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Animation director Ahn Jae-huun, owner of the studio Meditation with a Pencil, works at his desk in Korea. Ahn will visit the Wexner Center for the Arts later this September. Credit: Courtesy of Meditation with a Pencil

The Wexner Center for the Arts will host a five-part event series dedicated to the work of Korean animation director Ahn Jae-huun throughout September. 

According to the center’s website, Ahn is known for his work on American shows like “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy,” as well as founding his own Korean film studio called Meditation with a Pencil. The studio’s main goal, according to the center’s website, is creating “drawings that cure and colors that touch one’s heart.” 

The upcoming event series — presented in conjunction with Cartoon Crossroads Columbus, or CXC — is set to begin with a  7 p.m. Tuesday screening of Ahn’s “The Shaman Sorceress” — a film about a shaman whose son returns to his family a converted Christian after many years away, causing family conflicts to arise — at the center. 

Melissa Starker, creative content and public relations manager at the Wexner Center, said working with CXC to bring influential artists like Ahn to Ohio State is really important for the center.  

“[This event] illustrates the mission of Cartoon Crossroads — and by extension The Wex — of bringing important, and inspiring and influential artists to Central Ohio,” Starker said.

The series also includes a Sept. 24 screening of “The Road Called Life,” which is based on Korean short films and follows two market vendors who discover they share more commonalities than they initially thought. Notably, Ahn will attend this screening, according to the center’s website. 

A discussion event with Ahn and Kyoung Lee Swearingen, an Ohio State associate professor of design and moving-image production, is scheduled for 5 p.m. Sept. 26. 

On the same day, a 7 p.m. screening of “Green Days” — another Ahn film that centers around a group of children and their respective career aspirations — and corresponding Q&A will unfold, according to the center’s website. 

The series’ final event is a screening of  “The Shower” — a film that follows the story of a young boy who befriends a girl while walking to school in the rain, sparking a bond — on Sept. 29.

Swearingen said she became aware of Ahn’s work after meeting him in Korea.

“I watched ‘Green Days’ and I was absolutely blown away,” Swearingen said. “It was such a beautiful story. I absolutely loved everything about it, so I approached him and said, ‘Hey, can you come to Ohio State?’” 

Swearingen said Ahn jumped at the opportunity to come to Columbus.

“He heard about [Ohio State], and he was curious. He was very curious about the animation community, the Korean community and the art community here,” Swearingen said. “He was also interested in connecting with [United States] audiences. He’s shown his films in the U.S., but not much.” 

Swearingen said Ahn will also visit numerous Ohio State classes, including those focused on animation and Korean studies. She said Ahn wants to be as involved with the Columbus community as possible during his time in town. 

 “This is probably the biggest event he’s participated in the U.S.,” Swearingen said. “He’s excited to meet as many students and as many faculty as he can.” 

Beyond its partnership with CXC, the event series is supported by an Ohio State visiting artist grant, according to the Ohio State Office of Academic Affairs website. 

Starker said the importance of CXC providing free events for the local arts community cannot be understated.

“One of the great things about CXC is that they have tried to stick to a mandate that everything is free,” Starker said. “Not only is it a no-risk opportunity to hear about creatives like Ahn Jae-huun, who is very little known in the U.S., and to see those artists who are really well-known, but also to go to the marketplace and check out what’s being made locally.” 

Tickets for Ahn’s Wexner Center for the Arts events can be reserved for free on the center’s website.

High St. Kitchens — located at 2864 N. High St. — houses multiple Columbus restaurants, including halal restaurant AnA Shawarma. Credit: Sandra Fu | Photo Editor

Columbus’ chicken shawarma lovers are in for a treat. 

AnA Shawarma, a halal restaurant that operates out of High St. Kitchens — a ghost kitchen located at 2864 N. High St. that houses several restaurants in one space — will serve free chicken shawarma platters to the public as part of a customer-appreciation event between 4-7 p.m. Monday. 

Opened in January 2023, the restaurant serves a 100% halal menu — meaning meat is prepared in a manner that abides by Islamic law — that includes shawarma platters, cheesesteaks, wings, burgers, fried fish and more. 

Owner Azeemullah Raghbat said operating out of a ghost kitchen has brought on many challenges for the restaurant and its customers. 

Raghbat said the ghost kitchen’s capacity hasn’t been able to match the high volume of customers the restaurant has recently received, adding that he hopes this event will help compensate for this disparity. 

“The type of business that we are doing is very unorthodox, and a lot of our customers were patient and dealt with it,” Raghbat said. “[In the] summer, I was afraid that we were going to go under. But thank God, we still stayed above water because of our customers’ support. So, I figured, ‘Why not give back to the community and do this?’”

Raghbat said AnA Shawarma hosted a similar event to celebrate the restaurant’s grand opening in 2023, during which they let customers choose between a free chicken or lamb shawarma platter. This year, Raghbat said he plans to only give out free chicken shawarma platters, as they are the restaurant’s bestseller and the most efficient menu item for large-scale distribution. 

Al Haj Ibrahim, the restaurant’s manager, said he plans to prepare everything an hour before the event begins, ensuring there is enough food ready for everyone. 

“It’s a lot of work,” Ibrahim said. “That day, we’ll turn off Uber Eats and Doordash, everything. We just focus [on] customer appreciation.”

Raghbat said along with food quality, customer service will be his top priority during the event. 

“When I’m here, no one goes to the front except me because I feel like I’m the best in customer service, in terms of me and my employees,” Raghbat said. “I like to interact with customers, and if there’s any problems, I know how to diffuse situations, so that’s the main importance to me.” 

Ibrahim said he is often faced with customers who have unreasonable requests, including those who expect their orders to be ready within just five minutes of ordering. Still, even when customers can be difficult, Ibrahim said he is always happy to help as much as possible. 

“Customer is always right,” Ibrahim said. 

Raghbat said he hopes the event will showcase gratitude to the restaurant’s customers while also expanding AnA Shawarma’s name throughout Columbus. 

In the near future, Raghbat said he hopes to open his own brick-and-mortar shop to better serve his customers.

More information about Monday’s event can be found on AnA Shawarma’s Instagram page.