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Kuhn Art Gallery Dedication Set For October 19 On Ohio State Marion Campus

The Wayne and Geraldine Kuhn Fine Arts Gallery will be dedicated October 19 at 5:30 p.m. on the campus of Ohio State Marion, marking the beginning of an era of expanded and modern art exhibit space to be enjoyed by residents of Central Ohio.

The Kuhns, Marion residents since 1947, provided funds to renovate and expand the Morrill Hall art gallery space to create a state-of-the-art facility to serve students and residents of the North Central Ohio region.

The expansion adds an estimated 60 percent more exhibit space, a heat and temperature controlled environment, a hardwood floor, and modern security and lighting systems. The renovated gallery will be in the same approximate location as the current gallery on the first floor of Morrill Hall and will be totally handicapped accessible.

The Wayne and Geraldine Kuhn Fine Arts Gallery is expected to host high quality, diverse exhibits of many different media, including photography, painting, drawing, watercolors, ceramics, glass, prints, computer graphics, installation art sculpture, jewelry, and weavings. The expanded and renovated gallery will attempt to attract art exhibits of statewide and national prominence and be one of the preeminent exhibit areas in Ohio.

The opening exhibit will be paintings by Marion artist Dianne Almendinger, an emeritus faculty member of The Ohio State University Department of Art. The exhibit will run through Nov. 5.

"We are pleased to make this gift available as a way to show our appreciation for having such a nice campus in our community," said Wayne Kuhn. "We expect it to become a focal point for art appreciation and education for the entire North Central region of Ohio."

Todd DeVriese, assistant professor of art on the Marion campus, said the new gallery will become a centerpiece for art opportunities on campus and in the community.

"Ohio State Marion students will have the opportunity to view and learn from the numerous exhibits expected to be on display in the Kuhn Gallery," DeVriese said. "The Marion community also will benefit from the dedicated art exhibit space that will remain free and open to the public.

In addition, The Kuhn Gallery will be a learning tool for all art, with programs, lectures, and gallery talks scheduled to emphasize the educational aspects of the exhibitions, according to DeVriese. "The Kuhn gallery will further the educational opportunities for all art students - including high school, college and adult learners - and will be a much appreciated addition to our program," DeVriese said.

Marion Faculty Member Franklin Proaņo Promoted To Rank Of Professor

Franklin Proaņo has been promoted to full professor of Comparative Studies, making him the ninth Ohio State Marion faculty member to earn that rank.

Proaņo has been a member of the Marion faculty since 1976 and was promoted to associate professor in 1978. A recipient of numerous research grants and author of three books, Proaņo is interested in and teaches courses in comparative studies, Latin American culture and literature, women's studies, and Spanish. He has written many scholarly articles on Latin American literature, most recently a book on Latin American women's poetry, La Poesia Femenina Actual de Sudamerica (Scripta Humanistica, 1993).

He holds a bachelor's degree from Loyola College in Quito, Ecuador; two master's degrees from Ecuadorian universities; and two doctorates, including one from The Ohio State University.

The Division of Comparative Studies, College of Humanities, promotes comparative, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural research and teaching in the arts and sciences. The Division offers a curriculum that encourages comparative perspectives on a wide range of cultural and historical discourses and practices: literary, aesthetic, folkloric, technological, scientific, religious, political, material.

Before joining the Marion Campus, Proaņo was assistant professor in the modern foreign languages department at Denison University. Proaņo also was a Peace Corps instructor for three summers (1965-1968) at Brandeis University and Stanford University.

Consistently rated as an "excellent" teacher by his students, Proaņo was a 1997 recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award, the university's highest teaching honor. He also has served the campus and University on several committees, including the Community Relations Committee, Academic Standards Committee, and as chair of the Marion Faculty Assembly. He has served as senator to the University Senate, and as Marion Campus representative to numerous committees on the Columbus Campus.

Proaņo resides in Worthington (43085.)

Faculty members are typically hired as assistant professors and promoted to associate professors after successfully completing a rigorous four-year review process. Promotion to full professor is granted for exemplary work in teaching, service, and research.