohio Wesleyan's art historian, Camilla Querin, wrote the artist statement for this year's annual faculty exhibit, featuring Kristina Bogdanov, Frank Hobbs, and Jeff Nilan. The display showcases their mastery of media, including ceramics, painting, and photography, respectively.

Frank Hobbs, 'Collapsing Barn,' oil on panel

"In Sprawl," Querin writes, "Kristina Bogdanov, Frank Hobbs, and Jeff Nilan react to their surroundings - desultory urban development, lifeless industrial debris, and manicured landscapes. Hobbs ventures in Delaware's vicinities to capture fleeting moments when light and atmosphere ennoble otherwise overlooked sites: crumbling barns, glistening silos, inhospitable underpasses, and desolate parking lots."

Hobbs, MFA, teaches painting, drawing, figure drawing, and two-dimensional design. He joined Ohio Wesleyan in 2007 and holds a Bachelor of Arts from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and a Master of Fine Arts from American University.

Jeff Nilan, untitled from the series, 'Edge,' digital photo

Querin continues: "Nilan directs his camera to the relentless sprawl of subdivisions. Tracks carved by bulldozers and excavators on the barren, levelled-down ground yield to rows of monotonous tract housing, while strips of original woodland and prairie hold the memory of the county's rural past."

Nilan, MFA, teaches photography, computer imaging, bookmaking, and two-dimensional design. He joined Ohio Wesleyan in 2008 and holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Nebraska and a Master of Fine Arts from Indiana University.

Kristina Bogdanov, 'Opaque & Transparent Blocks,' found soft brick with moss and plant, glass

"Acknowledging nature's own creativity," Querin writes, "Bogdanov's artistic intervention aids the viewer in its appreciation. Repurposing discarded glass labware as display cases, she constructs intimate living still-lifes in which moss and plants take root on found kiln bricks - suggesting a circular journey from earth to earthenware and back again."

Bogdanov, MFA, teaches ceramics, drawing, figure drawing, and three-dimensional design. She joined Ohio Wesleyan in 2007 and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Academia of Applied Arts, from Belgrade University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Kentucky.

"Together, these works urge us to look closely at the landscapes we inhabit, and envision imaginative ways of addressing the challenges of our age," concludes Querin, Ph.D., who joined the university as an assistant professor in fall 2023.

The OWU Department of Fine Arts, created in 1864, was one of America's first college art departments. It offers majors in Studio Art, Art History, and Art Education. Learn more at owu.edu/FineArts.

'Demarcations and Delineations'

Oct. 14-March 29, 2026

Michelle Stitzlein, 'Lines Crossed,' repurposed materials

Artist Michelle Stitzlein gives new life to discarded materials pulled from the waste stream. As an outdoor enthusiast, advocate for environmental preservation, and amateur naturalist, Stitzlein studies the patterns, seams, and lines that permeate the natural world.

Her work takes note of physical limits, barriers, and markers of time. Produced with funds provided by a recent Pollack-Krasner grant, her new body of work is a powerful exploration of imaginary topographies.

Based in Baltimore, Ohio, Stitzlein, BFA, states: "I create sculptures with obsolete manufactured products and things previously destined for a landfill. ... Fictitious depictions of the natural world are realized. Abstracted renditions of 'imperfection' are drawn. Expectations are skewed. Metaphorical lines are blurred."

Learn more about Stitzlein and her work at https://www.artgrange.com/michellesculpture.html.

'Our Changing Landscape: Life in the Anthropocene'

Oct. 14-March 29, 2026

Curated in support of OWU's First Year Seminar, "How to Change Your World," this exhibition challenges viewers to consider humanity's impact on the natural world.

"By considering the Anthropocene, our current geological age dominated by the influence of human activity, we hope to spark conversation and action," Yates said.

Featuring more than 30 artists, the pieces on exhibit shed light on man-made environmental destruction as well as creative, climate solutions and the dream of a better future.

"We're honored to share works on loan from the Kruizenga Art Museum, Denison Museum, OWU's Brant Museum of Zoology, and the Art Bridges Foundation," Yates said.

During the academic year, the Ross Art Museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed Saturdays and Mondays. The museum is handicap-accessible and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit owu.edu/Ross or https://www.facebook.com/RossArtMuseum for more information.

Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation's premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and competes in 24 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through its signature experience, the OWU Connection, Ohio Wesleyan teaches students to understand issues from multiple academic perspectives, volunteer in service to others, build a diverse and global perspective, and translate classroom knowledge into real-world experience through internships, research, and other hands-on learning. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book "Colleges That Change Lives" and included on the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review "Best Colleges" lists. Connect with OWU expert interview sources at owu.edu/experts or learn more at owu.edu.