Columbus Monthly / June 2011 / The Arts

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The Arts

 

Dazzling works of art and thrilling music, dance and theater performances can be found throughout Columbus. Major museums, independent art galleries and community arts centers offer exhibitions that are a feast for the eyes, while the city’s stages are brought to life by homegrown arts groups and national and international performers hosted by local arts organizations. Listed here are some of the city’s most noteworthy art spaces and top performing arts groups. For a more comprehensive list of arts organizations, visit columbusarts.com, sponsored by the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

 

Music

 

CAPA

The Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (better known by the acronym CAPA) owns the Ohio, Palace and Southern theaters, manages the Lincoln Theatre and those in the Riffe Center and books acts at other venues. CAPA brings some big-name entertainers to town, booking pop, jazz, folk and classical artists at its venues. Call 469-0939.

 

Columbus Jazz Orchestra

Under the leadership of artistic director and trumpet virtuoso Byron Stripling, the Columbus Jazz Orchestra presents more than 40 concerts each year at the historic Southern and Lincoln theaters. Columbus’s resident big band and flagship ensemble of the Jazz Arts Group also performs a summer JazZoo series at the Columbus Zoo and at festivals throughout the country. Call 295-5200.

 

Columbus Symphony

The Columbus Symphony, led by music director Jean-Marie Zeitouni, presents a variety of classical and pops concerts at its home in the Ohio Theatre downtown, with a few shows at the Capitol and Southern theaters as well. There’s also a well-attended summer series of pops concerts outdoors on the lawn of Chemical Abstracts Service—on Olentangy River Road just northwest of the OSU campus—and special concerts for families and children. The orchestra frequently is joined by renowned guest artists. Call 228-8600.

 

King Arts Complex

This multicultural, multidisciplinary institution on the east side of downtown presents events highlighting the African-American experience. Musical offerings include performers such as songstress Jeanette Williams and pianist Bobby Floyd. Call 645-5464.

 

Opera Columbus

Central Ohio’s professional grand opera company mounts several fully staged productions each year. Opera Columbus, now in its 30th season, performs at the Ohio and Southern theaters. Call 469-0939.

 

ProMusica Chamber Orchestra

Central Ohio’s chamber orchestra often features adventuresome programming—including world premières and collaborations with visiting classical and cross-over guest artists—and promotes an appreciation for contemporary American composers. The group, which is in its 33rd year, performs at the Southern Theatre and presents at four concert series at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Worthington. Call 464-0066.

 

Six String Concerts

For Columbus folkies, Six String Concerts brings top-of-the-line singer/songwriters to town for intimate, acoustic performances. Now in its 23rd year, Six String has earned a reputation as one of the top volunteer-based organizations in the nation for presenting musical veterans and has become a trusted source for introducing new artists. Call (866) 890-5451.

 

Wexner Center for the Arts

Fans of indie rock, avant-folk, jazz and world music look to the Wex for such artists as Bill Callahan, Bill Frisell, YACHT, Argentina’s Guillermo Klein and jazz artist Miguel Zénon. Call 292-3535.

 

Dance

 

BalletMet

The city’s professional ballet company offers classical and contemporary performances at the Ohio and Capitol theaters downtown. The troupe periodically hosts guest artists and choreographers, and its annual production of The Nutcracker during the Christmas season is a major event that draws large audiences. Call 229-4848.

 

OSU Department of Dance

A professional training ground for career-minded Ohio State University dance students, the nationally ranked Department of Dance offers a varied modern dance repertoire performed on the OSU campus. Call 292-7977.

 

Wexner Center for the Arts

The Wexner Center is known as one of the best venues in the region for international dance, with upcoming shows by returning choreographers and groups such as Kidd Pivot, Jérôme Bel and Rachid Ouramdane. Call 292-3535.

 

Theater

 

Actors’ Theatre

Each summer, crowds bring blankets and picnic dinners to the grassy amphitheater of Schiller Park in German Village to watch this troupe perform Shakespearean and other works. On tap for 2011 are The Scarlet Pimpernel, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Oedipus Rex. Call 444-6888.

 

Broadway Across America—Columbus

Touring companies come to Columbus’s Ohio and Palace theaters to perform hit musicals and Tony Award-winning plays such as Mamma Mia!, West Side Story and Memphis. Call 469-0939.

 

CATCO

The Contemporary American Theatre Company, or CATCO, is known for presentations of contemporary plays, mostly in the three theaters of the Riffe Center downtown. Now in its 27th season, CATCO productions range from humorous shows such as The 39 Steps to dramatic plays such as The Rubenstein Kiss, an American première set in the McCarthy era of the Cold War. Call 469-0939.

 

Columbus Children’s Theatre

One of the oldest and most highly regarded theaters for kids in the region, the CCT performs at its Park Street Theatre in the Short North. The professional quality of many CCT productions makes them enjoyable even for adult audiences. Call 224-6672.

 

Gallery Players

Central Ohio’s oldest community theater company, Gallery Players performs in the Roth-Resler Theatre of the Jewish Community Center at 1125 College Ave., about three miles east of downtown. Call 559-6248.

 

Ohio State University

OSU’s Department of Theatre produces a variety of plays each season featuring the work of graduate student actors and designers as well as guest artists. The 2011-’12 season includes a 60-minute version of Macbeth and Real Women Have Curves, a contemporary comedy. Call
292-2295.

 

Otterbein University

This liberal arts university in Westerville, about 15 miles northeast of downtown Columbus, has a nationally known theater program; the 2011-’12 season includes such varied works as Carnival!, Richard III and Gypsy. Call 823-1109.

 

Shadowbox Live

Shadowbox blends original sketch comedy, live rock music and video into one fast-paced production. Thursdays through Saturdays feature comedy sketches and rock ’n’ roll; on Sundays, the Musical Series presents three musicals a year. The shows are complemented by a bistro-style menu and full bar, available before the show and at intermission. The 2011 roster includes Legacy, set to be the group’s first show after moving from Easton Town Center to its new theater at 503 S. Front St. in the Brewery District in August. Call 265-7625.

 

Wexner Center for the Arts

The Wex presents theater groups from around the world, such as New York’s The Builders Association in fall 2011, performing the world première of a new multimedia theater show that looks at the foreclosure crisis through the lens of The Grapes of Wrath. Many of the shows are presented in the center’s two black box theaters, making for an intimate experience. Watch for the return of critical darlings Nature Theater of Oklahoma, from New York. Call 292-3535.

 

Museums and Galleries

 

Columbus College of Art & Design

One of the nation’s most highly regarded art schools, CCAD exhibits works by students and faculty members and hosts traveling shows in the Canzani Center Gallery and other display spaces in its home at the corner of Cleveland Avenue and East Gay Street, just north of the Columbus Museum of Art. A 100-foot-tall, red steel sculpture spelling out “ART” straddles Gay Street on CCAD’s campus. Hours in the Canzani Center are
11 am to 6 pm Tuesday through Friday and noon to 5 pm Saturday during the academic year; during the summer months (mid May to mid August), hours are 11 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday. Call 222-3270.

 

Columbus Museum of Art

Established in 1878, the museum—at 480 E. Broad St. on the eastern edge of downtown Columbus—has an extensive permanent collection of works from several centuries and many cultures. Its strongest areas are Impressionism, German Expressionism, Cubism, American Modernism and contemporary art. The museum features works by Matisse, Renoir, Monet and Picasso, as well as an interactive children’s exhibit and the popular outdoor Russell Page Sculpture Garden. Special exhibitions this season include Street Talk and Spiritual Matters: Aminah’s Mt. Vernon Avenue, through Sept. 4; Currents: Stephanie Syjuco, June 24 through Sept. 4, and Caravaggio: Behold the Man!, Oct. 21 through Feb. 5, 2012. The museum also regularly hosts traveling exhibitions that cover a wide spectrum of interests.

During a recent renovation of the museum’s Elizabeth M. and Richard M. Ross building, the entire first floor was transformed into the Center for Creativity, a hub for experiences that foster imagination, creativity and innovation.

Hours are 10 am to 5:30 pm Tuesday through Sunday, with extended hours until 8:30 on Thursday; closed Monday. Public tours are offered Thursdays at 6:30 pm, Fridays at noon and Sundays at 1 pm and are free with admission. Admission is $10; senior citizens and students $8, children 6 to 17 $5, 5 and under free. Admission is free for everyone on Sunday. Parking is free. Call 221-4848.

 

Cultural Arts Center

This building at 139 W. Main St. near the southern edge of downtown is as interesting as the art it houses. Built in 1861 as an arsenal and converted for use by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department in 1978, the center features two galleries as well as studio spaces where visitors can watch and adult students of all skill levels can take classes in pottery, painting, jewelry-making, stone carving and more. The center is open Monday 1 to 4 pm, Tuesday through Friday 9 am to 4 pm, Saturday 1 to 4:30 pm and in the evening Monday through Thursday 7:30 to 9:30 pm. Call 645-7047. 

 

King Arts Complex

The Elijah Pierce Gallery features a wide range of historical and contemporary works by African-American artists and exhibits about African-American life. This multicultural complex is at 867 Mount Vernon Ave., about a mile east of downtown. Call 645-5464.

 

Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery

The Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery showcases the work of Ohio’s artists and the collections of the state’s museums and galleries. It’s located in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts at 77 S. High St., across from the Statehouse. The gallery is open Tuesday 10 am to 4 pm, Wednesday and Friday 10 am to 5:30 pm, Thursday 10 am to 8 pm and Saturday and Sunday noon to 4 pm. Admission is free. Call 644-9624 or visit riffegallery.org.

 

Ohio Craft Museum

Sponsored by Ohio Designer Craftsmen, this space at 1665 W. Fifth Ave. presents five major exhibitions annually and periodically displays its permanent collection of works by contemporary craft artists from Ohio and around the country. It also features changing national and regional exhibitions by craftspeople working in clay, metal, fiber, wood, glass and mixed media. A gift shop offers works by the artists. Call
486-4402.

 

OSU galleries

Ohio State University maintains two major art display spaces that present work by faculty and students, as well as national and international artists. Swing Space—formerly the Hopkins Hall Gallery— (292-5072) is located in the South Campus Gateway at 1556 N. High St., and the OSU Urban Arts Space (292-8861) is at 50 W. Town St. downtown. 

 

Wexner Center for the Arts

In its striking Peter Eisenman-designed building at North High Street and 15th Avenue on the Ohio State University campus, the Wexner Center is internationally known as a dynamic and innovative center for performing arts, visual arts and film from around the globe, as well as a full slate of educational programs for all ages. The Wex hosts art exhibitions in a wide variety of media, ranging from striking large-scale installations to smaller displays by emerging artists. The galleries are open Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday 11 am to 6 pm, Thursday through Saturday until 8 pm; closed Monday. Admission to the galleries is $5, free for students, and free for everyone the first Sunday of each month and every Thursday from 4 to 8 pm. Tickets to performing arts events vary. Call 292-3535. 

 

Commercial Galleries

 

Short North Arts District

Art lovers and culturati head for this neighborhood’s mile-long stretch along both sides of North High Street, from the downtown Columbus Convention Center north to Fifth Avenue. With its hip art galleries—along with boutiques, restaurants and bars—it’s the hot spot for arts in Columbus. On the first Saturday evening of every month, crowds turn out for the Short North Gallery Hop, when businesses stay open late to welcome revelers. Some of the more prominent Short North galleries are listed below.

Brandt-Roberts Galleries, 642 N. High St., specializes in fine paintings and sculpture, offering both historic mid-century modern works and those of selected contemporary artists. Call 223-1655.

Lindsay Gallery, 986 N. High St., features works by self-taught and visionary American artists, with an emphasis on American folk and outsider artists. Call 291-1973.

Marcia Evans Gallery, 8 E. Lincoln St., features the paintings, sculptures and glasswork of local and nationally known artists. The gallery also offers services such as consulting, framing, appraisals and restoration. Call 289-8847.

pm gallery, 726 N. High St., sells fine crafts and art by more than 300 artisans from the U.S. and Canada, including pottery, blown glass and paintings. Call 299-0860.

Rivet, 1200 N. High St., is a designer toy and art gallery offering limited-edition collectible vinyl toys and exhibitions by pop-surreal and underground artists. Call 294-8697.

Roy G Biv Gallery, 997 N. High St., is a nonprofit gallery featuring works by emerging artists. Call 297-7694.

Sharon Weiss Gallery, 20 E. Lincoln St., is celebrating its 17th year in the Short North with an exhibition featuring 45 Columbus and Ohio artists. The fine art is complemented by vintage, mostly American furniture and accessories. Call 291-5683.

Sherrie Gallerie, 694 N. High St., specializes in the best of contemporary ceramics, art jewelry and regional art and sculpture. Call 221-8580.

Studios on High Gallery, 686 N. High St., features fine arts and crafts by Central Ohio artists and artisans. The co-op gallery features artists’ demonstrations daily. Call 461-6487.

Terra Gallery, 8 E. Poplar Ave., represents a diverse array of local and international artists working in a wide variety of media, including paintings, sculpture and mixed media. Call 228-4188.

 

Around Central Ohio

Art Access, 540 S. Drexel Ave. in Bexley, just east of downtown, hosts rotating exhibits of mostly paintings by national artists for residential and commercial clients. Call 338-8325.

Circle Galleries, 190 E. Whittier St., specializes in high-end collectible artwork of internationally known artists, focusing on one-on-one client relationships. Call 565-0314.

The Dublin Arts Council gallery is located in the Dublin Arts Center at 7125 Riverside Dr., about 12 miles northwest of downtown Columbus. The gallery displays a variety of works by local and national artists, rotating shows approximately every six weeks, and has a gift shop. Call 889-7444.

Hammond Harkins Galleries, 2264 E. Main St. in Bexley, offers paintings by local and international artists, with an emphasis on contemporary realism, traditional landscape and abstraction. Call 238-3000.

Hawk Galleries, 153 E. Main St. downtown, features artists who specialize in contemporary art in glass, metal and wood. Call 225-9595.

Hayley Gallery, 45 Second St. in New Albany, about 10 minutes east of Easton Town Center, offers original works by more than 60 talented Ohio artists. Call 855-4856.

The High Road Gallery, 12 E. Stafford Ave. in Worthington, about 10 miles north of downtown Columbus, is a nonprofit community space that exhibits works by Ohio artists, with displays changing monthly. It’s located in the historic Buttles-Pinney-Brown House. Call 781-6454.

Keny Galleries, 300 E. Beck St. in German Village, specializes in American art with an emphasis on historic, contemporary and folk styles. Call 464-1228.

Muse Gallery, 188 E. Whittier St., represents around 50 mid-career artists from across the country who create paintings, sculpture and mixed-media works. Call 565-8813.

Ohio Art League, 1552 N. High St., is a nonprofit organization of artists and enthusiasts. The gallery displays member-curated exhibitions featuring works by Ohio-based artists and produces juried and many other exhibitions. Call 299-8225.