​Columbus Taco Fest
Genoa Park, 303 W Broad St
Columbus, OH 43215

Written and Photographed by Doreen Dawkins

​Sidebar: Not too long ago I attended the COSI Fest. The COSI garage cost $5 during the time of the COSI Fest. I planned to park in the COSI garage until I saw the $20 event parking sign. It actually cost $10 for the paved lot across the street from the garage, but a golf cart was blocking the sign when I drove past. I parked in a grass lot for $10. The grass was about 6 inches tall. I am thankful that I wore hiking boots…. In my opinion the paved, lot across from the COSI garage is the best value to avoid itchy ankles if you wear shorts. 

​People were willing to wait in line…

Sami
Why did you come to the Columbus Taco Fest?
I got hand picked by my group to come to the Taco Festival.
Because?
It is an amazing event to come to and get a lot of Tacos.
Which truck did you try and was it any good?
We tried The Best Tacos in the city.  They are good!
Is there more to do than just eat at the Columbus Taco Fest?
It’s an event where people can come and try Latin culture and food. Some people aren’t even Latino, they just appreciate the fact that it is tacos.
Is it expensive?
It is better to come with a group.
 
Valentina
Why did you come to the Columbus Taco Fest?
I usually just come for the tacos. I like the vibe of everyone coming together around food. It is a chill space and to hang out.
What about the music is good?
It is really good music. 

​Why did you come to the Columbus Taco Fest?
It shows how Columbus is expanding its diversity and outreach to different communities. When you think about tacos, you think something Latino or Hispanic, but we have a salsa band here which is Al Son Del Iya. They are local. They usually perform the first Friday of every month at Brothers Drake Meadery, 26 E 5th Ave, Columbus, OH 43201. They are here supporting the community and giving people exposure and awareness of Latin American culture.
 
I played in a salsa band for 6 years. I am bilingual, but I am from the African American community. Their roots are African as well. We have things in common. We can come together instead of looking at differences. 

Sidebar: I was impressed with the talent level of a young man dancing. I was more impressed when he encouraged two younger boys who watched him dance. Then, they started dancing. Watching the interaction was priceless.

​Sidebar: I listened to the entire set. This group was AMAZING! Many times, a group has one or maybe two talented musicians but, in this group, EVERYONE was on point. Is it obvious what my favorite part of this festival was?

​Tell me about the group.
I been playing music since I was 7.  I migrated to the United States in 1991. To make a long story short, I came to Ohio. This band has been 5 years in the making. We started with some cats that didn’t stay. This guy from Puerto Rico came in and now we have been together about 3 years. This is a family thing. We all get along. There is no drama or fighting. We do what we do best.

What is your background?
In Puerto Rico I was around folk musicians, so I grew up in the folk scene. When I came to Ohio. I got together with other Hispanics like Tino who is from Peru. What we have in common is salsa music. I love salsa. That is what my mom brought me up with. I am really happy to be here, and I am really happy to share salsa with everybody.
Anything else?
Come check us out the first Fridays of every month at Brothers Drake Meadery. We have a steady crowd. People come to dance. Nobody cares how you dance, as long as you come and have some fun.
Do you have a CD out?
We are working on it right now. 

​This is a pet friendly festival.

Sidebar: I walked past the guy holding the sign a few times. I’m not sure if his microphone was working as I didn’t hear him screaming, yelling, talking loud or actually saying anything. I only noticed this on the way out because I had to walk right next to them.
 
My take: Park in the paved lot, or at a meter. Plan to chill and enjoy the live music. Get up and dance whether you can dance or not. This festival is a great opportunity to connect with people around music and dancing.

Categories: Festivals, Food

​Written and Photographed by Doreen Dawkins

Tell me about your work.
I work primarily in a combination of wood and washy paper, which is made from Japanese paper mulberry fibers. I do a lot of laser cuts. I like laser cut flat packable lighting, furniture, and home goods. I also do a lot of work in steam bent wood staving and layered washy on a more terete organic and bent form. I combine a lot of those together. I recently had my first solo exhibition here where I had a lot of those combination pieces, along with traditional woodworking, CNC milling, all of that tied together with more modern forms as well.
 
Sidebar: His response sounded like the Charlie Brown teacher (wooomp woommmp wooomp woommmp). I didn’t understand anything he said, but I LOVE his work.
 
How did you pick your medium?
When I was growing up, my grandfather was a wood worker. I found out later that he considered himself the least talented wood worker in the family. I started wood working with my grandfather growing up. Later, I was an actor and props designer for theater and film for many years. I was moving to a 400 square foot apartment and I wanted a Christmas tree that I could pack away and hide in a little box. I designed a slotted plywood tree that I could pack away. Initially I did the first 10 of them on a 1920s Dremel Scroll Saw. It took about 10 hours per tree of cutting. My arthritis was swelling up my hands like grape fruits. A friend introduced me to the laser cutter. I got hooked.
Anything else? How do we contact you?
I’m a member of Studios on High Gallery 686 N. High Street in the Short North www.bensostrom.com. I do custom commission work. 

Tell me about your work.
It is mixed media. Acrylic paint on recycled wood.
How did you get started?
I am a self-taught artist.  I worked in Columbus City Schools on an art team. We had music, art, dance, and drama at Fair Avenue Elementary School. We had shows where we painted stages, props, etc. I started falling in love with the vocabulary of art: time, space, energy, form, composition. I was a dance teacher. Dance and art are integrated with those forms. They overlap.
Anything else?
I’m working towards a children’s book. I am really influenced by the 1960s, during the civil rights movement. People of color at that time were strong, and unified. A lot of the patterns and color I use in my work are from that era.
How do we contact you?
I’m a member of Studios on High Gallery 686 N. High Street in the Short North or
Email: Coloredsectionart@msn.com.

Tell me about your work.
I take old photographic portraits and turn them into a story (from my own mind) about the person in the photograph.
How long have you been doing it?
I came from a family of artists. I have been drawing and doing all kinds of stuff since I was young. The portrait stuff probably within the last 10 years.
What advice would you give a young person who wants to do what you do?
Practice. Do art work every day. Enter as many competitions as you can. Keep going. Keep putting your work out there. The art fairs are a good way to start out and get people’s feedback on your artwork.
Anything else?
I received the Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence award for 2019. I’m a member of Studios on High Gallery 686 N. High Street in the Short North.

Why a gallery?
I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love art. I studied art education, then did gallery work in Charleston, SC. It made sense to combine my entrepreneurial background with art.
Is this like when a person goes gambling that the odds are tipped to the house? You are the house.
It depends on the month.
Do the artists pay both rent? How does it work?
No. If I have good inventory, we have clients that want that inventory. We are here to promote artists, to launch careers, to sustain and launch artists’ careers. We don’t just hang art on the walls. We do professional development with artists. We are writing letter references for artists, and coaching them on how to be a full-time artist.  We call other galleries in another market that might be interested in their work. To survive as an artist often you have more than one gallery supporting you. There is a whole host of things we do with our artists. We have a client list that has been built up for 10 years. It is a very boutique style approach. It is a partnership between me and the artists. I must trust what they are doing and they must trust that I am going to bring clients for them.
If a young person wants to own a gallery what advice would you give them?
Start networking. It is as much about who you know as what you know.

​Tell me about this picture.
It is alcohol ink on yupo paper. Yupo paper is kind of like a polypropylene sort of like a plastic. You can get the ink in all different pigments like hues. You mix the ink with rubbing alcohol and put it on this paper. You can move it around. It doesn’t absorb into the paper. It stays on the surface, so you can move it with your brush and/or rag. The alcohol evaporates then leaves this beautiful pigment. You can get intense colors. It is experimental.
 
These are based on the artists’ concern with pollution. You don’t get these types of sunsets unless there is a lot of pollution in the environment. People think the entire series of paintings are gorgeous. It is a way for the artist to process how he feels about the environment and use his voice as an artist to say something. It doesn’t have to be so politically charged in your face, it can still be beautiful. 

Tell me why you do street entertainment.
I do street entertainment so I can Connect with people on an emotional basis. The reason I like street performance is that it prepares you for the stage. When you are on the stage, people expect you to play. When you are on the street, people either love you or hate you or they walk away. You get to grab the audience. It’s a great way to try out new stuff.
How long have you been doing street performances?
Five or six years and through the Short North Alliance for about three years.
Anything else?
You can find all my music at scottiegmusic.com.
What advice would you give a young person who wants to do what you are doing?
You can just play on the side of the road without a permit. But technically it is illegal. Just do it. If they tell you to stop, just stop. Chances are they are not going to arrest you, so just go out and have fun. Try not to be rude. Watch out for homeless people. I have been robbed before.
 
My take:
Parking is still a hassle in the Short North area. My disclaimer is I went on a rainy Saturday, so the crowds were not there. I still had a blast talking to the artists and performers and most of all admiring the art.

Categories: Art, and Things

​Center of Science and Industry (COSI)
333 W Broad St,
Columbus, OH 43215

Written and Photographed by Doreen Dawkins

​Rain, rain go away…. It didn’t work. Even though it rained for the entire time I was at the festival, except for a couple of hours, the festival seemed to be well attended. 

​The F15 cockpit is part of a simulator used to train our pilots.

​Mobile learning adventure for kids 5 and under, part of early childhood development. Children had their choice of astronaut, scrubs, ballerina, police officer, pilot, doctor, etc.

​Sidebar: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)

​Experiment: chemical reaction, baking soda and vinegar going through a nozzle. The participants pick the size of the nozzle to see how high they can shoot the carbon dioxide and water.

​Sidebar: If I didn’t have all my camera gear and it wasn’t raining, I would have waited my turn to get on the bike! 

How do you turn a banana into a piano?
We use a makeymakey.com, which is a pretty simple circuit board. Bananas are good conductors. They have water and a soft peel so they can feel the jolt of energy. We have it programmed as a piano circuit. If we have one hand on the foil, which is also a good conductor that’s our grounding wire, and if we tap on a piece of fruit, like a banana, it closes the circuit. That is what allows it to make the piano notes that we keyed it to. We use scratch for our piano coding, which is a free coding website that MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) put out (scrate.mit.edu). People can go to the website and create simple code like the piano keyboard.
What happens if I don’t hit the foil, do I get a jolt?
No possibility of getting a jolt. It is closed circuit and we are under the tent. It is very safe. No crazy electricity kicking back.
What happens if you go out in the rain, then touch the banana?
We have had people here all day and nobody had a static shock.

Sidebar: This was VERY interesting. I was going through the list of young people I know who might appreciate doing this activity. Where was this activity during the junior high and high school science fair projects? 

​My take: This took be back down memory lane to the school visits at COSI and Mr. Lewis’ science classes at the Battelle Math Science program! This festival isn’t just for kids, it is for the young at heart! 

Category: Festivals