arts&life Columbus Museum of Art branches out to community
Teona Willing ham Lantern reporter willingham.14@osu.edu The Columbus Museum of Art hosted its monthly “Art Around Town” event Saturday afternoon at the Whetstone Recreation Center. The event, a four-hour, family-oriented art-making session, brings museum artwork and activities to local communities. Sponsored by Limited Brands, MetLife Foundation and Cardinal Health Foundation, the program and supplies are provided to communities for free. “The goal of the program is to take art out into the communities and get people involved,” said Cassie Koehler of Westerville, a second-year museum employee. The museum has been closed because of renovation since October 2009. The yearlong process halted several museum programs, but the museum staff has used the opportunity to take family programs on the road, according to the Columbus Museum of Art Web site. “The fact that we take art into the community while getting new people involved and having fun makes this a program unlike any other,” said Dayna Jalkanen, museum employee and Ohio State graduate student. The life of the program beyond the January 2011 reopening of the museum is uncertain but will likely continue in some capacity, Jalkanen said. Each event begins with an hourlong discussion, includes the museum’s “Art Challenges” scavenger hunt and continues with three hours of art-making, centered around various themes. Saturday’s project involved creating and decorating photo albums. Jalkanen said the museum shares an eclectic selection of art with a diverse group of communities. The family-oriented event has recently been taken to communities in German Village, Powell and Gahanna. Museum paintings, such as Vincent Smith’s “The Black Family,” were shared and inspired the creation of artistic bags, wind chimes and animal puppets at previous sessions. Staff at Saturday’s event agreed that the family interaction, exchange of ideas and use of imagination seen at each session makes them worthwhile. “This is a really great idea,” said Lakeisha Baffoe, a Columbus mother of three. “The program allows for interaction and quality time with the kids.”
BOTH: Teona Willing ham/ Lantern Photographer
LE FT: The Baffoe family takes part in ‘Art Around Town’ at the Whetstone Recreation Center. RIGHT: Westerville resident Georgia Grant shows off the photo album she created at Saturday’s ‘Art Around Town’ event. “It takes you back to a pleasant place,” said Raphael Baffoe, father and Gahanna native. “I feel like I’m revisiting my childhood.” Their daughter Julanna spent her birthday making her own colorful photo album with her parents and younger sister. “I’m having a lot of fun,” said Julanna, 6, with birthday money pinned to her shirt. In a room filled with participants, the Grant family worked together at their own table. “We had no idea that the program was even going on,” said Virginia Grant, Columbus mother of five. Present with her three youngest children, 10-year-old Max, 8-yearold James and 4-year-old Georgia, Grant said they stumbled across the
event while driving home from a soccer game. Max Grant, who professed a love for art, happily shared what he created. James Grant, who has dreams of becoming a United States Marine, created a military-themed album characterized by bright greens, browns and yellows. Georgia Grant, who loves mermaids and wants to become a doctor, created a sea-themed album. “We’ve participated in previous museum programs, and I’m so glad we were able to come and participate in this one,” Grant said. “It’s always a lot of fun.”
Art show offers original artwork for affordable prices Zach Jones Lantern reporter jones.2992@osu.edu Seeking to promote, display and sell the artwork of central Ohio artists, the C Note Art Show April 9 through April 11 offered hundreds of original pieces of art for a single affordable price point, $100. The art show took place at Junctionview Studios in the Grandview area. It began with a preview event April 9, included a main event April 10 and
culminated on April 11 with a “Scavenger Sale” that offered a last chance to buy remaining art, potentially at a discounted price. All the sales generated at the event benefit the artists alone, allowing the show to take place without added fees to artists or collectors. “Through networking, local support and avid promotions, the C Note [Art Show] will strive to show artists how to process and create art that will reach the viewer while also making the price point profitable for artists and affordable to collectors,” according to the C Note Art Show’s mission statement.
Junctionview Studios was a maze of all mediums of art. Featuring high walls covered in artwork, the studio was sectioned off into winding hallways, demonstrating the architectural versatility of the space. This was the fourth installment of the C Note Art Show, which began in 2008. The show raised more than $50,000. Many open doorways included signs inviting patrons in to view pieces of art scattered among living spaces riddled with pencils and half-finished meals.
Many of the rooms became gathering places for artists and patrons, as it became clear that this was an event focused on these local artists, not turning a profit for the studio. Adam Brouillette was one of the artists featured in a large blue room at the end of one hallway. Brouillette, a local graphic designer and artist, has had his work featured in the South Campus Gateway’s Arts in the Alley banner project. His work can also be seen on the exterior sign for Pattycake Bakery on High Street.
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Attention off-campus s t u d en t s — the C e n s u s needs you to return your form. There are special programs in place to count students on campus. But if you live off campus, you have to complete your own 2010 Census form that arrived in the mail. By participating, you’re helping future students enjoy some of the same benefits and services that you have today. It’s just 10 questions and takes about 10 minutes. So fill it out and mail it back.
2010census.gov
Paid for by U.S. Census Bureau.
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Monday April 12, 2010