There is art, and then there is the artist.
Arts communities often focus on one or the other, but Columbus works to place both at the forefront. The Greater Columbus Arts Council created Art Makes Columbus/Columbus Makes Art in 2015. Since its inception, the campaign has successfully connected art and artists with the Columbus community.
“Our vision behind it was that we would tell the stories of our artists and help people connect with artists as people,” says Jami Goldstein, GCAC’s vice president of marketing, communications and events. “(We wanted to) remove the mystery of the creative process and help people understand what motivates artists, and why they are here in Columbus. Because many of these people could live anywhere, but they choose Columbus.”
Columbus hosts an expansive and immersive art scene, with luminaries including Bone cartoonist Jeff Smith, Opera Columbus Artistic Director Peggy Kriha Dye and BalletMet ArtisticDirector Edward Liang. GCAC designed its campaign to help everyone realize just how much Columbus has to offer.
“(If) people ... knew a little more about the people behind the art making, they would hopefully be willing to en- gage a little deeper,” says Goldstein. “We knew that we could help move the needle with those people who might just come down to The Nutcracker once a year, or they might buy tickets to one thing or go to the museum. If we could get all those folks who are fans – but maybe not raving fans – to engage in one more arts experi- ence, it will broaden the support with the arts community as a whole.”
With the Art Makes Columbus/Columbus Makes Art campaign, GCAC aims to establish art as more than a distraction from our lives. It’s something that continuously inspires and motivates us to keep going, no matter how tough our lives are.
Brendan Martin is an editorial assistant. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
