The Columbus Arts Festival returns this summer following a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Though the festival, which takes place June 10-12, initially planned to relocate the Arena District, the event will remain in its longstanding location along the Scioto Mile and on the Rich Street and Main Street bridges.
A central Ohio staple since 1962, the return of the free festival, produced by the Greater Columbus Arts Council and presented by the American Electric Power Foundation, means renewed opportunities for artists. For Florida-based Wellman & Welsch Pottery – run by Harry Welsch and his wife, Kimberly Wellman – it’s a return to the festival circuit they’ve been part of for decades.
“Way in the very beginning, we decided we wanted to market directly to the people ourselves, because we enjoyed the feedback from the customers coming in our booth,” Welsch says. “We always found that very rewarding and interesting.”
The couple participated in the most recent Columbus Arts Festival in 2019. This year, the festival’s blind jury selected 225 artists from 600 applications spanning 42 states to participate. Teresa Merriman, who hand-crafts leather-bound journals, is also among the returning artists. Merriman lives in Colorado, but previously lived in the Short North.
Merriman says she enjoys the warm and inclusive atmosphere of the festival, in part fostered by food trucks, children’s activities and other community-minded offerings.
“Part of the reason why it’s one of my favorite festivals of all time is because of the community,” she says. “What I really love is that the people who come to festival really do take the time to walk around and look at the art as well. In fact, that’s probably their main reason to come.”
That focus on art is unique to the Columbus event, Merriman says.
More than just an arts showcase, the event is engineered to support artists and the arts community. The festival hosts a Big Local Arts Village, which provides opportunities for central Ohio artists without requiring a juried application. It also offers an emerging artists program. Diane Binder, an Ohio native who will return to the festival this year, says participating in that program in 2019 provided her first experience at a festival and selling art in any setting.
“The Emerging Artist Program, I feel like I’m their poster child,” Binder says. “It’s such an amazingly organized show. It just made it so easy for me to learn. And of course, the Emerging Artist Program, they just walk you through every step, and they’re with you the day it starts.”
Binder’s time in the program earned her Best Emerging Artist and Best in Show. She was the first Emerging Artist to win the latter award. As a beginner, Binder says, she never considered she would win an award.
“Honestly, I felt kind of bad,” Binder says. “I felt kind of guilty. All these amazing artists who’ve been doing this for years, and this rookie comes in. I felt very humbled by it all. So, it’ll be fun to see who wins it this year.”
Others also note that, while only some receive awards, the festival is full of talented artists. Wellman & Welsch’s ceramic art received one of three juror’s choice awards for three-dimensional art in 2019, though they say they were far from the only worthy participants
“We try to take it with a grain of salt because there were so many really great artists there,” Welsch says. “For some reason, something we did spoke to them and spoke to the judges, and we’re grateful to that.”
Merriman, whose 3D mixed media work received the award for best presentation in 2019, says the Columbus festival strikes a balance of all things necessary for a successful arts event by bringing together excellent organization, arts supporters and community members, and artists.
“Whatever they’re doing, they’re doing it right in serving their community,” Merriman says. “Everybody’s doing their part, and it’s just wonderful to see. It’s a beautiful trifecta and I’m thrilled to be part of the show on its debut post-pandemic.”
The return to a familiar location will make the festival’s return all the more welcoming for repeat attendees. While the Arena District has much to offer, the riverfront area has come to feel like a necessary part of the festival.
“We just weren’t able to reach a safe street closure agreement,” says Jami Goldstein, GCAC’s vice president of marketing, communications and events. “Our catering and our safety value’s going to be the most important thing, so the streets have to be completely closed, and there were just too many concerns about the rerouting that would have to be done. So we said, you know what, we’ll stay.”
At the riverfront location, organizers and artists get a familiar setup while attendees get some of the best views of the city.
“I think this is maybe our forever home now,” Goldstein says.
Find more information at www.columbusartsfestival.org.
Festival Hours
Friday, June 10: 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Saturday, June 11: 10 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
Sunday, June 12: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Friday and Saturday, artist booths close at 9 p.m., though artists have the option to stay open later.
Lindsey Capritta is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
