A new art print celebrating 200 years of Columbus history is now available. The Columbus Montage was envisioned by Joe Genco of Community Creations Inc. His company creates montages for many cities across the nation. He approached The Columbus Historical Society with the idea of doing a montage of Columbus to celebrate the Bicentennial. They were happy to help with the project and provided advice on what historically significant buildings and people should be included.
The poster is hand-drawn by artist Bruce Loeschen with whom Genco has a long standing relationship. “I saw his work in several Iowa cities where I was doing Color Cartoon Posters and heard nothing but good comments from people who had the prints framed and on their walls,” said Genco. “I learned it was a fundraiser for local groups and thought that had merit. They were instant collectibles and sold out in the towns.”
Genco moved to Columbus from Cleveland in 1979 for a job with MoneyBag, which later became Papermint. He then became a sales manager for a company that was doing cartoon-style montages. When they suddenly went bankrupt and closed up shop with no notice, he decided to venture out on his own. He started Community Creations Inc. in 1987 with his business partner Steve Kiriluk.
Columbus is the first city Genco has lived in that he’s created a montage for. It’s become his favorite edition of their montages, also known as Time Capsules in Art. “It was great to meet the owners of some of my favorite restaurants, radio stations, concert and performance facilities,” said Genco.
Community Creations approaches businesses they select that emphasize local roots and community support. The companies then pay a fee to be represented on the print. This allows the prints to be sold with all proceeds of the sale going to the community groups that sell them. Community Creations also selects 30-40 images at no charge – such as famous faces, government buildings, public art, festivals, rivers, bridges, etc. They work to capture many of the things that make a city special.
“Some of the gratis images, like ComFest, were my doing,” shared Genco. “I’ve enjoyed ComFest for years and wanted to give back.”
Loeschen worked on the Columbus montage for nearly 120 hours. It is the largest montage he has worked on with Genco, measuring 22″x28″. “I didn’t want to do one that big,” said Loeschen. But he is pleased with how it turned out.
Loeschen is a “19th Century Ink Illustrator” living in Austin, Minnesota. When it was decided that a montage of Columbus would be done, Genco spent many hours taking photos of buildings and other things to include, then sent the images to Loeschen. The Columbus montage included so many things it was difficult at times for Loeschen to keep everything separate.
“It was quite the challenge,” Loeschen said. “I had many boards up to study size relationships between buildings. Having to show water and the dimension of the riverfront was challenging.” Genco advised him on the importance of the riverfront. Sometimes the photos didn’t necessarily convey the size and depth of the building – The Greater Columbus Convention Center was particularly difficult to convey through photos.
Loeschen and Genco worked together, sending drafts and photos over email to discuss changes. They used to send things through the mail which considerably lengthened the editing process.
After six drafts, it finally came together as a pencil study. When you study the montage, you will find several smaller vignettes of the city. “You could frame little parts on their own,” said Loeschen. He is particularly pleased with how the Statehouse turned out as he was not familiar with that design. Take a close look and find his signature – an old Volkswagen Beetle. He hides one in a different spot on every poster he creates.
The final print is completely freehand and done in pen and ink. They are printed at Robin Enterprises in Westerville, Ohio. Once the prints are sold, they are gone.
Other Ohio cities Community Creations have made into montages include Westerville, Gahanna, and Grandview Heights/Marble Cliff. They have created over 300 montage projects. Why did it take so long for Columbus to be made into a montage? Genco was waiting for the Bicentennial. “What a perfect time to do this,” he said. “That is why I waited so long to do Columbus.”
The Columbus montage made its debut at The Columbus Historical Society’s grand opening event on February 14, 2012.
The Montage is available from the following groups for $20:
The Columbus Historical Society -Available at COSI
Friends of the Columbus Library -available at the Library Store
The Bexley Area Chamber of Commerce
The Grandview Area Chamber of Commerce
Short North Business Association
Franklinton Board of Trade
Columbus Landmarks Foundation
The German Village Society -available at the Meeting Haus on 3rd St. ($15 for German Village Society members)
They will also be available at Reed Arts, 909 W. 5th Ave. Proceeds from those sales will benefit The Columbus Historical Society. Or you can purchase them at Gregg Frame Studio, 537 S. Drexel Ave. Proceeds from those will benefit The Bexley Area Chamber of Commerce.
For more information about Community Creations Inc., visit communitycreations.com. To find out more about artist Bruce Loeschen, visit loeschenart.com.