What was originally an idea by 400 West Rich Street artists and Franklinton neighborhood residents has evolved and expanded into a staple event in Columbus. Just this year, the Franklinton Arts District board took the reigns in a strategic effort to empower and expand Franklinton Fridays in new and exciting ways. One of those new ways is the Franklinton Fridays Columbus Music Series, kicking off Friday, May 11 at the Idea Foundry, 421 W. State St.
Franklinton Fridays founder and chairperson Tona Pearson says originally there was a lot of interest in the community for an event like Franklinton Fridays. She believes the event has closed a gap that needed to be filled, and its growth is the result of hard work from artists and volunteers alike.
“We wanted to help create a community event to encourage people inside of the neighborhood to experience art, and to invite our Downtown neighbors to check out the amazing art that was being created in Franklinton,” says Pearson. “Columbus has an amazing art scene, and we basically dumped a giant pool of resources into the laps of people who want to see it. It was a pretty easy sell.”
Franklinton Fridays has become more than just an art crawl, with glass art demos, metal workshops, and science exhibitions added to the list of monthly activities. The Columbus Music Series is just the latest in a host of activities the event has to offer.
Callie King, web developer and video programmer for Franklinton Fridays, as well as the organizer of the series, says the addition of free live music to the Franklinton Fridays lineup aims to bring people together and invite people to support local musicians and artists.
“It’s also a family-friendly place to see live music,” says King. “Unlike going to a bar or a large venue, you can pop a lawn chair up on the back dock and enjoy.”
The Columbus Music Series will feature two local acts, as well as a new local graphic artist each month to create poster art for the event. Running from May through September, the series will feature acts like Playing Vapors, Counterfeit Madison, Orion and the Constellations, Joey Aich, and more.
For more information on Franklinton Fridays and the Columbus Music Series, visit the Franklinton Fridays website.