Two art exhibitions at Ohio University honored the graphic design program and retired professors Don Adleta and Karen Nulf. The "Legacy" exhibition at the Kennedy Museum of Art featured works by Adleta and Nulf over their 60-year careers. The "REACH" exhibition included works by over 50 OU graphic design alumni and celebrated the impact of the program. Both exhibitions highlighted the contributions of Adleta and Nulf to growing the program and inspiring students. They established an endowment to bring design practitioners to campus through a residency program.

1. KELSEY BOEING (HTTPS://WWW.THEPOSTATHENS.COM/STAFF/KELSEY-BOEING)
Kennedy Museum of Art at 100 Ridges Circle, Athens, Ohio. (FILE)
03.12.21 / 1:12 am
‘Legacy’ and ‘REACH’ exhibitions recognize OU
graphic design program, professors
Isabel Nissley (https://www.thepostathens.com/staff/isabel-nissley)
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Two art exhibits, “Legacy: Don Adleta and Karen Nulf, 60 years of Graphic Design” and “REACH: 50+ Years of Works by
OHIO Graphic Design Alumni” are honoring the creativity and strength of OU’s graphic design program. “Legacy
(https:/
/www.ohio.edu/museum/art/exhibitions/legacy)” is on display through March 28 at the Kennedy Museum of
Art. “REACH (https:/
/www.ohio.edu/ ne-arts/reach)” ran through March 6 at the Trisolini Gallery and is currently
available for viewing online.
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2. “Legacy” speci cally recognized the impact of retiring professor emeritus
(https:/
/www.ohio.edu/news/2021/01/kennedy-museum-art-reopens-exhibit-honoring-two-graphic-design-emeriti-
faculty), Don Adleta, and retired professor emeritus, Karen Nulf. The two worked to grow and strengthen the graphic
design program at OU.
The pair’s legacy has continued after their retirement, though. Along with their intellectual contributions to the OU
community, Nulf and Adleta have given several tangible gifts, too. Nulf made a number of contributions to the OU Type
Shop and Bindery, donating materials like letterforms and arranging for presses to be donated.
Soon, the Type Shop and Bindery will be named the Don E. Adleta Type Shop and Bindery in Adleta’s honor.
“I said to the Ohio University Foundation that I will donate (my house) to Ohio University in a trust fund that will survive
me,” Adleta said. “When I pass away, it becomes something that is theirs, and it will have a value. And as a result of that,
they said that they would name the Type Shop and the Bindery the Don E. Adleta Type Shop and Bindery. So, there will
be a perpetuation of my name in the school.”
The design program will be further supported by the newly-established Fine Arts Designer in Residence Fund
(https:/
/ohio.scalefunder.com/cfund/project/25051). Elliot Strunk, OU graphic design alumnus, and Betsy Burton-
Strunk, his wife, established a $25,000 endowment for the fund. The College of Fine Arts raised about $10,000 more for
the fund through the OU Scalefunder platform as well.
The fund was created to “celebrate design at OU and the legacy of extraordinary faculty Karen Nulf and Don Adleta,”
according to the OU Scalefunder website. Funds will be used to bring design practitioners to campus and online for
virtual residencies at Ohio University.
During their time at OU, Adleta and Nulf taught hundreds of students. “REACH” celebrates the work of those former
students. “REACH’s” title encompasses the spirit of the exhibit well; the diversity of work that has been created by OU
graphic design alumni is expansive.
“One person is redesigning the Serbian currency,” Adleta said. “One person designed Prince's Purple Rain album cover.
One person designed the sets for Lady Gaga. One person did the new Yankee Stadium. Another person did a movie
documentary on the honorable John Lewis.”
Included in the “REACH” exhibit is the work of OU alumni, Tricia Hennessy, professor of graphic design at Western
Michigan University and Strunk, creative director at Honestly (https:/
/honestly.co/perfectcombo/). Hennessy learned
from Nulf when she attended OU, and credits Nulf with being one of the people who inspired her deep engagement with
graphic design.
Hennessy’s featured work included designs for the Association for Behavior Analysis International’s conventions and
Western Michigan University’s New Issues Poetry & Prose. She believes that graphic design is about something bigger
than the individual, and re ects that in her work.
“It's more than just seeing your work somewhere,” Hennessy said. “It's more about how did that work address its
audience, how was it successfully perceived and what do people learn from your work.”
Strunk studied under both Nulf and Adleta. His featured exhibition work was a Krispy Kreme poster that commemorated
the 65-year anniversary of the company’s existence. Like Hennessy, he credits his time at OU with fostering his passion
for graphic design.
“(OU) really focused my creativity,” Strunk said. “I entered as an artist, I entered as a creative person, but I left OU as a
designer. The faculty (were) really able to sort of channel and focus my efforts to help me nd what I was good at and
what I love to do.”
“Legacy” and “REACH” exist in conversation with each other. Juxtaposing the teacher and the student and the past and
the present, the exhibits showcase the breadth of OU’s graphic design program.
“I think it (is) poetic,” Strunk said. “On the one hand it's like, here's Don and Karen and the things that they've created
over the course of their career, then here is the alumni exhibition and this is what was born out of all the people who
went through the program.”
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3. @isabelnissley (https:/
/twitter.com/isabelnissley)
in566119@ohio.edu (mailto:in566119@ohio.edu)
More from The Post:
(https://www.thepostathens.com/article/2021/03/the-post-alumni-seth-archer-alexis-eichelberger-marisa-fernandez-bennett-
leckrone-alex-mccann)
Q&A: How ‘The Post’ has helped its alumni thrive in the workplace
(https://www.thepostathens.com/article/2021/03/the-post-alumni-seth-archer-alexis-eichelberger-marisa-
fernandez-bennett-leckrone-alex-mccann)
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4. (https://www.thepostathens.com/article/2021/03/virtual-expo-research-and-creative-activity-april-8-videos-social-media)
Students provided opportunity to present research and creative activity
(https://www.thepostathens.com/article/2021/03/virtual-expo-research-and-creative-activity-april-8-videos-
social-media)
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5. (https://www.thepostathens.com/article/2021/03/ou-president-nellis-anti-hazing-bowling-green-state-university)
Collin’s Law reintroduced in Ohio General Assembly, OU president signs letter in its favor
(https://www.thepostathens.com/article/2021/03/ou-president-nellis-anti-hazing-bowling-green-state-
university)
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