With its superior artist residency program and world-class galleries, even a major cultural force such as the Wexner Center for the Arts has trouble getting young people in the door—and not just because they can’t find it amidst the post-modern architecture. Forging a partnership with the neighboring Ohio State University, the Wexner Center discounted ticket prices for students and hosted a series of late-night parties. On such a diverse campus, attracting young scholars takes more originality than the standard offer of free pizza and Coke. By combining two staples of the college experience, psychedelia and Algebra, the wildly popular “Unified Theory” campaign wittily presented the Wexner Center’s offer and enabled cultural enrichment for both communities.
With the exception of organizations like Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio, the Walker Arts Center in Minneapolis, On the Boards in Seattle and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, few presenting organizations deviate from the same old crusty mold.
—NEW YORK TIMES, SEP 2005
