Trustee Spotlight - Lark Champion

I have been a Trustee of The Columbus Museum since 2020. I’m originally from St. Louis, MO and have a large family there. I moved to Connecticut when I was about 5 and lived in Darien and Greenwich until I went to college. I attended Emory University where I met my husband. Following school, we moved quite a bit for his career in Cardiology (New Orleans, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh) before settling here in Columbus. I will always be drawn to folk art because my mom has had an international folk art gallery for almost 45 years, Galerie Bonheur. That’s what I was exposed to most growing up and I still collect today. I love the Sister Gertrude Morgan pieces, but my favorite piece is the Ida Kohlmeyer painting. My grandmother bought an Ida Kohlmeyer painting in New Orleans years ago and had no idea that she would become so well-known and valuable. She bought the painting because she loved it and it spoke to her. I think that is the best way to create a collection that you love and that you’ll enjoy all of your life! Being a supporter of the Museum is a way for me to give back to a city that I love and that values art. I have felt such support for my business, Larkin Lane, from the art community here and I’m so grateful. I think Columbus is unique in that it is a small city that has a thriving arts scene and culture. I have lived in larger cities where the museums may have been amazing, but they weren’t as accessible. We have the benefit of incredible art in beautiful institutions right at our fingertips. I give so much credit to local business and civic leaders for their vision and stewardship of the arts in Columbus.