Wexner Center for the Arts to Keep Name Despite Founder’s Epstein Ties
Hundreds had urged Ohio State University to remove Les Wexner's name from campus buildings over his connections to Jeffrey Epstein.
Ohio State University (OSU) has decided to retain the Les Wexner name despite the founder's ties to Jeffrey Epstein, discarding a review process that aimed to remove the name from campus buildings. The interim Provost Trevor Brown's decision was made public on November 6, despite hundreds of requests for a renaming. This choice is particularly damaging to the Wexner Center for the Arts staff, who feel the weight of public backlash and have their work questioned due to its association with the Wexner name.
The Wex Workers United (WWU), a union representing the Wexner Center's staff, expressed that employees would be the primary victims of this decision, facing hostile public reactions and having their work scrutinized for its connection to Wexner. Although Wexner funded the art institution's creation and still holds the position of board chair, the Center's Executive Director Cat Predmore announced that at least one artist and one grantmaking organization have withdrawn from showing art and funding the Center due to Epstein's connections.
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