In partnership with the Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC), Smart Columbus will host an art circuit on Saturday, June 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring four artists depicting visions of Columbus’ future.
The SmART Circuit will transport groups to stops along the Smart Circuit self-driving shuttle’s special summer festival route. Groups will get to see Columbus chalk artists create their vision with stops at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, COSI, Land-Grant and Gravity.
The SmART Circuit event will provide additional opportunity for Columbus residents to gain exposure to the circuit, self-driving vehicle technology and its capabilities. But the purpose of the weekend will simply be to envision and initiate a discussion about the future of Columbus, says Jennifer Fening, marketing communications director for Smart Columbus.
“For the purpose of this weekend, we are taking Smart Circuit and creating an event to talk about innovation and vision for the future,” she said.
Each artist was tasked with a topic related to Columbus’ future. Artist Jan Solari will create a piece depicting a future for veterans after service. Artists Sheryl Lazenby, Jennifer Rojeanne and Hilary Frambes will create pieces depicting the futures of STEM, mobility and of the city at large, respectively.
Each artist expressed a difficulty with depicting such vast, uncharted areas.
Lazenby landed on nanotechnology for her piece, which will be created on-site at COSI. “It’s going to change the face of everything, you know,” she says. “We’re not going to have screens anymore in 10 years. We’re going to have holograms.”
Frambes met with a media relations representative of the mayor to decide what should be depicted for the future of Columbus.
“Including things like transportation, access to healthcare and housing, affordable housing … things like that. It’s going to be quite a challenge,” she says. “We don’t really know what the future’s going to look like. We’re kind of dreaming it up as artists.”
Groups can catch the SmART Circuit route at the Smart Columbus Experience Center, 170 S. Civic Center Dr.
For more information on the Smart Columbus Smart Circuit, visit smart.columbus.gov.