I spent last weekend visiting the ol' Alma Mater,
Ohio University. I finished my BFA in Photography there nine years ago (nine!) and it had been eight years since I last set foot on campus. How strange it was to be back there, things so different yet very much the same. It was as if no time had passed, only I must have grown because it all seemed so much smaller than I remembered it. I guess I've grown a lot, figuratively, since my days as an apathetic undergraduate art student. Some friends and I had been talking about taking the trip out there together for some time now, and when I heard that the
College of Fine Arts was having its 75th anniversary, as well as a favorite old professor giving a lecture before his pending retirement, I knew the time was perfect to make the pilgrimage.
I made phone calls. I threatened. I told my friends that not going was not an option. And it worked because I got to spend the weekend with several of my best and closest friends. These friendships were forged while in college, so where better to gather than in the place where we first united. Conveniently, one such friend now makes her home a mere 45 minutes away from the University, and she and her husband were gracious enough to offer up their beautiful new home as a crash pad for the weekend.Thanks again, Gretchen and Adrian!
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| Grandpa's Cheesebarn in Ashland, OH |
My trip began on Friday morning, husband along for the adventure, luggage and cooler full of snacks in tow. We drove South toward Athens, stopping along the way at the husband's request at
Grandpa's Cheesebarn. And let's be honest, I wasn't exactly opposed to making the pit stop myself. For those of you unfortunate enough to never have visited Grandpa's Cheesebarn, this place, nestled along I-71 in Ashland, OH, is a glorious haven of meat and dairy products, with samples galore. After tasting a good dozen or so delicious samples, we decided on a couple of pepper cheeses and I bought a beautiful, handmade Grandpa's Cheesebarn souvenir mug made by
Deneen Pottery. I had to have it. I mean, honestly, you can't argue with good craftmanship and this mug just felt so good in my hand. I've developed a real obsession with mugs and teacups as of late and I'm cultivating quite a collection.
Anyhow, cheese (and mug) in hand, we continued our journey Southward and reached Athens around 4:00, just as the graduate studios and the Kennedy Museum of Art were opening for visitors. The Kennedy was showing a collection of faculty work and it was interesting to see some of my old professor's pieces. I also love the building the museum and grad studios are housed in. Now referred to as The Ridges, the complex of buildings used to be a mental hospital until it closed in 1993 and is now owned by the University. While some of the space is used for offices, in addition to the art museum and studio space, much of the buildings remain vacant and spooky-looking, which is precisely why I like them.
Afterwards, we headed back North a ways to my friend's house and shortly thereafter, the whole crew arrived for a night of cooking and conversation.
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| The OU Crew. That's me on the left. |
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| Aethelred Eldridge in Action |
Saturday morning, I was up bright and early, and I roused the troops with a freshly brewed pot of coffee. We were out the door by a little after 10:00am in order to get to campus for what was the main event of the whole trip: a lecture from a retiring professor we had all loved,
Aethelred Eldridge. Anyone who attended Ohio University's fine art program in the past 50+ years knows about Eldridge. An infamous
avant-garde, his lectures are more like performance pieces than anything else, a verbal stream of consciousness that any beat poet from the day would abide, follow? And as much as he was loved, we feared him, too. Maybe feared is too harsh a word, the feeling is something more like awe. None of us knew quite how to deal with this seemingly mad genius. Eldridge's classes did not disappoint and this time around was no exception.The lecture was everything I hoped it would be. How strange it was, to sit in that lecture hall, experiencing my past again.
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| The iconic work of Aethelred Eldridge, as seen on the archway below Seigfred Hall. |
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| Seigfred Hall, Ohio University's Visual Art Building |
After the lecture, we spent the day wandering uptown, visiting old haunts, bumping into old classmates. Burritos and margaritas were had at
Casa and white Russians were drank at
Tony's. It was good, very good. It was like being home again. And, despite the cold rain, the day was a fun-filled success.
Weekend done, and belly full of brunch, the husband and I headed home to Cleveland Sunday afternoon, driving most of the way without conversation, each of lost in our own thoughts. I was reflecting back on the weekend, on the cathartic revisiting of my past. I'm not one to dwell on times gone by, regret is a pointless emotion, but a little nostalgia can be good for the soul. And looking back on the things that made me who I am gives me energy and guidance for the steps ahead...
