Stephanie B.
Yelp
Columbus is quite lucky to have a place like the Wexner Center. I'm really not much of an art person, so galleries aren't exactly my thing. But I have come here on several occasions and have always enjoyed myself. There's so much to see and do here that it's worth a trip, especially if you haven't checked it out yet.
Right now the Andy Warhol exhibit is in full swing, and although I haven't seen it, I've heard nothing but good things about it. It's also pretty neat to know that this is the only showing of this exhibit. Right here in Columbus, one of a kind. The Wexner Center is really a huge part of this city's arts and creativity culture.
The Wexner Center is many things all rolled into one. It is an art gallery, it has stages where you can watch live performances or symposiums and discussions, you can watch movies here, there's a gift shop, there's an art and cartoon research library and even a cafeteria. There's so much to do here.
I used to come here when I was a student if I had some time to kill inbetween classes or just even to walk around the building and take it in. It is a nice piece of architecture. When I'd stop in I'd visit the cafe sometimes and take advantage of the free Wi-Fi. It's a nice place to hang around if you're a student, but it's also quite accessible to the general public. What's really nice is that if you have your student ID, it's free to get in most of the exhibits, forums and shows. But if you're not a student, there are other discounts you can get on certain days. Even if you don't, it's not that expensive. You can also become a Wexner Center member if you would frequent the place, which would make admissions free or at least cheaper. I'm not sure how much a membership costs, but I don't think it's cheap.
I think Columbus should be proud to have such a great resource in the city. And it's also great that it's right on campus. I forgot to mention that it's located on High St. near 15th, which is about right in the middle of campus. If you're driving, there is a parking garage right next door, or you could park on the street over on the other side High St. near all the off-campus student housing. But I'd go with the parking garage.
I've been here to listen to some of the talks and see some movies. The rooms are very nice and the chairs are theater-style. It's also neat, because sometimes after an event they have a reception out in the lobby outside the theater room and there are hors d'oeuvres and everyone stands around and chats about the show. Everything that takes place in here seems classy and dignified to me, too. You feel cultured and enlightened whenever you attend a lecture or symposium. I think it's important for students and the public to utilize this resource.
My only complaint is that I don't think that the Wexner Center does enough to draw in the masses. What I mean to say is that for someone like me, who isn't really interested in art, the Wexner Center is not a must-see. It's like everything they advertise isn't appealing to people who aren't familiar with the artists they feature. To be honest, I don't know who a lot of people are that show their work or speak here. In fact, if I hadn't been a curious student on the OSU campus, I probably never would have checked out the Wexner Center for myself. I'm glad I did, but it was pure curiosity that got me in the door. I wish that there was more here that appealed to those of us who don't really want to spend their time in an art gallery. That's why I enjoyed some of the film screenings - especially when they were showing Stanley Kubrick's films! I wish there was more events like that. And maybe their are, but I never really hear about them. It seems that for the past few months all you hear about is the Warhol exhibit, and that's because there are posters of him all over town.
Either way, the Wexner Center is pretty great, and I can't wait to go back and see it again. It's great that Columbus has it.