NEA National Medal of Arts Comes to Ohio

The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is a recipient of the 2009 National Medal of Arts, the highest award given by the United States government to artists and arts patrons in recognition of the wealth and depth of their creative expressions.

The Oberlin Conservatory of Music is the only professional music school to be so honored by President Obama.

The other honorees for 2009 are: singer and songwriter Bob Dylan; director and actor Clint Eastwood; graphic designer Milton Glaser; architect and sculptor Maya Lin; singer, dancer, and actress Rita Moreno; soprano Jessye Norman; arts patron and design advocate Joseph P. Riley Jr.; painter and sculptor Frank Stella; conductor Michael Tilson Thomas; composer and conductor John Williams; and the School of American Ballet.

Oberlin College's Allen Memorial Art Museum to Close for Renovations

The Allen Memorial Art Museum is in its last weeks before closing for a year for a $10 million interior renovations. The last day the museum will be open is Wednesday, December 23rd. These renovations include an upgrade of the museum's 30 year old mechanical systems that maintain climate control, lighting, additional storage, as well as security.

The museum is currently exhibiting three shows: Starry Dome: Astronomy in Art and the Imagination, Engaging Spirits, Empowering Man: Sculpture from West and Central Africa, and Out of Line: Drawings from the Allen from the Twentieth Century and Beyond. All of these will be open through December 23rd.

So if your holiday travels take you to northern Ohio, be sure to stop in Oberlin. It's one of my favorite Ohio cities and the AMAM is one of my favorite college museums.