Wexner Center for the Arts

10/12/2026

Artist, Mark Dion, returns to the Wex to discuss his practice and invites the audience to rethink their assumptions about authority and knowledge.

Dion's work has been exhibited at the Wex in 1990 as part of, "Biodiversity" alongside William Schefferine, and again in 1997 for a solo exhibition titled, "Cabinet of Curiosities for the Wexner Center for the Arts."

Mark Dion creates sculptures and installations that examine how objects are collected, preserved, organized, and interpreted. This talk will give insight into his research-based process and the ideas that inform his work, and it will be followed by a Q&A with the artist.

Join us on November 5 at 4pm!

Dion first exhibited at the Wex soon after it opened, participating in the 1990 exhibition Biodiversity along with William Schefferine. He returned...

10/10/2026

Retrospective: William Greaves 🎥

American documentarian, William Greaves, spent his life and career dedicated to “tell the true stories of people of color," and we are excited to show the full scope of his work starting November 1.

Before we show a series of Greaves' work, we will be screening on October 24, which was posthumously brought to life by William Greaves' son, David Greaves. The film is a depiction of the Harlem Renaissance and some of its greatest minds, sharing stories, reminiscing, and gathering to discuss the quickly-changing cultural landscape.

For a full screening schedule of the retrospective, visit our website.

William Greaves might not be a household name but the recent release of his essential posthumous film Once Upon a Time in Harlem is bringing a new...

10/09/2026

Join us on October 29 for two back-to-back events at the Wex! 🎤

At 4pm, Morehshin Allahyari and Alireza Doostdar will discuss the renewed relevance of both mythology and archives in our contemporary moment, and how artists and scholars can challenge dominant narratives and envision more just technological futures. This talk is a collaboration between Allahyari’s interdisciplinary practice and anthropologist Alireza Doostdar’s research on science, religion, and modernity.
🙋 A Q&A will follow the discussion.

At 7pm, we will be screening of "Women Laughing," a documentary about longtime New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly. Inspired by her acclaimed book "Very Funny Ladies" and Donnelly’s own biography, the film looks back at the fascinating history and evolution of single-panel cartoons from the 1920s to the present and reveals how far women have come in a field historically dominated by men.
🙋 A Q&A with Donnelly follows the screening.

Both events are free for all audiences with ticket registration, which can be done on our website.

https://wexarts.org/talks-more/morehshin-allahyari-and-alireza-doostdar-conversation

https://wexarts.org/film-video/women-laughing

10/08/2026

SML, Los Angeles-based jazz quintet, join us at the Wex for an immersive and electric live performance on November 6.

The group consists of Anna Butterss on electric bass, Jeremiah Chiu on synthesizers and live sampling, Josh Johnson on saxophone and electronics, Booker Stardrum on drums and percussion, and Gregory Uhlmann on guitar and effects. All individual artists collaborate to create lively jazz compositions through improvisation, electronics, and rhythm-driven expressions that create multi-sensory and adventurous experiences for the audience.

This is a show you don't want to miss! 🎷 🎹 🥁
Tickets start at $15 for students and $35 for members. Learn more about the show and membership on our website!

The acclaimed collective SML brings its unique sound to the Wex, blending improvisation, groove, electronics, and jazz into a captivating live...

10/07/2026

10/06/2026

Join us this Thursday for a conversation between Josiah McElheny and Tavares Strachan focusing on their intersectional research of art and science, histories of exploration, and impacts on the human experience.

This talk is a part of Confluence: Public Art, Experimentation, and Engaged Communities, a collaborative endeavor between Columbus Museum of Art and The Ohio State University taking place October 8–9, 2026.

McElheny will discuss his long-term collaborations with David Weinberg, distinguished university professor in the Department of Astronomy at Ohio State, where they worked together to study connections between contemporary art, astronomy, and scientific inquiry.

Strachan, whose solo exhibition The Day Tomorrow Began is currently on view at the Columbus Museum of Art at the Pizzuti, will reflect on historical undercurrents in contemporary moments by looking at 19th- and 20th-century Arctic explorer Matthew Henson, histories of exploration, questions of visibility and recognition, and more.

Columbus Museum of Art
Columbus Museum of Art at The Pizzuti

Josiah McElheny, a past Wexner Center Artist Residency Award winner who has also presented solo exhibitions at the Wex, returns for a conversation...

10/04/2026

Watch Ohio premieres of creative nonfiction films before anyone else does at Unorthodocs 2026🎥

We are showing a dozen films in five days, all starting on October 22. Filmmakers like Patrick Bresnan, Mila Turajlić, Brydie O'Connor, and Poh Si Teng with Dr. Feroze Sidhwa will all be joining us in person for the screening of their films.

Visit our website for the full line up and to purchase your ticket(s)!

Interested in four or more films? Buy our festival pass! Our festival pass includes:

🎫 Admission to a dozen different nonfiction films
🎫 Entry to talks with visiting filmmakers
🎫 Access to the passholders’ lounge for drinks, snacks, and between-moving chilling
🎫 One free drink ticket for the October 24 reception
🎫 Student festival passes are only $18!

https://bit.ly/4AM9EMo

10/02/2026

Celebrate Día de los Mu***os (Day of the Dead) with the Department of Spanish & Portuguese and the Wex!

Join us for this all-ages event featuring hands-on art-making activities, poetry readings, and dance performances. There will also be free refreshments including tamales, hot chocolate, and traditional pan de mu**to!

All are welcome to celebrate departed loved ones and participate in this vibrant Latinx tradition with Mesoamerican Indigenous roots.

October 30 | 4–7 PM
📍 Wexner Center Lower Lobby
🎟️ Free for all audiences

See the full program schedule

Acompáñanos en este evento, que está dirigido a todas las edades. Habrá momentos de reflexión para recordar a nuestros seres queridos...

10/01/2026

RIVERBEND, now newly restored by filmmaker and archivist Michael J. Dennis, is on a cross-country screening tour and showing in Columbus TOMORROW NIGHT!

After tracking down the original negative print of the full movie, Dennis restored this film to 6k resolution meant for watching on the big screen, just as director Sam Firstenberg intended.

Set in the segregated south of the 1960s, Riverbend follows three Black soldiers on their way to be court-martialed for refusing to destroy a village in Vietnam. They escape and hide in a small, heavily segregated town in Georgia run by a brutal sheriff and corrupt judge. Relying on their military training, the soldiers secretly organize the local townspeople to fight against the oppression they face on a daily basis.

Dennis and actor Julius Tennon will be joining us for a Q&A and Blu-ray signing following the screening of the cult classic and culturally relevant film.

Join us this Friday!
🗓️ October 2 at 7pm
📍Film/Video Theater at the Wex
🎫 $6 Student Tickets

*We recommend parking in Ohio Union South Garage to avoid special event parking fees and ensure your validation sticker ($6 parking for the public and free parking for members) applies.

09/30/2026

Last Friday, we screened "Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World," a film about the career and life of the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet and writer, Mary Oliver.

We were joined by filmmaker Sasha Waters Freyer and a full house in our Film/Video Theater! Freyer completed this work in our very own film studio with the support of our film/video staff and editors, and we are grateful to have shown her finished film here in Columbus to a sold out crowd.

"Saved by the Beauty of the World" is now on streaming on PBS.

Here at the Wex, we regularly screen films and bring in according filmmakers — take a look at our website to view upcoming films and visiting filmmakers for 2026! 🎬