The Convention Facilities Authority will hold a VIP celebration event this Thursday for the completion of the Greater Columbus Convention Center’s renovations, and the unveiling of a “one-of-a-kind interactive LED sculpture designed to represent Central Ohio’s deep diversity.”
The renovation cost $140 million and spanned two years, adding 95,000 square feet to the Convention Center, as well as an 800-space parking garage — Goodale Garage.
Inside is an art collection, assembling pieces from 100 local artists and creating an intersectional look at Central Ohio, “cutting across age, gender and ethnicity.”
At the center of it is a 14-foot-tall interactive LED sculpture. Completed by Boston’s Design Communications Ltd. and designed by CCAD professor and local artist Matthew Mohr, the piece is shaped like a human head and takes on the characteristics of whoever uses it.
The official reveal of the artwork is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 31, but former Columbus mayor Michael B. Coleman leaked an image of it Friday on Instagram, with the caption, “Art work comes in all forms even if the subject is poor! 1 million LED lights.”
“This is a unique and iconic piece of art that we believe will come to be identified nationally with the city of Columbus, like Cloud Gate (or The Bean) in Chicago,” said Barbara Nicholson, Convention Facilities Authority board member and Art Selection Committee member, in a press release. “Nothing like this exists anywhere else in the world. The Convention Facility Authority is excited to offer an experience like this to out-of-town visitors and to residents who take pride in their community.”
The VIP celebration will go from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, but the Convention Facilities Authority extends the invite to the public on Saturday as part of Short North Arts District’s Gallery Hop. Visitors can have their photos taken and tour the rest of the art collection and facility.
For more information, visit the Convention Facilities Authority website.