Hot on the heels of another semi-annual discussion about whether or not the Short North has “jumped the shark” comes word of a travel article in The New York Times that highlights the neighborhood. Some of the featured destinations in the article include the Mahan Gallery, Milk Bar, Tasi Café and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. Of course, the Gallery Hop gets a big mention as the optimal time of the month to make the visit to Columbus.

The full article can be read here: Hello, Columbus.

What other local destinations would you recommend as “must see” experiences when visiting our city?

Last month, Cassandra Troyan held a food fight at the ROYGBIV gallery in the Short North. A few weeks later she was spotted shouting into a bullhorn from the rooftop of a building Downtown. While these are not your typical acrylic-on-canvas art pieces, she is certainly making a growing contribution to the local creative landscape.

We recently caught up with Cassandra over the phone to find out more about her performance art, her video work, and what motivates her. [Read More]

It’s a magical craft fort. With hip handcrafted goods from more than 100 artists and designers, Wholly Craft embodies imagination. And beginning this Friday, the Clintonville shop will feature a visual art space called “the wall gallery” that will be curated by local artist Stephanie Rond.

The wall gallery will feature a different Columbus artist each month. “We’re really excited to bring a gallery into the shop; it’ll add great energy to the space,” said Olivera Bratich, owner of Wholly Craft. “I’m not experienced in running a gallery or working with artists, so it seemed just out of reach. Then along comes Stephanie, who’s an amazing curator and all around great person. I know that our customers will really appreciate this element of the shop.” [Read More]

This Saturday, for one night only, the photorealistic paintings of local artist Jonathan Hicks will be featured at Junctionview Studios. After displaying similar shows in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Jonathan has turned his focus to Columbus for an exhibition that includes a variety of familiar cultural institutions as subjects.

We recently caught up with Jonathan to discuss his new show. [Read More]

Sat, Jan 30 - Sun, Apr 11, 2010
Wexner Center Galleries

Our contemporary view of sports and athletes appears to have been largely reduced to a series of either/or propositions. Ask one person about sports and they’ll explain that they provide a chance to learn valuable lessons in teamwork. Ask another, and they’ll tell you they’re a cruel indoctrination into a culture of competition.

Likewise, and depending on one’s perspective, athletes themselves are either exemplary models of practice and determination or overpaid narcissists.

Similarly, large-scale spectator sports are viewed as either a chance for shared community bonding or a trivial diversion from more important issues. [Read More]

CAW (Creative Arts of Women) is a collective of women joining their creative forces. Definitions of Character is a self-portrait exhibition designed to introduce the members of CAW. Alexandra Kelley wrote a full preview of the show back in January, which can be read HERE.

The show is at the Main Library’s Carnegie Gallery at 96 S. Grant Ave and ends on Friday, February 19, so make sure you see it sometime this week. The show is sponsored by the Friends of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. For more information, visit CAW’s Facebook page. [Read More]

The Available Light Theatre is not shying away from plays that have a strong political message. This Saturday the theater company will help to stir the imaginations of Columbus theater-goers about what life is like in the coal fields of Appalachia where men and women chain themselves to heavy machinery as they try to stop mountain top removal mining, and where others try to protect, sometimes violently, jobs the mining industry provides. [Read More]

AmericanStyle Magazine, a popular nation-wide publication, has launched its annual readers’ poll in an attempt to find the Top 25 Arts Destinations in the country.

Columbus has been nominated within the large-size cities category for contemporary art. All ballots received by February 26, 2010 will be entered to win a $500 travel certificate!!!

CLICK HERE to take the survey.

Press Release:

Artists, Musicians and Small Businesses Team up to Take Over Former Wonder Bread Factory

It’s been almost a year since Wonder Bread moved out of their Italian Village bakery on 4th Street near the Short North. Now, a group of innovative entrepreneurs are looking to turn the 65,000 square foot factory into a hub for the creative class in Columbus and beyond.

[Read More]

Thanks to Helma Groot and Stephanie Rond, 2010 will be a year of blazed trails for creative women in Columbus. Six months ago the two friends and visual artists founded CAW (Creative Arts of Women), an open-membership collective enabling local artistic ladies to share work, host group shows, perform community service, and support each other’s careers. An opening reception for Definitions Of Character, CAW’s first official exhibit, will take place on Thursday, January 14 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Main Library’s Carnegie Gallery.

[Read More]