The Travel Chica

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A unique outdoor art project

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Since I returned home from my travel sabbatical, I have been impressed by the growth in my hometown of Columbus, Ohio.  I do not just mean new construction and new businesses.

I feel that there has been culture and lifestyle improvement.

There are more local coffee roasters, new restaurants featuring locally-sourced ingredients, and more local businesses in growing neighborhoods surrounding downtown.

Columbus is more appealing to people who like living in a big city, especially a downtown area.

It is no Buenos Aires or New York City, but it is also not trying to be that big and that busy.

One thing I noticed immediately last summer and finally decided to write about is an outdoor mural project in the Short North Arts District.

10x10x10 Mural Project


Last August ten local art galleries put up ten high-resolution, enlarged vinyl reproductions from ten exhibit openings.  The large vinyl artwork is applied to buildings with heat.  The works are all by Columbus-based artists or inspired by the city.

I think it is a great thing for any city to have public outdoor art.

I especially like these pieces because they are a little weird and very large.

 

I was speaking to a gallery worker to learn more about the project, and he mentioned that he didn’t really like the murals.  He said that they look cheap because of the vinyl.

He may also have thought they were a poor replacement for the three iconic hand-painted murals being destroyed by real estate development projects.

I do not think they look cheap.  They look like art done on a budget.

I like that they are not too polished and are not displayed in an extravagant way.  It looks like an art idea I could have had myself, and I think that makes them fit in with the neighborhood.

I appreciate the scale of the project. 

They have reproduced something grander and moved it to a location for anyone and everyone to experience.  And they did it ten times within a small area.

I believe the project is expected to be up for at least a year.

I hope that the Short North will re-new the project and put up new murals this summer.

What do you think about this style of public art?

Comments

  1. I think it’s a great idea. It’s efforts like this that can support people to celebrate their present moment, and maybe put a smile on their faces when otherwise it would have been “just another day on the same route”. Obviously, it’s up to people themselves how they choose to experience their days, yet I do think it adds. It also exposes the world of art to people who might not have looked for it otherwise and to people who can’t afford going to museums.
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  4. I think it’s great, too! Public art is always welcome to me. I might not like everything, but I always like that people are creative and want to express themselves and share their view with others – so I hope there’s gonna be a follow-up post with the summer-mural-edition:)!

  9. I think these are excellent! So vivid and colourful…I love murals. I didn’t realize how much until our recent trip to Lyon.

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