Indie Market This Weekend

The Tiny Canary Indie Design Market is going on this weekend, at the wonderful Junctionview Studios in Grandview Heights. This modern arts and crafts market is born out of the DIY movement, and great way to support local and independent artists and craftspeople. There will be various vendors and artsy happenings galore!

Going on November 14-15, 10am to 6pm.

Image: Tiny Canary

-Leigh Lotocki, Social Media Assistant at the OSU Urban Arts Space

OSU Urban Arts Space, a Hopping and Lively Spot

Last week (June 9th through the 13th) was an exciting and jam packed week for the OSU Urban Arts Space filled with: the Design Exhibition opening and closing, two art receptions of the Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition and Design Exhibition variety, and last but not least the successful Idea Lab Reception. And let me tell you, Columbus is noticing! We got press in the Indie Columbus for our Idea Lab Reception and all of the events were well attended. We had an outstanding number of 457 guests at the Design reception and 113 guests for the BFA Reception!

I was lucky enough to be scheduled to work during the Idea Lab Reception, and left work with new ideas and facts learned while also feeling creatively inspired. For those of you who do not know much about the Idea Lab, it was a contest generously funded by the Efroymson Family Fund, held in the fall of 2008. Over 30 Ohio State University students submitted project proposals for their dreams of programs, workshops, events, inventions and much, much more that their creative minds wanted to make into realities with the help of us here at The OSU Urban Arts Space. This year the chosen five student participants were: Morgan Green, Alex Hissong, Robert Klein, KC Wolfe, and Constance Rice. The Idea Lab reception gave these five student's a chance to present their hard-earned work to their peers, families, friends, and Columbus community. 

All of the projects were intuitive, unique, spunky, and definitely something to be proud of, but my two personal favorites were: Morgan Green’s “Connecting Abilities,” and Constant Rice’s “Student Farm at OSU.” “Connecting Abilities” was a program that showed off the artistic talent of artist’s with disabilities. Painted and collaged works of art were made as collaborations between OSU Art Scholars, student artists, and The Art Bridge Studio Artists. The Art Bridge Studio at the United Cerebral Palsy of Central Ohio provides a place where adults with disabilities learn about and participate in art, and we were lucky enough for some of the Art Bridge Artists to grace our space for the reception. I found the work to be quite unique and stunning. The art pieces featured everything from colorfully painted expressive elephants with a Van Gogh-esque brush stroke to magazine cutouts of 50’s glamorous women and popular rap stars in surreal, dream-like settings.

Constant Rice’s Idea Lab Project allowed for her and her OSU Student Organization “Student’s for Food Sovereignty” to create a student-run teaching and research farm at the existing Waterman Agriculture and Natural Resources Laboratory. This 1/2-acre organic garden plot is to be sustained by the students over the summer. While the Idea Lab Reception is over, many of the Idea Lab projects, including “Student Farm at OSU” are still very much involved, happening and up and running. We will see evidence of this here at The OSU Urban Arts Space on Wednesday, July 22nd from 11 – 2 pm and Tuesday, August 4th from 4 – 6 pm when fresh and organic produce from the OSU Student Farm will be sold at a pesticide-free produce stand right outside of our galleries. Make sure to come and shop for tasty, fresh produce. If you see a tall blonde working at the front desk stuffing her face with watermelon and carrots and all sorts of delicious goodies, that will be me. But no worries, I will not be rude and welcome you to OSU Urban Arts Space with a mouth full of fruits and vegetables.

The second week in June, 2009 was just another successful and enjoyable week here at 50 West Town Street, and there will be many more to come as we anxiously await the opening of our next stellar exhibition: BIGG (Breakthrough Ideas In Global Glass,) sponsored by Steuben Glass. Make sure to make it in to the gallery opening day, Friday, July 10, to see alluring, admirable, divine, and elegant glass pieces, some of them of epic large proportion, fill every corner and crevice of our space. You can also hang around for the BIGG Opening reception, also on opening day, from 5 – 7 pm for food, drinks, and to mingle with, or possibly meet some of the 27 local and international glass artists.

Joanna Reed, OSU Urban Arts Space Student Assistant

Images from top to bottom: (1) Idea lab recipient Alex Hissong discussing his project "Pedal Power for the People" at the Idea Lab Reception. (2) Some of the artwork, artists, and participants in Idea Lab recipient Morgan Green's project "Connecting Abilities." (3) The artwork for "Connecting Abilities" being made at The Art Bridge Studios in Columbus. (4) An OSU Student for the organization "Student's for Food Sovereignty" dressed as a carrot for a program that was part of Constance Rice's Idea Lab project "Student Farm at OSU."  

Dude, Where's My Brain??

For those that have ever HAD to create something, you know that it can be utterly awful sometimes. I don't mean HAVE TO in the sense that you are so inspired by something that you simply HAVE to create a work of art. In this sense things just flow from the magical pot of inspiration, your muse cup runneth over, life is great and you can express that. Well. . .I mean HAVE TO in the sense that this creation is your key to money, food, health insurance, freedom whatever. In this sense all things stop: time, the earth's rotation, your bowels, EVERYTHING. There is no progress in the world because all thigns are peeking over your shoulder, willing you to create something, mocking you because you can't. That's right folks, I am talking about when you are BLOCKED. I am particularly interested in this topic because I am currently experiencing the phenomenon.

Although most are familiar with the term "writer's block" I would venture to guess that it happens to all sorts of artists.

When I asked a visual artist, Molly (student education assistant here at the Urban Arts Space), what happens when she gets artist's block (I am making this a technical term people, pay attention) her eyes popped out of the sockets and I could tell that her body was going through the physical memory. She said that working out usually helps her. She has no trouble starting pieces, but sometimes she gets stuck in the middle.

I should have no problem right? There are a million things to write about. The Ohio Art League Spring Juried Exhibition is closing in two days.
The Theater Department's Stage/Studio: Space Transformed is over April 3rd.
The MFA Show is coming up and should be really exciting.

Writing about any one of these things should be relatively simple. HOWEVER, it's raining outside and it's colder than it has been the past few days, the Space is too quiet (I like to work with noise and chaos about) and to top it off I spent my morning paying homage to bread items such as the croissant and the bagel (both of which are known creativity killers).

What to do? In lieu of waxing poetic about what's going on at the Space (especially since words escape me, and by escape me I mean have run screaming away from my brain) I will encourage one and all to look at our website and come in to check out the two great shows that are leaving and come back to check out the MFA Show when it opens on April 22nd; and humbly beg your forgiveness.

Dollars and Cell Phones

I am fascinated by the aspects of human nature discussed in the current show
Stage/Studio: Space Transformed. This exhibition is up until April 3rd and I encourage everyone to come see it. As part of a class taught by Professor Maureen Ryan graduate students from OSU's College of the Arts investigated the uses of site specificity as a tool in the development of original theater works.

There are two works that have caught my eye: one centered on giving and receiving, the other focused on cell phones.

The latter has various componenets: a cell phone twister game, with some intense instructions,
a table with the question: "If you were about to die and could only make one phone call, who would you call and what would you say?" and paper and pens to write responses,and an old-fashioned play telephone (two cans connected with string). There are also quotes from various sources discussing the use of cell phones as they relate to: bringing people together, moving people further apart, being devices of rudeness and having the ability to make us look completely stupid (I like the discussion of the "cell phone service dance" the best). Many people take having a cell phone for granted but as the piece states:

"Cell phones represent the 20th Century's esccalation of imaginary need. We didn't need cell phones until we had them"
~Mary Schmich

The other piece deals with making people look at themselves and decide if they are givers or takers. The piece has $1 bills throughout it and the only rule of the piece is that once you enter that space you have to participate by either leaving a dollar or taking a dollar. This piece is great. It speaks to people's natural state and then the inner struggle that may ensue based on societal norms and values. I'm not going to lie, I was thinking about getting a coffee with one of those dollars, but then thought about how it would make me look. So you leave a dollar if someone is looking you take one (and get coffee) if you think no one is looking. I know not everyone thinks that way (some people prefer tea) but in it's simplest form that's the nuts and bolts of it. Seeing as how I just took a Public Finance final last night I could wax poetic about society's need to take dollars even when you don't need them to achieve some social ideal of amassing wealth but that class is over and therefore so is my obligation to think about the concept, terms and whatnots that went with it. I could also go on and on about how we should be giving dollars when we have them and don't need them (for coffee or tea) to others who do not have them, but then I'd be labeled a socialist, which someone will mistake for communist and then I'll spend the rest of my days "on the run" writing pamphlets under a pseudonym and eating beans out of a can. Since I don't like beans you all are saved from hearing me get on my soap box.

Back to the task at hand. My only problem with the show is that there are no names by the specific pieces. I do not know if each piece was made by a group or an individual and I would love the opportunity to give credit where it is due. It is finals week and anyone that can make me think and make me enjoy thinking deserves a gold star at the very least.

Environmental issues are HOT right now (Global Warming pun anyone?). People are looking to sustainable solutions to a myriad of problems that we have created for ourselves, including the creation of green collar jobs. I personally look best in purple but I cannot deny the intelligence behind making a strong attempt not to poo where you sleep. . .or at least using that poo to fertilize something you are growing to eat when you wake up. I am all for making sure that things don't get too much worse. I saw Water World, bad acting and bad living conditions are in our future if we don't make some smart moves. I am especially concerned seeing as how I do not have the wherewithal to create a contraption that will turn human waste into drinking water (seriously, watch Water World, it is deliciously bad).

Anyway. . who's always at the forefront of new ideas, ART. It does not disappoint on the issue of sustainability as many are flocking to take pictures and eat cake at the marriage of art and sustainability. Live work spaces, pretty/functional household appliances, meaningful and moving art made out of recycled items and good old fashioned bird-feeders comprised of milk jigs, peanut butter and birdseed are all coming out of the art world.

Liz Celeste, in charge of sustainability and yelling at me when I put the plastic cup in the paper recycling bin (I deserve it), gets to demonstrate her care for the environment here at the Space. In addition to providing me with a plausible excuse for wanting a dishwasher (they are more environmentally friendly than washing by hand, or letting them pile up) she had this to say about sustainability efforts at the space:

Here at the OSU Urban Arts Space we are making every attempt to make environmentally responsible decisions. Some of the events & programs we have offered so far include the Ways of Knowing Water exhibition – with a special exhibit in the bathrooms highlighting the recycled rainwater to flush the toilets,



a recycled art-making event entitled Iron Artist Challenge,


an outreach project with Columbus School for Girls to help them imagine and design a green roof for their school, and an organic wine tasting with rooftop garden tours.

We hope to act as a model for other arts organizations by incorporating sustainability as a unique piece of our mission. In addition to our operations & programming, we are located within the historic Lazarus building which has been LEED gold-certified for the renovations. We are also happy to share the building with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, a trusted leader and environmental steward using innovation, quality service, and public involvement to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all Ohioans.

Finally, as a member of Mayor Coleman's Green Spot program we will promote our unique space for engaging in creative dialog about the environmental needs of our community and actively generating cooperative solutions.

If you are interested in a tour of the rooftop gardens, have an idea for a green event, or just want to learn more – please contact our Sustainability Coordinator, Liz Celeste at celeste.1@osu.edu

What to do? What to do? Downtown Columbus : August 29th and beyond

Tonight, Friday 29th

8pm: Ballet Met on the Scioto River. Come see Ballet Met dancers perform highlights from previous seasons in addition to excerpts from the 2008-09 season. Come early and watch the dancers warm up proir to the performance. At the Riverfront Amphitheater. 

Saturday August 30th

11am to 6pm: Last day to see our totally-hyped Ways of Knowing Water exhibition. I'll be here until 6 to offer you your own personal tour of the artwork.

After noon: The Shelf gallery is having a yard sale event. 

Walk away with affordable original artworks among other things. Dance Party included. Yo! Find it all at 57 E. Gay Street.

Thats all I guess. Sheesh.

Community dialogue, wine, rooftop garden

We have a really great evening planned for August 28th.
Shape your world!

4 to 6 pm : community dialogue : free
When Art Builds Bridges: Art, Environment, and Community
Reconnecting the natural and the built environment is an essential part of creating a sustainable future. Join in a community dialogue and brainstorming session—with artists, architects, educators, designers, scientists, arts and water advocates/activists and Ways of Knowing Water co-curators Rick Livingston and Prudence Gill—about the place of art and river ecology in the reinvention of civic identity.

6 to 8 pm : wine tasting : cash only
featuring organic and biodynamic wines

6 & 6:15 pm : informal gallery tours : free

7 & 7:30 pm: tours of the building’s rooftop garden : free

also downtown on the 28th:
The band Conspiracy will begin at 5:30 pm (‘til 9 pm) in Derby Court outside the Hyatt on Capitol Square (corner of State and Third streets).

Wex Drive-in Outdoor Film Fest is downtown for the first time, with a free open-air screening at dusk (around 9 pm) of The Talk of the Town (1942), a romantic comedy about justice starring Cary Grant and Jean Arthur, projected onto a huge screen set up on the Ohio Statehouse lawn (West Plaza). Visitors are welcome to bring blankets and chairs; the party starts at 8 pm with free Jeni’s ice cream, with additional food and beverages for sale. Call (614) 292-3535 or visit wexarts.org for more information.

All The Time in the World / August 9th

Art events in downtown Columbus Ohio for the next few days...

Saturday the 9th
7:30-11 pm
Water on the Fire tonight at the Riverfront Amphitheater in Genoa Park. This is right behind COSI on Washington Blvd. I have never been to any of these events, but seems like a good way to chill with one of the best views of our lovely little city. Musical entertainment by Outpost.

Monday August 11
8pm
Experimental Jazzie hoopla at Cafe Le Spritz house (594 E. Rich St.). Featuring the stylings of Marina Peterson, Larry Marotta, Ryan Jewell, Dan Godston. Styrofoam on a snare drum sounds really really good, but also super intense, OK.

Tuesday August 12
11:45 am- 1:15 pm
As part of the Music in the Air concert series, the Topiary Garden / Deaf School Park hosts, Vocal Impact: Soulful harmonies with dynamic jazz arrangements. 11:45 a.m. 480 E. Town St.

Wednesday August 13th
noon-1pm
Screen Works | The Wonderful World of Dogs. A film by Mark Lewis. 52 mins.
This is happening here at the Urban Arts Space.
Bring your lunch and enjoy more Dog Days of August each Wednesday with us. See a women whose Chihuahua is carried off by a hungry pelican...and a dog with a sixth sense... The Wonderful World of Dogs explores the myths, the obsessions, and the wide variety of attitudes people harbor towards our four-legged friends by introducing a few of the barkers, bullies and roamers that make up the canine population.

Thursday August 14
5:30 - 7:30
Dialogue| Ways of Knowing Water here at the Urban Art Space.
Get With the Flow...Find Out How!
Learn from those who know! Representatives from MORPC (Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission), and local watershed organizations such as FLOW (Friends of the Lower Olentangy Watershed), FACT (Friends of Alum Creek & Tributaries), and other groups who work to protect our waters will be on hand to discuss creating a more river-friendly, greener Columbus. Become a river steward!

7:30 -11pm
After the talk at UAS, unwind with Cocktails at the Franklin Park Conservatory rooftop garden in the Palm House, where James Turrell has his new light installation. This is a new thing happening at the conservatory every Thursday. Full bar selection along with small plate hors d’oeuvres from Cameron Mitchell Catering. I think this place is gonna be amazing, (I like Turrell's work). I'll let you know. ( No cover – 21 and over – Free Parking)

All The Time in the World / August 7th

If I had all the time in the world to spend downtown at art events in the next few days this is the stuff I would do. (Columbus, Ohio)

Tonight, Thursday August 7th.
8pm
The Shelf Gallery, at 57 E Gay Street, is hosting an acoustic music event that is going to be perfect. All these bands can be found on myspace, but trust me, I think you'll really like it.

Friday, August 8th
12 pm
VOX - Columbus Gay Men's Chorus this just seems awesome. If someone can actually make it to this, please let me know what you think.

7pm
Horton Hears a Who is showing at Genoa Park on the Riverfront behind Cosi, 303 W. Broad St.
I will be at this. The film starts at 9ish and will surely give you alot to think about.

Saturday, August 9th
Mad Theatre presents Stripped Away.
"Carol is burning the candle at both ends. By day she is a sociology professor. By night, as part of her latest sociological study, she is a waitress at The Itchy Kitty, the tri-state's #4 gentleman's club. On top of that, her relationship with her boyfriend is crumbling, her sister wants to date the club DJ, her boss wants to fire her, and she'll do about anything to keep it together." Check out the trailer. This is gonna be super zany.

All The Time in the World

If I had all the time in the world to take in the arts of Downtown Columbus Ohio, this is what I'd do for the next few days. What fun!
-Eva Ball, exhibition preparator and guide

Friday, August 1st

12pm: Summer Fridays at the Statehouse: Opera Columbus
Free lunchtime performing arts and music series held on the West Lawn of the Ohio Statehouse. Broad St. & High St.

1pm:Midwestern Visions of Impressionism: 1890 - 1930
I think I am really going to this during my lunch break.
Christine Fowler Shearer, curator, will conduct a guided tour of the new exhibit at the The Riffe Gallery, located in the Vern Riffe Center for the Government and the Arts, across from the Statehouse on High Street in Downtown Columbus: 77 S. High

6pm: Happy Hour at Tip Top!!


8pm:Oliver Mtukudzi & The Black Spirits
This is super awesome afro-pop at Riverfront Amphitheater at Genoa Park, which is in front of COSI, i.e. Washington Blvd. between Town & Broad Streets.

"Called the Grand Master of Zimbabwean traditional pop, Oliver Mtukudzi is truly one of Southern Africa's greatest musicians."

Saturday, August 2nd

7-11pm: One Man's Junk Is Another Man's Treasure: Photography by Gina Christoffersen at ZenGenius Gallery 243 N. Fifth St.

Tuesday, August 5

11:45 am: The Ark Band
This concert is at my current favorite park in the city: The Topiary Garden / Deaf School Park at 480 E. Town St. The Ark Band is local reggae. This event is catered, but I think you have to buy your lunch. But a good way to get out of the office.

Wednesday, August 6th

12pm – 1pm: Read Aloud Program at the Urban Arts Space
Bring your lunch, sit back, and listed to author Charlene Fix read one of Thurber's dog stories and share her own poetic reflections on dogs -- from Elkhound/Keeshond, Collie/Shepherd, Great Pyrannes, to Basset Hounds.

"Charlene Fix is a Professor of English at the Columbus College of Art Design and a member of The House of Toast Poets. She has received poetry fellowships from the Ohio Arts Council and the Greater Columbus Arts Council, and has published poems in various literary magazines, among them The Journal, The Manhattan Review, The Cincinnati Review, Alimentum, and Poetry."

6pm: Brock Clarke at the Thurber House

Brock Clarke will read from his latest novel for the final installment of Thurber House's 2008 summer Literary Picnics Wednesday.