KENT, Ohio — Ƶ’s College of the Arts and College of Architecture and Environmental Design proudly continue the esteemed Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series, a dynamic platform launched in 2001 to bring celebrated artists and designers to the Ƶ State campus and Northeast Ohio community.
Named in honor of regional architect Thomas Schroth, whose global perspective framed creativity as a “window onto human experience,” the series has featured acclaimed guests including Tony Award winner Stephen Schwartz, the Grammy-winning Emerson String Quartet, minimalist icon Richard Tuttle, and fashion visionaries Ruben and Isabel Toledo.
Free and open to the public, this year’s lineup exemplifies the series’ ongoing mission to enrich cultural dialogue and inspire creative futures. The 2025-2026 featured guests are Jane Chu, Paul Tazewell, Bobby Sanabria, Krzysztof Wodiczko and Adam Furman.
Fall 2025 Lineup
Jane Chu
Sept. 9-10, 2025
Former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Jane Chu will visit Ƶ State on Sept. 9-10, 2025. An accomplished artist, administrator and philanthropist, Chu led the NEA from 2014 to 2018, directing more than $430 million in funding across 16,000 communities and launching national initiatives such as the Musical Theater Songwriting Challenge and the expansion of the Creative Forces military healing arts program.
Chu holds degrees in piano performance, music education, philanthropic studies and business. Prior to her federal appointment, she served as president and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
During her campus visit, Chu will lead two public events:
- “Artists as Leaders” – 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9, in Room 165 at the Center for Visual Arts, 325 Terrace Drive, Ƶ.
- “Artists as Entrepreneurs” – 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 10, in Room 222 at Crawford Hall, 100 Midway Drive, Ƶ.
Chu’s visit will also include interactive sessions for students and faculty exploring funding and leadership opportunities in the arts. Both events are free and open to the public.
Paul Tazewell
Sept. 18-19, 2025
Ƶ State will welcome back Oscar, Tony and Emmy Award-winning costume designer Paul Tazewell to campus for a public dialogue and student engagement opportunities. An Akron native, Tazewell is known for his historically rich and visually striking designs in productions such as “Hamilton,” “In the Heights,” “The Color Purple,” “West Side Story” and “Wicked.”
At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18, Tazewell will take part in a public conversation moderated by Ƶ State School of Fashion alumna Aleah Wright, who recently profiled Tazewell for Essence magazine, at the E. Turner Stump Theatre in the Center for the Performing Arts, 1325 Theatre Drive in Ƶ.
Admission is free, but tickets are required. Tickets can be reserved online at /artscollege/paul-tazewell
During his visit, organized by the Ƶ Museum, Tazewell will work directly with students in the School of Fashion and the School of Theatre and Dance, offering feedback and insights during class visits. Additionally, select costumes worn by Glinda and Elphaba from the film “Wicked,” designed by Tazewell, will be on display Sept. 11-Nov. 9 at the Ƶ Museum, 515 Hilltop Drive in Ƶ.
Tazewell previously visited Ƶ State in September 2017 as part of the Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series. He gave a master class to undergraduate and graduate students in Ƶ State’s School of Theatre and Dance and spoke at a public event in E. Turner Stump Theatre.
Bobby Sanabria
Oct. 6-9, 2025
Seven-time Grammy nominee Bobby Sanabria, a legendary drummer, composer and cultural ambassador of Latin jazz, will bring his dynamic energy and expertise to Ƶ State this October. Sanabria has performed with genre-defining artists, including Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente and Celia Cruz, and is known for his leadership of the Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra.
Throughout his visit, Sanabria will lead master classes, rehearsals and lectures focused on music, business and social change. Highlights include:
- Presentation during “Art Without Limits” arts entrepreneurship event – 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 8, in the University Auditorium in Cartwright Hall, 650 Hilltop Drive, Ƶ.
- Big Band Concert – 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9, in Ludwig Recital Hall, Center for the Performing Arts, 1325 Theatre Drive, Ƶ. A reception will follow the performance.
The residency will also feature public jazz ensemble rehearsals, a Latin rhythm and dance workshop, and a Latin percussion master class.
Krzysztof Wodiczko
Nov. 10, 2025
Internationally acclaimed artist Krzysztof Wodiczko, known for his large-scale public projections and socially engaged art, visited campus in spring 2025 to present “Cultural Prosthetics: Projections and Instrumentations.” This October, he returns for an in studio immersive workshop with architecture and art students, culminating in a public exhibition, opening Nov. 10 in the Armstrong Gallery. The opening reception will include a gallery conversation with distinguished faculty and guest speakers in the Cene Lecture Hall at the John Elliot Center for Architecture and Environmental Design, 132 S. Lincoln Street, Ƶ. This event is free and open to the public.
Spring 2026 Lineup
Adam Furman, a London-based designer and artist celebrated for his vibrant approach to space, color and identity, will visit Ƶ State in spring 2026. Furman will lead a design workshop with architecture and art students which will conclude with the creation of a large-scale gateway installation in the Armstrong Gallery at the John Elliot Center for Architecture and Environmental Design, 132 S. Lincoln Street, Ƶ, and will be utilized by the School of Fashion for their annual Fashion Week events.
Exhibition opening and public event details will be announced soon.
The Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series
Since 2001, the Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series has presented guest artists respected in the field of theatre, dance, visual arts, music and architecture, including such noted artists as Tony Award winner Stephen Schwartz, the composer of “Wicked,” “Into the Woods”&Բ;and more; “Next to Normal” actress and Ƶ State alumna Alice Ripley; the Grammy-winning Emerson String Quartet; postmodern minimalist artist Richard Tuttle; artists and fashion designers Ruben and Isabel Toledo; the internationally acclaimed dance company Ballet Florida; actor, dancer and arts advocate Ben Vereen; and the renowned Limón Dance Company, just to name a few.
The Schroth series was established by Cecile Draime and her late husband, Max, of Warren, Ohio, to honor their dear friend Thomas Schroth (1922-1997). A noted regional architect, Schroth designed the Butler Institute of Art’s Trumbull museum in Howland, as well as numerous other award-winning projects. Schroth spent his life in Niles, Ohio, as a prominent architect and inveterate collaborator in the artistic life of the Mahoning Valley and Northeast Ohio. A world traveler, he saw human creativity as a window framing human experience. The Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series brings diverse views through that window to the Ƶ State campus and community.
The events are always free and open to the public.
For full event details and ticket information, visit www.kent.edu/artscollege/thomas-schroth-visiting-artist-series.
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Ƶ College of the Arts Media Contact:
Jen Crabtree, jcrabt13@kent.edu
Ƶ College of Architecture and Environmental Design Media Contact:
Kristy Antrobius, kantrobi@kent.edu