Columbus, Ohio USA
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Columbus, Ohio USA
Return to Homepage www.shortnorth.com
Inside the Short North
May 2006
Columnist John Angelo
Short North Business Association Executive Director
Call 614-228-8050 or email snbacols@aol.com
John Angelo / Photo by Rob Colgan Columbus Makes Top 10
Columbus is making waves in the art world, and the Short North is helping sound the charge. It’s official: Columbus has joined the list of top 10 Art Cities in the nation. In the June issue of American Style Magazine, Columbus clocks in at a healthy #9 among the nation’s top 25 cities with populations of 500,000 or more. Based upon polls of art collectors and magazine readers from across the country, the accolade reflects the quality and breadth of museums, galleries and art offerings available in the city.
To devotees of the Short North art scene, the announcement comes as no surprise.
“Columbus’s progression up the ranking has closely followed the evolution of the Short North Arts District,” said Maria Galloway, owner of pm gallery. “As the district has matured and the mix of galleries and art offerings has expanded, so has our customer base and profile. This ranking is the equivalent of a People’s Choice Award. As more and more visitors to the area are exposed to the Short North experience, the greater the buzz around the country.”
In making the top 10, Columbus joins New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Baltimore, Philadelphia and Portland. Pretty heady company.250th Hop!
As if by design, not only does June bring national acclaim, but it also heralds the celebration of the Short North’s 250th official Gallery Hop. For those doing the math, the first officially titled “Short North Gallery Hop” was held September 1, 1985. On June 3, galleries, merchants, artists, performers and residents will collaborate to pay homage to one of Columbus’s most enduring traditions. The day will begin at 9 a.m. with the Victorian Village Yard Sale, which will run until 3 p.m. At 11 a.m. businesses will open the Short North Sidewalk Sale. At 5 p.m. the sidewalks will be cleared to make way for THE Gallery Hop of the year. Upwards of 20,000 visitors are expected to fill the District. The day will be bursting with fabulous art exhibits, art demonstrations, street performances, scrumptious food, prize drawings and more than a few great finds. Already on the slate is Columbus Movement Movement. An association of some of the area’s finest choreographers and dancers, CM2 will be staging dance segments throughout the district. Schedules will be posted online at www.shortnorth.org by May 15.Short North Flair
So what makes Columbus and the Short North the buzz of the Midwest’s art scene? Of course it starts with our plethora of art venues, ranging from the whimsical to the classical, from the folksy to the avant garde. – It’s also partnerships with CCAD, OSU, the Wexner Center, the Jazz Arts Group, and the Ohio Arts League. And yet it’s more. Art permeates the Short North. It finds its way to the sides of buildings in the form of murals. It shows up as a limestone sofa in a pocket park. It even hibernates for a few more months in the oddly dark, but structurally striking arches bridging our central corridor. In the Short North, art is elevated from merely being exhibited to the appropriate status of being “experienced.” It’s Felipe Jacinto Velaz-quez oil paintings on display at Pyon Insurance and Financial Services. It’s lunch at Northstar, accentuated with Scott Dooley porcelain teapots from Sherrie Gallerie. It’s a Bodega happy hour surrounded by Chad Gordon collages. It’s the collaborative spirit of the Short North Neighborhood Foundation, the SID, the Friends of Goodale Park, the Victorian and Italian Village Societies and all the others to nurture an arts signature. Becoming an arts district is far more than hanging a shingle, displaying some art and calling it a day. Becoming an acclaimed arts district is a way of life.Comings
The SNBA welcomes Art Consulting & Gallery by Marcia Evans. An 18-year arts veteran, Evans specializes in corporate and residential art consulting. After extended stints at six different galleries, she felt it was time to open her first retail space – and where else but the Short North.
“I wanted to be in the arts district. It took a couple of years to decide exactly where, but now I’m so excited to be here,” said Evans. Her 8 West Lincoln gallery will feature a range of original works, including Jacob Stout blown glass (you may remember Stout from his work at Riley Gallery), Raku ceramic vessels from Chicago, paintings and sculptures. Tracy Steinbrook, painting instructor at the Cultural Arts Center, will be her featured artist for May. Evans’ consulting side finds her working on spaces up to a year in advance, sometimes wearing a hardhat.
“I start at the conceptual level with some clients,” she said. “I’m either reading blueprints or on the construction site thinking about the signature and tone of the space. I think about message. What’s appropriate for a given business? I also help identify the signature interests of the corporate leaders. A project might include four or five floors of space and feature up to 60 works of art. I particularly enjoy projects with budgets that allow for original works...abstracts are my specialty.”
Evan’s gallery is open Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment. Call 614-298-8847 or visit www.meartconsulting.comGoings
The Columbus Musicians’ Homeless Awareness Concert will not perform in Goodale Park this year. The annual public outreach event traditionally held the third week of May during Homeless Awareness Week in Central Ohio was first organized 10 years ago by area musicians to benefit the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless, providing entertainment, food, and discussion in an effort to raise awareness about individual solutions to homelessness. According to Bill Casto, co-director of the Coalition, the mounting costs and organizational efforts required to maintain the event simply outweighed any benefits. The Coalition intends to focus instead on other priorities to help homeless people in Central Ohio. The organization, comprised of professionals who work with the homeless on a daily basis, can be reached at 614-252-3257.
The SNBA bids a fond farewell to Andy Hippensteele and Studio ASH. The hybrid design firm/gallery will find a new incarnation at the end of May in Cleveland.
“We’re expanding our Web site and print design base and moving up to my hometown.” said Andy. “Gallery ASH was a fun experiment these past three years. We showed a lot of local artists, many who have gone on to bigger and better things. We feel we made a real contribution. I had a great experience in the Short North. I loved seeing the opening of the American Apparel Store across from our shop. It was evolution right before my very eyes. We’ll miss our favorite places in the north end of the District: Skully’s, Northstar, Victoria’s Midnight Cafe, and Surly Girl. It will be difficult to reproduce their spirit.”
Studio ASH’s final art exhibition is titled “Shadows of War.” The artist, Tom Keefer, specializes in mixed media. One piece, The Eminent Thunder, a 6’ x 6’ mixed media on wood, depicts the aftermath of a city ravaged by an explosion. There will be a reception with the artist at the May Gallery Hop, Saturday, May 6, from 6 to 10 p.m. Studio ASH is located at 17 W. 5th Avenue, (614) 737-2583, www.StudioASH.com
Meanwhile, Gallery V owner Lynne Muskoff has decided to call it quits, noting her frustration with the parking shortage and with the City of Columbus for its failure to aggressively address the parking problem during her 13-year tenure in the neighborhood. She admits that her stay turned out to be longer than she planned or ever dreamed of, but insists that the City’s negligence was the determining factor in her decision to finally close the doors at 694 N. High St. The last show, “Au Revoir,” which runs through May 13, will celebrate the gallery’s history with an exhibition of many of the artists shown over the years. The opening reception is scheduled for Friday, May 5 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m at the gallery.
Thank you, Lynne, for bringing world-class art into the neighborhood for the past 13 years and for helping create the Short North’s excellence with your unique contributions and hard work.
Au revoir!Contact John Angelo at snbacols@aol.com or call 614-228-8050 or visit their Web site at www.shortnorth.org
© 2006 Short North Gazette, Columbus, Ohio. All rights reserved.
