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Press Release: Short North Alliance to Introduce Three New Public Art Projects in July
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Short North Alliance
886 N. High St, 4th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
www.shortnorth.org

Media Contact
Betsy A. Pandora, MCRP
Executive Director
614.299.8050
info@shortnorth.org

SHORT NORTH ALLIANCE TO INTRODUCE THREE NEW PUBLIC ART PROJECTS IN JULY

COLUMBUS, OHIO -- New public art is coming to the Short North Arts District in July 2019. Visitors are encouraged to engage with the public art-making processes and explore groundbreaking public art installations in the heart of Columbus through three diverse new projects from the Short North Alliance.
 
New Mural Series, Unconventional, Announced for the Short North Arts District
The Unconventional Mural Series is a community curated celebration of our unconventional city. Created in collaboration with Experience Columbus, galleries, and arts groups across the Short North Arts District, Unconventional showcases the diversity of our very unconventional city just in time for one of the most momentous conventions in Columbus – the American Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting & Exposition. 

Debuting in mid-July, Unconventional features 10 temporary murals with works by the following artists: Melissa Ayotte (Sean Christopher Gallery Ohio), Edmund Boateng (Sharon Weiss Gallery), Yuri Darash ((Not) Sheep Gallery), Bill Miller (Lindsay Gallery), Andrea Myers (Hammond Harkins Galleries), Bernard Palchick (Brandt-Roberts Galleries), Annette Poitau (Marcia Evans Gallery), Erika Sanada (Sherrie Gallerie), Beverly Whiteside (Studios on High Gallery), and Kehinde Wiley (Pizzuti Collection of the Columbus Museum of Art).

New murals will be installed by July 30, 2019. Each artist will appear live with their original artwork at the August 3, 2019 Gallery Hop.

“The Short North Arts District is a dynamic representation of our smart and open city,” said Brian Ross, President of Experience Columbus. “In August, we will welcome the influential American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), and what better way for them to get immersed in Columbus’ creative community than through public art? These projects will provide distinct and memorable experiences for ASAE attendees, leisure travelers, and residents alike.”

For additional information on the Unconventional Mural Series, visit shortnorth.org/unconventional-mural-series.

Chart-Climbing Local Band CAAMP Creates Mural for the Short North Arts District
Columbus is emerging as a music city. With the success of such groups as Twenty One Pilots and major efforts vested in supporting the advancement of musicians through Music Columbus and Columbus’ Music Commission, the city is seeing local groups rise in national profile. Folk trio CAAMP is thought by many to be the next breakout act in local music. On the eve of their assent into the national airwaves, band members Taylor Meier, Evan Westfall, and Matt Vinson are gifting a mural to the community that they love and call home. The new permanent mural, titled Are you a life force? was created by Meier’s mother, local muralist Sally Meier. Inspired by the band's forthcoming album, By and By, released July 26th, the mural depicts the stories told through their music. It will be installed on the Buttles Avenue side of Bakersfield in the Short North Arts District. 

Mural installation is expected to begin on July 23, 2019 and will be followed by an announcement of opportunities to see the band perform locally.

“The career development of CAAMP is a textbook example of how great music, hard work, and support from local fans will pay off,” said Bruce Garfield, Executive Director of Music Columbus. “CAAMP is an exciting musical asset to all of Columbus and now the nation. Our homegrown, hometown heroes reflect the phrase ‘Columbus, Careers Start Here.’”

For more information about CAAMP, visit caamptheband.com.
 
Los Angeles-Based Artists Selected to Create One of Columbus’ Tallest Murals, Lead New Artist-in-Residency Program
The new Graduate Columbus hotel in the Short North Arts District due to open early this fall will not only feature gorgeous views of the city from within its 11 stories of hotel rooms, but it will be home to some of the tallest murals in the City of Columbus. 
  
A series of three new permanent murals, titled Journey, depict the journey of a hummingbird connecting man to the gods. Mythological figures depicted in the murals signify the prosperity of Columbus and the Short North Arts District while the figure of a Somali woman wearing a traditional guntiino represents the journey of new Americans in Columbus, a welcoming city. The woman depicted in the mural is Hodan Mohammed, leader of the local Somali community organization Our Helpers and founder of the Columbus Somali Festival.
 
In addition to the mural, the artists will also create an augmented reality experience. Members of the public can download a free app and experience different scenes within the artwork through augmented reality. Presently, there is only one other mural in the U.S. using augmented reality, making this a one-of-a-kind addition to the Short North Arts District. Installation of the three permanent murals is expected to start the week of July 23, 2019 and last approximately one month, with the entire process on view for the public to enjoy.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Short North Alliance to bring this dynamic artistic experience to the city of Columbus,” said Julie Saunders, Chief Marketing Officer at Graduate Hotels. “Our team has been incredibly inspired by the Short North neighborhood since beginning this project, and it is a pleasure to give back something that will add to the community’s creative spirit.”

Los Angeles-based artists Ryan Sarfati and Eric Skotnes were selected through a national call for artists to create the murals. The artists, both prolific in the 1990s L.A. street art and graffiti community, have built professional careers working in the film industry and as international muralists. Their murals appear in over 20 countries across the globe, with each uniquely influenced by their street art roots.

In addition to the three permanent murals and augmented reality experience, the artists will collaborate with the Short North Alliance to lead a new artist-in-residency program in the Short North Arts District. The artist-in-residency program will feature a public talk with both artists, moderated by Dr. Melanie Corn, President of the Columbus College of Art and Design, on Friday, August 9 at 6:00 p.m. at Serendipity Labs in the Short North Arts District as well as a free two-day masterclass for up to 20 local artists on Saturday, August 10 and Sunday, August 11. Artists can apply for the masterclass to learn the unique skills required for mural making and to produce two original murals that will be gifted to Columbus neighborhoods. The Columbus public, including attendees of the American Society of Association Executives Annual Meeting & Exposition, are invited to watch masterclass participants during an event held on Sunday, August 11 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

“We are inspired by the investments that a partner like the Graduate Columbus has made in both elevating artists in public space and arming artists with new tools to make large scale works in Columbus,” said Betsy Pandora, Executive Director of the Short North Alliance. “Graduate Columbus, already a welcome addition to the Short North Arts District, will be a destination experience for many years to come.”
 
For additional information, including project renderings, images, and full artist biographies, and to apply for the High Sites Artist in Residency Program visit shortnorth.org/airprogram
 
Graduate Columbus Mural Project is made possible with support from AJ Capital Partners, Graduate Columbus, The Short North Alliance Art Fund, Columbus Inspires, and the Create Columbus Commission. 
 
Additionally, support for the Short North Alliance’s 2019 public art season of programs comes from the Greater Columbus Arts Council. 

About the Short North Arts District
The Short North Arts District is the most vibrant spot in the City of Columbus, and is home to more than 300 exciting businesses, the majority of which are locally-owned or headquartered. It has received numerous national accolades, is considered a model for urban revitalization, and is known as the art and soul of Columbus. The Short North Alliance (SNA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization serving both the property owners and business owners of the Short North Arts District. For more information, visit www.shortnorth.org.
 
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