The Peggy Ezekiel Awards Exhibit, a collection of works recognizing outstanding achievement in theater arts, design and technology, will be on exhibit in the Elzay Gallery of Art now through Feb. 27.

The work selected for the exhibit was produced by members of the Ohio Valley Section of the United States Institute for Theater Technology. This show displays the best in costume design, lighting design, scenic design, sound design, technology/craft, and architecture.

The awards were created in 1985 as a way to recognize and to celebrate the amazing quality of the work being done by members of the OVS throughout the section. The 10 submissions selected as the Board’s Choice became the Peggy Ezekiel Exhibit and were then displayed at the national conference as a way to share the work across the country.

The awards are named in honor of Peggy Ezekiel, one of the four original founders of USITT/Ohio. Peggy, an active member at the national level, believed that there was a need for a more localized chapter of USITT that would serve the needs of the many theater professionals in Ohio.

With that goal in mind, she was instrumental in obtaining from USITT the charter forming the Ohio Section. At first, the section was local, but grew to encompass the entire state of Ohio and has continued to flourish. It now includes the Ohio Valley and western Pennsylvania regions and boasts membership throughout the rest of the nation.

USITT/Ohio Valley sponsors regional conferences, workshops on national artists and productions, and supports active student chapters of USITT. Peggy only saw the beginnings of USITT/Ohio before she died tragically during the second year of
USITT/Ohio’s existence. It was not long after Peggy’s death that the Peggy Ezekiel Award was established in her honor in 1985.

The Elzay Gallery of Art is located on Gilbert Street on the campus of Ohio Northern University. The gallery is connected to the Wilson Art Center, the classroom-studio building that houses the department of art and design.

Admission to the Elzay Gallery is free and open to the public, daily from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. while school is in session. For additional information, to schedule a tour, or to be placed on the arts exhibition mailing list, please contact the Department of Art & Design at 419-772-2160 or [email protected].