College of Wooster Art Students Collaborate on ‘Press’ for Diversity

Steamroller printmaking project scheduled for Oct. 11 outside of Ebert Art Center

WOOSTER, Ohio — A unique form of artistic expression will illustrate the intrinsic value of diversity next Tuesday (Oct. 11) when students from The College of Wooster, in collaboration with Embracing Our Differences (EOD) Ohio, place carved relief printing blocks on the asphalt pavement and watch as they are “steamrolled” into prints. The event, scheduled for 1-4 p.m. outside of Ebert Art Center, is free and open to the public.

The idea was conceived by Marina Mangubi, associate professor of art and chair of the art and art history department at Wooster. “The reason I chose steamroller printmaking for EOD was because of the populist nature of the printmaking medium and because I wanted a project that would involve our community,” she said. “Cally (King) [an EOD steering committee member] had approached me about working with EOD, and I came up with the project.” Mangubi also invited Emily Sullivan, adjunct professor of studio art, and her printmaking class along with a few other students to make prints. King contacted Peg Cornwell, Associate to the President for Community, Trustee, and Parent Relations, who brought Bogner Construction Company on board and made the project possible.

The students — 11 from Sullivan’s printmaking class and two of Mangubi’s (an I.S. mentee and a sophomore) — have been working in groups of three for the past three weeks. Each student designed and carved a 3 ft. x 2 ft. block from Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) that will be combined with two others to form a 3 ft. x 6 ft. print. Using traditional wood-carving tools, the students chiseled images to represent their valuation of diversity. Those blocks will then be inked using brayers and then covered with paper before being flattened by a 12-ton steamroller, courtesy of Bogner.

“Printmaking, unlike painting and sculpture, has a history of collaboration,” said Sullivan. “During this process, our students had to learn to deal with one another’s differences and somehow find common ground.

“The steamroller allows us to produce larger prints,” added Sullivan. “We will have about five large-scale prints that will become part of the annual Embracing Our Differences Ohio traveling display.”

Established in 2007, Embracing Our Differences Ohio is a collaborative effort between the Wayne Center for the Arts and the Wooster Unity Project. It is built on three basic principles: (1) Diversity enriches our lives; (2) Respect for differences in our thoughts and beliefs elevates the human experience; and (3) Active rejection of prejudice and hatred enhances our own freedoms. The prints will be displayed at traveling indoor and outdoor exhibitions intended to build awareness about diversity and how it enriches the community.

“College of Wooster students bring a new breadth and depth of perspective about diversity that only college students can offer,” said King. “These student submissions, added to the greater pool of artwork, heighten the experience for artists and viewers alike.”

The Tri-County Educational Service Center has joined the effort by providing a guide for teaching diversity and tolerance. The publication, which features lesson plans and other resources, addresses a wide range of diversity issues, including race, gender, socio-economic standing, ethnicity, culture, religion, politics, age, disability, and physical attributes.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the campus and the community at large,” said Ferenc Relle, Jr., one of the co-chairs for Embracing Our Differences Ohio. “We will all have a chance to view student expressions about diversity that will enrich everyone involved.”

For additional information about the event, visit the EDO website.