L. Joshua Jackson, Arts & Culture Editor
December 4, 2020
As Associate Professor in both Theater and Africana Studies, Justin Emeka, OC ’95, has built a unique position for himself at Oberlin. This semester, Emeka worked with Professor of Theater, Matthew Wright to develop the Theater Dialogue Series: a roundtable discussion that provides space for Theater department students and faculty to reflect on important issues facing theater today. The dialogues focused on theater in the time of the pandemic and creating safer and more equitable spaces for Black...
Casey Troost, Staff Writer
November 20, 2020
What do 17th century France, 1980s Hollywood, and 2020 pandemic-stricken Oberlin College have in common? Listeners can hear them all this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday by tuning in to Oberlin’s mainstage audio production, Neil Bartlett’s 1989 adaptation of Molière’s The Misanthrope. Associate Professor of Theater, Costume Designer, and Director Chris Flaharty and his team have turned to the audio play, adjusting their expertise to ObieSafe guidelines. The artistic team chose the audio...
L. Joshua Jackson, Arts and Culture Editor
November 11, 2020
Galvanized by a summer marked by nationwide protests and conversations about racism, many in Oberlin have sought to create more inclusive spaces for Black students across the campus community. Talise Campbell, visiting assistant professor of Africana Studies and Dance, has made a life out of creating art as a means of social justice work. This semester, she was inspired to organize a series of Dance Dialogues, with the goal of reflecting on the accessibility of the Dance Department. “As a...
Katherine MacPhail, Anna Farber, and L. Joshua Jackson
October 30, 2020
A new Theater class, “Playwrighting and Performance in the Time of the Black Lives Matter Movement,” calls on students to respond to important social issues they care about through their writing. The Black Lives Matter movement resurged this summer in response to the murders of Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake, George Floyd — and countless others. Last Monday, students from the course took to the Cat in the Cream stage and performed some of their work for an at-home audience. Taught by Professor...
Building Community on a Socially Distant Campus with Student Activities
October 9, 2020
Chadwick Boseman and Becoming a Hero
September 4, 2020
Olive Hwang, Production Editor
November 20, 2020
Three nights a week the booms of Japanese drums shake the halls of First United Methodist Church, as eight members of Oberlin College Taiko perform in remarkable synchronicity. Striking their drums with determination and confidence, they build up a rhythm sure to invigorate any audience, virtual or live. In North America, taiko refers to the art of Japanese ensemble drumming. Taiko drummers use large wooden sticks called bachi to hit their taiko, which means drum in Japanese. This style of...
Daniel Fleischer
November 18, 2020
Every Saturday, the sounds of West Afrikan drumming and dancing feet reverberate from St. Paul’s Community Church in Cleveland. Organized by the Djapo Cultural Arts Institute, the classes hosted here bring together people of all ages and backgrounds through traditional Afrikan Diasporic dance and music. In addition to leading these community classes, Djapo also has a professional dance company, runs a “Rite of Passage'' educational program for young Cleveland residents, travels all over the world,...
Kate Fishman, Associate Editor
May 3, 2020
Transitioning to online learning in March was disruptive across departments, and for many graduating Dance majors the transition to online learning meant drastically changing their visions for final capstone performances. On top of the energy depletion that comes with being away from Oberlin, plans for these performances — which are a key part of students’ farewells to Oberlin — needed to be significantly altered as a result of social isolation and the shift to digital communication. “It...
Nina Auslander
February 28, 2020
Lyala Khan
December 13, 2019
It is impossible to sit in on an AndWhat!? rehearsal and not be blown away by the power and energy they build. In their drive to rehearse each piece again and again until it is just right, and their ability to channel complicated and raw emotions into moving pieces, the group’s hard work, energy, and talent are palpable. AndWhat!? is a powerhouse hip-hop group that slays each performance, and creates an important space at Oberlin. “AndWhat!? was founded [in 1999] on the idea of Black female...
Katherine MacPhail, Editor-in-Chief
November 22, 2019
Yesterday evening, Twiggy Pucci Garçon brought their style and confidence to campus, teaching students about ballroom history and technique. Garçon is a performer, activist, and senior program director at True Colors United, an organization that works to provide support for LGBTQ+ homeless youth. Garçon also choreographed for the second season of Pose, a lauded show with the largest cast of transgender actors in TV history, so they had lots of wisdom to share during Thursday’s sold-out class. “I...
Drew Dansby, Production Editor
October 9, 2020
Limited access to traditional practice spaces has created new roadblocks to making music and learning collaboratively for Oberlin Conservatory students. However, even in the face of challenge and change, Conservatory students have mostly retained and adapted their practice habits, even while many are practicing in their dorm rooms. This semester, Conservatory students majoring in easily-transportable instruments were provided chairs and stands in their individual rooms to practice. Most of these...
Soul Session Verzuz Retains Community Through Virtual Performance
October 9, 2020
Tappan Square Becomes Stage for “Sila: The Breath of the World”
September 16, 2020
SleepWalker’s 2020 Freshman List
July 3, 2020
Casey Troost, Staff Writer
November 6, 2020
The Art Department brings over a dozen artists to campus every year for its Artist Talk series. Last Tuesday, internationally renowned artist Derli Romero gave a lecture called “Forced Displacement and Corporality” over Zoom. The Art Department hopes that this series will expose students to new work and help them build professional networks. Romero’s lecture featured both his previous work and his most recent series: Rostros Migrantes: Colección de 100 Microhistorias (Migrant Faces: Collection...
Lauren O'Hear
September 9, 2020
Even in the face of a global pandemic, the classic Oberlin tradition of Art Rental will continue this Saturday — but with some significant changes. The Oberlin Art Rental was founded in 1940, 80 years ago, by Professor of Modern Art Ellen Johnson, OC ’33. The program provides Obies with the opportunity to bring original art from the museum into their dorm rooms and is a major selling point for prospective students. “It was one of the main reasons I chose to come to Oberlin in the...
Gwen Cappel-McCoy
September 4, 2020
This year, the Allen Memorial Art Museum has restricted access to Oberlin College ID-holders. However, some of the changes brought on by COVID-19 have given the AMAM’s staff the time to work on virtual initiatives and programs which increase museum accessibility beyond the College. Since students were sent home in March, AMAM curators and leadership pivoted to online outreach and worked to innovate the museum’s role in a socially-distant world. This past June, the AMAM created a Spotify...
May 5, 2020
Art is always created in context — a truth made all the more apparent by the events of the past few months. Student artists at Oberlin, separated from campus resources, have had to adapt their creative practices for the semester, using this time to process the pandemic through art or to take a creative break from the world. Second-year Sociology and Studio Art double major Jacob Valero used his creative practices to help him adjust at the beginning of the pandemic. “Back...
May 3, 2020
Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic, OCSA Program Seeks to Promote Open Dialogue
March 13, 2020
Poetry Event “Afterwords” Reflects on Allen Exhibition
March 6, 2020
Martina Taylor
September 25, 2020
Writing a travel journal during a time of widespread border closures and restrictions might seem almost impossible. But for the Away Journal team, it was a challenge they were more than willing to take on. The magazine covers travel for pleasure as well as travel due to displacement, exile or refugee status — well positioning the publication to adapt to the changes imposed by the pandemic. Professor of Rhetoric and Composition and Director of the Writing Program Laurie McMillin began Away...
Alice Koeninger, Senior Staff Writer
February 21, 2020
Only a few weeks after the beloved writer and Lorain native Toni Morrison passed away last August, Professor of Studio Art and Africana Studies Johnny Coleman began planning an event to commemorate Morrison’s first birthday after her death. The culmination of Coleman’s efforts was a nine-hour remembrance service hosted by the Oberlin College President’s office. The event turned out to be a huge collaborative effort, with support from Africana Studies, the Art department, the Lorain County...
Book Nook Reviews: Lasser and Kornblith’s “Elusive Utopia”
December 6, 2019
Middle School Students Celebrate Poetic Accomplishments
December 6, 2019
November 22, 2019
German Department Celebrates 50-Year Anniversary
November 8, 2019
Book Nook Review: Ill Will Presents Gripping Mysteries
November 1, 2019
October 11, 2019
Anisa Curry Vietze, Editor-in-Chief
September 30, 2020
Athina Apazidis, Staff Cartoonist
March 13, 2020
Clair Wang, Staff Cartoonist
March 6, 2020
Clair Wang, Staff Cartoonist
February 7, 2020
Anna Farber, Arts and Culture Editor
November 13, 2020
Last spring, he shepherded over 100 students who were studying abroad home from their host countries. Now, with the suspension of Oberlin’s Study Away program this semester,...
October 21, 2020
The pandemic has been a particularly challenging time for practicing musicians. Professor of Piano Peter Takács is an expert on Beethoven and has performed and recorded his...
Kate Fishman, Managing Editor
September 18, 2020
Editors note: This interview contains discussion of rape and sexual violence Alumna Anne Reeder Heck’s book, A Fierce Belief in Miracles: My Journey of Healing, is being...
Anna Farber, Arts and Culture Editor
September 11, 2020
Jacey Davidson, OC ’20, started the Instagram account @oberlinoverheard, or Oberheard, in 2018. Oberlin Overheard features short, droll quotes heard around campus that are...
Kate Fishman, Managing Editor
September 4, 2020
Educational Technologist, Digital Media Engineer, and Lecturer Kyle Hartzell wears many hats at Oberlin College — he works in the Center for Information Technology and the...
Gigi Ewing, Senior Associate Editor
July 5, 2020
Editor’s note: Grace Smith has worked as a production editor for the Review, and was uninvolved with the editing of this interview. Smith is not working at the Review during...
Devyn Malouf, Production Manager
May 25, 2020