Lawrence and Isabel Barnett
Since 1993, the Barnett Center’s namesakes, Lawrence and Isabel Barnett, have been making dreams come true through their caring and generosity.
In addition to the Center, the Department also maintains two endowments and one fellowship that draw upon the generous donations of the Barnetts to promote ground-breaking research and art. These include:
- The Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Fellowship Fund
- The Barnett Distinguished Visiting Professor Fund
- The Barnett Dissertation Fellowship
These funds help support everything from research to lecture series to the Barnett Symposium. We are ever grateful to the Barnetts for the opportunities they have given students.
Theresa Barkan Willits
In 1947, Manuel Barkan joined the Ohio State faculty. Through ground-breaking research in the arts and creative behavior, Manuel rose to become the first chair of our Department.
Barkan’s research manifested in several timeless books, each exposing the workings behind the thought and creativity of art, especially in our nation’s elementary schools.
Today, Theresa Barkan Willits has passed on his legacy in the form of the Manuel Barkan Endowed Fellowship Fund. This fund supports art education dissertation research for graduate students within the Department.