​Location: The Scioto Mile, Rich and Main Street bridges and in front of COSI (Center of Science and Industry).

Written and Photographed by Doreen Dawkins

​Sidebar:  Warning! Warning! This is a LONG article. I probably should have broken this article into several smaller articles. Pace yourself….

Tell me about the painting I just admired and tell me what inspired the piece.
The painting you were admiring was called Hydrangea. I’m not super original on the titles. That piece was inspired from my trip to New England for an art show. They have natural blue hydrangeas out there. I thought what a beautiful thing to paint. I love portraits. I thought I had to get someone in there with those flowers, so I thought who better than a beautiful African woman with natural curls that showed that same shape as the flowers. Just to repeat that nice motif.
Do you primarily paint women? What is your preferred medium?
I do like to paint women. I can get nice whimsical with their hair and their clothes.  I could do men. I just find them a little boring. I would love to draw a wrinkly old man though. People don’t want to hang a wrinkly old guy on their wall. 

What are you doing?
Wood Churning demonstrations. She is creating a natural edge vase out of cherry wood. She is shaping and contouring the inside. After she is finished with that she will shape and contour the outside.
How long would the vase take to make it look good?
About an hour and a half.
How long would it take a person who doesn’t know what they are doing?
With the right instruction, a couple of hours.

What is he doing?
He is turning his own slim line pen. People can make their own wood turn pen for about $25. It takes about 20 minutes. Or you can turn a wand in the style of Harry Potter.
​
Sidebar: If I wasn’t carrying all my gear, I would have paid $25 to make my own pen. Regrets!

How long does it take to complete a piece?
It depends on what I am doing. Some pieces take a few minutes. Others take a few days.
How much do you sell a big piece for?
A thousand to a couple of thousand. It depends on the surface, the form and how good a piece it is.
Anything low budget?
The smaller functional pieces. The larger pieces are considered art. You are not going to take a Picasso and throw it on the ground.
Anything else?
I started at age 11 and now I’m 46. I am a professional wrestler for the Art Wrestling League. I have a studio at 400 E Rich.

Tell me about your group.
We are an eclectic group. We do a variety of music genres from old jazz age to modern tunes. We do music in Spanish, Italian, French and so on. We pretty much sing whatever sounds good to us. We have done some covers. We respect the original song; then, we bring our feel to it.
How many languages do you speak?
Don’t be misguided, I only speak two fluently. I love learning different languages. There is beauty in diversity and that is one of my ways to express that.
How long have you been a group?
5 years.
Do you have a CD?
We are working on a CD release that will be done; hopefully, by the end of the summer. If not, watch out for us sometime later this year.
Anything else?
Thanks for showing support for local artists and local music. 
Where do you primarily perform?
Various places around town and out of town. For example, Rambling House Soda, Java Central Café, Roastery in Westerville, and the Columbus Arts Festival (the one we always look forward to every year).

​Tell me about your background and what you are doing.
I am a mixed media artist. Primarily a graphic designer. I enjoy painting on everything. This car is themed Columbus neighborhoods. I chose that because I am born and raised in Columbus. This is a great opportunity for local artists. We have the city scape on one side and the neighborhoods on the other. We have done some street sign highlights on there. 

Why the Columbus Arts Festival?
I’ll take any chance to spin to music.
What are you doing?
These are called poi. You can spin them around. You can light them on fire.
Once you light them on fire, do you throw them away or can you reuse them?
You can reuse them, they are made out of Kevlar. You soak them and relight them.
How do you avoid catching yourself on fire?
Lot’s and lot’s of practice.
Have you ever caught yourself on fire?
Not yet.

Jay wasn’t the only one enjoying the music… 

Tell me about your work.
I am a multimedia artist. I use a little bit of this and a little bit of that. It is usually an acrylic base. I like to use semi precious stones and incorporate texture and fabric. It’s like a fashion fly girl rocking a jacket, hat, or fabulous jewelry that I create myself. How would you describe my work?
 
Sidebar: Most people don’t ask me questions….  
 
I wouldn’t describe myself as an art person but the thing I am drawn to is the women in your work seem to have one eye lash going on.
The one eye is becoming a signature thing. The one eye is about introspection. It is about closing your eye to physical distractions of life and getting to know your true self outside of this vessel, outside of your body, race, sex, social standing and how much money you make. Who are you? What unique gift do you have to offer the world.?
Anything else?
Support black artists and artists in general, locally and around the world.

Street musicians:

​The front lawn of COSI was filled with children participating in hands on activities.

I have been a woodworker for 15 years. I have always had a passion for music. I had a friend ask me to make him a Cajon. I thought that it was an amazing thing that I could make an all wood drum. I ran with it. I stumbled upon some different ideas that weren’t out there like changing the drums a little bit that made them dynamic in another way.
Does anyone use your art in live performances?
For sure. A lot of bands play them. Anywhere from your local region to Phil Collins. There are a couple of professional musicians who play my drum.  Anywhere from the camp fire all the way to the studio.
What is the price range?
$80 on up. We can get exotic and domestic wood. We can fit anybody’s need.
Do you play the drums?
I am learning, since I have been making them

Tell me about your art.
What I do is a lot of fun because I can do whatever I want. Sometimes, it is hard to convince shows that what you are doing is your own work. I have worked in a lot of different disciplines of different mediums. The best part for me is to mix them up and get them to work together. I say I graduated in the dark ages with a degree in painting. Then, I was a print maker, paper maker, then, I got into glass about 20 years ago. Now, I am trying to combine glass and canvas. The reason I get into all these different mediums is because I want an outdoor sculpture or table. I say, “I’m not going to pay money, I’ll make one.” I make one then I think “Gee that was a lot of fun.” I have a 10 year rule. It takes me 4 years to get it right. Then, I do it for another 4 years, and then I’m sick of it. Then, I move onto something else. I have not ran out of decades yet.
Anything else?
People in Columbus are a lot of fun. You can kid around with them and make jokes. The response to my work has been very strong. I love you Columbus.

Tell me about your form of art.
I do leatherworking. It is a varied art form. Anything from purses, utilitarian items like wallets and belts, all the way to full art pieces.
What is the price range for your work?
I try to keep myself at around $20 per hour.
Anything else?
I want people to learn. This is a dying art form. Not many people are doing this anymore. Things are being made in factories, not by hand. The men I learned from are in their nineties. I am looking for a new generation to pick the ball up. 
Do you offer classes?
Yes. We offer classes at COSM (Central Ohio School of Metalwork). I teach classes for kids, boy scouts, and through the Ohio Craft Museum.
What about older people?
We have classes for all ages at COSM.

What does a blacksmith do?
I play with fire and I hit stuff with a hammer. We can make anything you can think of out of metal. It is like hot angry clay.
We will do just about anything from functional, art, knives, and swords. We like to teach people to do what we do. We think that we should grow the craft and have more people do what we do.
Tell me about the classes. How often? How much?
They average $150 for a 3 to 4 hour class. Everything from knife making to Introductory to Blacksmith to making hooks, coat hangers, and beer bottle openers. Most of our classes are age 16 and up. We can also do private instruction for age 14. Under age 18 a parent has to be present.
Anything else?
It is a lot of fun. You must try it yourself.

Tell me about your work.
I do graphite pencil drawings. They are photo realistic. Most of them take me from 4 to 10 weeks to create.  I create about 3 or 4 a year.
What is the average cost of your work?
$4,000 to $18,000 for the originals. The reproductions are from $50 to $100.
What are the sizes of the reproductions?
From small, up to 6 feet wide.
How long have you been producing drawings?
For 36 years. I have been at this show about 20 times over the last 36 years. This is one of the better shows. This weekend, the weather is perfect. People are coming out and I am doing well. 

Pets and owners who attended the Columbus Arts Festival 2019:

​My Take:
Prior to attending the event, I went to the festival website (https://www.columbusartsfestival.org/ ) to determine what art I wanted to view. If I had not done that, I would have been on festival overload. Be prepared to walk, as festival was most of the riverfront (the Scioto mile, COSI, both Main Street and Rich Street Bridges, all the way to 400 W Rich Street, etc). I visited 4 ((Bicentennial Park Stage, Big Local Music Stage, Acoustic Lounge, and Dance and Theater Stage (COSI), out of the 5 stages the festival offered. I didn’t make it to the Ohio Magazine Word is Art Stage. I decided to leave that for next year. This years highlight for me was the Big local Arts Village. That was the location to see a local band performing live and to view the hands on demonstrations. 

Categories: Art, Festivals

Written and Photographed by Doreen Dawkins

​This event had plenty of free close parking. Even if the lot adjacent to the event was full there were several other lots and street parking less than a block away.

Tell me about the event.
This is our nineteenth year. OSU East are the sponsors. We started this on the near east side. In fact, we used to do it at the hospital. When we acquired this building, it gave us more room to spread out. Today, we have at least thirty different health screenings from head to toe. For example, vision, dental, breast exams, etc. Our primary focus is to address those most critical health needs in our community: chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer screenings. We have a host of exhibitors with health information and organizations providing resources. I love that we offer free sports physicals for middle school and high school students. That is great for families that might not have a physician or might not be able to afford getting the physical for that student to participate in sports. If there are individuals that qualify and need a mammogram, we have those services here. We can schedule appointments today. We have healthy cooking demonstrations. Our goal is around prevention, and education. Part of our core mission is to have healthy communities. This is how we do our part by giving back. Historically, this has been one of the largest days of giveback for our organization. We are proud to continue that legacy.
 
This is our twentieth year at East Hospital. That is nice that it coincides with the event today. Our theme for that was twenty years and, counting. We are committed to this community and beyond. We want a healthy community and we are here for the long haul. 
If a young person gets their physical today, will it be good for the whole school year?
I think most of the physicals are good for a year.
God forbid that someone finds out they have something like cancer today.
That has happened.
Do you offer follow-up services?
Yes, we do. We offer follow-up appointments. We usually get people tapped into the services right away.
If a young person wants to follow in your footsteps, what was your path to obtain the position you have?
I’m a nurse by background. When I was in high school, I took a career course as nursing assistant. I was placed on a job when I was seventeen at Children’s Hospital. I climbed the ropes as student nurse, nurse, graduate nurse, etc. My path has been mostly in administration positions. I was blessed to obtain this position (Executive Director of the East Hospital) two years ago. My advice is work hard. Let your work speak for itself. If students want to get involved with math and science, that is awesome. There are hospital administrators that focus in the business world. You can also learn the business as a managing nurse.
 

Tell me what is going on today.
This is Healthy Community Day put on by OSU Hospitals. We have 46 vendors that help us put on this expo tent that I am over. We have free screenings, over 400 volunteers from OSU and our partners. Our partners help us to put together a free healthy lunch, entertainment, screenings, the dental van, and demo kitchen. The sheriff’s department and fire department are also here. It is just a free and fun day to push community wellness and health and everything that makes our lives better. OSU East has been putting this on for nineteen years. I have been here for thirteen of those years. Every year it gets better.
I saw on the news that over 200 sports physicals were completed at this event last year. Any forecasts as to how many you will complete today?
We will need to wait until the end of the day to see the numbers. I do know that within the first hour they were already over 50.  This event runs from 9 am to 2 pm. That’s five hours. If they keep up to forty or fifty an hour, you can do the math. We are going to surpass last year, I guarantee it.
What is up with the free food?
One plate per person. They will give you turkey hot dogs, roasted corn, roasted veggies, apple slices, and all the bottled water you can drink. We have a lot of good, free, healthy food.
How does a person volunteer for next year?
They can volunteer by going to OSU website. Most of our volunteers are employees. Get involved with the community such as the ohio housing, healthy living through the YMCA, any of the churches or health organizations can contact me and I can get you a table and get you in. There is no registration fee. Everything about this day is free.
Anything else?
We have a giant inflatable colon. You can walk through it. Colon health is important especially for our older gentlemen. Today is all about free stuff, learning, networking, and letting people see things that they haven’t seen before. Not too many people have seen a giant inflatable colon.
How do we contact you?
The easiest way is my phone number which is 614-257-2549.

Tell me why you are here and what you are doing.
I came because my boys are with the Life Sports program with Ohio State. Originally, we came for the sports physicals. Last year, my husband benefitted from coming here. He felt safe in the environment to complete his manly screenings. Any other time, he would have made excuses; but we were already here, so we were able to get it done.
Tell me about the Life Sports Program.
The Life Sports Program is a free summer program where each week they do a different sport. This will be my boys second year. It is an excellent program. I recommend it.
Anything else?
All the education and people were nice. They respected my family and it was an easy place to walk through.

What did you do today?
I had fun and got my teeth looked at. I got an Ohio State backpack. Go bucks.
Anything else?
I play football for the Linden Eagles, #2.
Sidebar:
I love John’s confidence! He asked to be interviewed and appeared to be at home doing the interview. 

Tell me about your organization.
On our website, you can find information about multiple programs that can help you with down payment assistance or assistance with closing costs.
Do you have to have good credit?
The credit scores can run from about 640 and 660, depending on if you want conventional or FHA. Some of the programs can be combined. Ohio Heroes is a program for first responders (police officers and firefighters), teachers, medical staff, and veterans.
Anything else?
Go to www.myohiohome.org and complete the quick assessment. The assessment can tell your eligibility status. Contact your realtor, and financial instituition to see if they work with OHFA programs.

Bronzeville Growers Market is an urban farm stand located at Seventeenth and Mt.Vernon Avenue. We have a kick off July 11, 2019, then it will be every Thursday after that until the end of August from 3:00 pm to 6:00pm. We are putting fresh produce back on Mt. Vernon Avenue.
Is it free?
No. It is about economic sustainability. At this table, we are showing individuals how to grow certain produce. Everybody should grow something. You should also buy. We will have four or five different types of tomatoes, peppers, okra, all kinds of herbs, squash and all kinds of things. It will be different every 2 or 3 weeks because we harvest what we grow. We will not have the same thing the first week of July as the end of August.
Anything else?
We will have family activities so everybody should come out. 

What are you doing?
We are with the chief in me campaign. That is a community engagement survey on the characteristics they want the next police chief to have.
How long does the survey take?
The survey takes about 2 minutes. It doesn’t ask anything personal other than your age range, ethnicity and maybe your zip code. The rest is your opinion to get your input.

Why do you volunteer at this event?
We are at Outpatient East, it used to be Carepoint East at 543 Taylor Avenue. It helps out the community. We have free screenings, fun times, food, and laughter. It just helps out the community. Everybody is about helping out the community.
Anything else?
If you do not have a primary care physician come to 543 Taylor Avenue (Outpatient East- Ohio State University) and get a primary care physician. 

What is going on?
This is the James mobile education kitchen. It was initially given to us by the Celebration for Life fund through the James. It is a grant for us to go out into the community and teach people about a healthier plant based lifestyle that works with cancer risk reduction. We are teaching people how to have a healthier life with plant based food. It doesn’t mean vegetarian and it doesn’t mean vegan. It means better portion control and eat more plant based foods in your diet.
Tell me how you made the vegetables. They were delicious!
They are two parts Lawry’s low sodium season salt, and one part Splenda brown sugar. It is extremely good for you to eat any vegetable with it. Today, we are giving a corn mango salsa and a healthier dill dip. We are using raw vegetables for the dill dip. The corn mango salsa is made with the free vegetables we are giving away in the tent. It is just a different way to show you how to do something with them.
​
Sidebar: Those were the best vegetables I recall eating. I asked the people on the grill who made the vegetables and sought Chief David Brue out. I was prepared to talk to him until he gave up the recipe. I couldn’t taste the difference between the dill dip and ranch dressing.

Tell me what you just did and where you are at.
I am at the Healthy Community event at Carepoint East for Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. I was just jamming with the Divine Impact Fitness crew. I am a member of their workout crew. I work out with them 3 to 5 times a week.
Have you seen any results?
I have seen lots of results. I am healthy. My numbers are great. It is just the best way to get fit.
What did you think about the fair?
The fair is awesome. I work at The Ohio State University. I am supportive of all the things we do for our community, in addition to our faculty and staff. The event is well attended and we had great weather for the event.
Anything else?
Good to see you and any other Mifflin alum around town.
 
Sidebar: I love that she said she supports events in our community. We are all busy! Sometimes we just have to MAKE time to support events. And I agree it is good to see a Mifflin graduate from the 1980s. “Ain’t no pride like Puncher pride”. (Puncher is our high school mascot).

Tell me about what you do.
We are Divine Impact Fitness. Currently, we are using the space inside of Next Level Fitness which is located at 7020 Cross Point Rd., Gahanna, OH. We do high impact cardio dance fitness, Monday thru Thursday 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm and Saturday 10:00am to 11:00am. From 8:00 pm to 8:30 pm, we do strength conditioning classes to help tone and tighten and lift those things that might be loose. We also do moods and mindfulness, which is our high impact cardio classes followed by 15 minutes of mindfulness which is a body scan. It is something like meditation which is led by Shekyra Decree who is a licensed clinical therapist.
You ended your session with something. Tell me about it.
We say different things every class. We encourage people to look at their neighbor and congratulate them and say, “we made it.” Not you made it or I made it but, “we made it through this together.” Then we say different things to encourage one another. We ladies have a tendency to be beat down every day by the world. We wear so many hats. We are mothers, wives, nurses inside of our homes, we are cooks, housekeepers, we hold a 40 hour a week job, some of us are business owners. We do a lot of things. We look at each other and say, “you are beautiful, you are loved, you are strong, you are powerful, you are resilient, you are enough just as you are right now.”

​My take: I was surprised with how much fun a person can have around health screenings, exercise, and eating healthy. I did not go to any of the health screenings inside the building however; everyone I saw appeared to have a great time. I was impressed by the number of people they fed and the portions they were giving out. Many times when an event is offering free food, it MIGHT be a little bit of something. Definitely not a meal where a person can get full.. This event was well thought out and executed.

Categories: Things.

​Franklin Park
1755 E. Broad Street
Columbus, OH 

Written and Photographed by Doreen Dawkins

​A week before the Asian Festival at Franklin Park I, was downtown while participants practiced for the Dragon Boat Race. This looks like a great activity to foster group teamwork.
 
This festival offers free parking and shuttle services to and from designated parking lots. I parked at the Cleo Dumaree Athletic Complex, 276 S Nelson Rd., Columbus, OH 43205, and walked a couple of blocks to the festival.  

You are wearing unique outfits. I just got here. What did you do?
We just competed a Wushu demonstration. Everyone calls it Kung Fu, but Wushu is the official name of Chinese martial arts.
What are the different levels of belts?
I’m a coach, he is an assistance coach, and he is a red belt. White belts are the beginners, then it goes yellow, orange, red, green, brown, then black.
Anything else?
We have three locations. One here, one in Dayton, and one in Cincinnati. We have an international tournament in August. Ohio Kung Fu Tai Chi Day is coming up in October. Different high-level master’s come to that event.

Why did you come to the Asian Festival today?
I have always been a huge fan of Asian culture. I specifically love Japan. Tokyo is my favorite city in the world. I have been twice. In middle America, being able to celebrate eastern culture in this way is amazing. Having a little bit of Japan to come to me in this way is exciting. I wanted to see what it had to offer.
Anything else?
There are some Asian vegan tacos here by Tofu Louie that are amazing. 

​Please explain what you were doing.
We perform and play traditional Vietnamese music. It is common that most people do not know about our music. Even Vietnamese barely know about our own cultural instruments. There is very little exposure. The instruments are very hard to learn. With modern life in the 21st century, nobody cares about anything old. The piano appears to be more appealing and high class. Anything old like this they don’t appreciate. Our group performs and promotes traditional theory and traditional music. There are many traditional Vietnamese groups that play modern songs or copy Chinese music and technique. Vietnamese music technique is very hard to learn. It took me over 20 years to master just a few important songs.

​Sidebar: Although this festival was well attended it didn’t feel crowded. I was able to sit in an empty chair to view the performances whenever I wanted to sit. I also was able to walk around at a normal non-crowd pace

Tell me about your discipline and your studio.
Our school is in Gahanna, Ohio. We are disciplined in Tae Kwon Do martial arts. Joined art means flexibility and develop your internal energy and increase circulation. If you have a good energy, you don’t need self-defense because people know you are already strong.
Anything else?
We have the trial program for one month. The method is a natural way. Our stance and our movement are walking steps and stretching. Darimar means balance your life first.

Tell me about your discipline
I have been doing Karate now for 44 years. I started in Brooklyn NY. Kyokushin style. In Japan Kyokushin is the hardest style of Karate. It is a modern style. It is full contact Karate. All our tournaments are bare knuckle at the brown and black belt level. Now there is about 44 million people practicing the Oyama style of Karate. We consider it a Karate of war.
I keep hearing Osu (to me it sounded like oooooshhh, not to be confused with OSU (Ohio State University) what does that mean?
It means push yourself to that limit, then go over that limit. We always want to challenge ourselves. 

Sidebar: This young lady appeared confident and broke the board on the first try. Good to see young people participating in positive activities.

How long have you been doing this?
We have been doing this for 25 years.
What is it? You had the crowd hyped!
This is an ancient dance. People used to celebrate after a successful harvest in India. We have taken it and added hip hop to it and made it a little more traditional. We have been bringing this to Columbus for the last 25 years and as you can see, everyone is enjoying it.
 
Sidebar: This performance was the highlight of the festival. This group had the crowd jumping!

​My Take: This festival was a great use of space. The park was packed with things to do. There were four different stages (one inside), food trucks, vendors, places to sit and enjoy the performances, room for kids to play, etc. The vivid colors of the clothing was remarkable. There was diversity of music, dancing, and martial art.

Categories: Festivals

​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