For the past decade, April has been Arts Month in Westerville. And in fact, over the course of those 10 years, Arts Month has gotten so big that it’s outgrown April.
April was first designated as a month to recognize the creative talents of Westerville residents in 2006. Young writers and artists in grades 3-8 submitted their work to display at the library throughout the month. There was also a performance by the Westerville Poetry Group and live music in the atrium of the Westerville Public Library each Sunday.
Photos courtesy of Arts Council of Westerville
These days, Arts Month starts in March and features an array of events and exhibitions, up to and including an annual proclamation from the mayor’s office.
It’s coordinated by the Arts Council of Westerville, an organization formed to increase community involvement in the arts, establish partnerships with local individuals and organizations, provide venues to connect the arts and the community, and provide experiences and education in the arts. April – and March – may be Arts Month, but the council works to promote local art year-round.
“Arts do not begin and end in April,” says John Cameron, Arts Council president and immediate past president of the Westerville Art League. “Rather, it is an annual reminder of the arts in Westerville. We want people to know about us because we contribute significantly to the arts environment in the community.”
April helps to put a spotlight on all of Westerville’s art activities, says Jan Fedorenko, Arts Council education coordinator and former arts coordinator for Westerville schools.
“You could look at April in Westerville as arts awareness month,” Fedorenko says. “The (council) has activities all year, but we want to make a big push in April to advocate and make residents aware of the arts opportunities.”
Student Art Show
Pablo Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
Each Arts Month – and continuing through the rest of the year – the Arts Council brings together young artists and their families.
Each school in the Westerville City School District submits 10 works of art for one of two art shows. From April 8-24, art from elementary (K-5) and secondary (6-12) school students will be on display in two Westerville locations. A reception for students and their families will be hosted at each location April 24.
Elementary student art will be displayed throughout the Westerville Community Center. The reception there will be from 1-2:30 p.m.
The Westerville Public Library’s first-floor community meeting rooms will host secondary student art. That reception will be 3-4 p.m.
“Arts Month really impacts families,” says Linda Wilkins, secretary for the Arts Council and marketing coordinator for the library. “Working at the library, I’ll see families come in with the artist standing proudly and posing next to their creation. It’s something a child never outgrows, and it plants the seed for a lifelong experience in the arts.”
Fedorenko has been encouraged by the level of parental support.
“I always enjoy seeing how proud parents are of their children, which makes the kids feel great as well,” she says.
4th Friday
The monthly Mount Carmel St. Ann’s 4th Friday events in Uptown Westerville always incorporate the arts, and it so happens the season always kicks off in April.
This year’s initial 4th Friday, with the theme “Uptown Alive!” is slated for April 22. The Arts Council financially sponsors the Art League’s participation in Arts Alley, and provides support for children’s arts activities and live music at each 4th Friday.
The council bought enough display panels last year to allow for the display of 70 pieces of art by local artists at each event. Arts Alley also includes tables for artists to exhibit other forms of original art, including jewelry, ceramics, wood carvings and original art cards.
In addition to the substantial visual arts component, the performing arts are also incorporated at 4th Fridays via live music at Java Central. Owner and original Arts Council member Ralph Denick and his late wife, Jane, were vital in introducing live music to 4th Friday and throughout the year with the coffee shop’s free concert series.
“Fourth Fridays help us support the lifelong interest and learning of the arts,” says Fedorenko. “We may even have adults participating in the arts for the first time in their life.”
… And More
Along with visual arts and music, there is also a literary arts component to Arts Month.
The 2016 Celebrate the Arts 10th Annual Writing Contest features original work by children and adults in all genres: fiction and nonfiction, poetry and prose. Submissions for the contest are due early in March – March 2, this year – but winners are notified in early April.
An awards reception takes place April 10 at the library, complete with readings by student and adult winners. Winners have their work published in the newspaper, as well as in a professionally bound book that will be made available for purchase on www.lulu.com.
Also opening in March is the Accessible Expressions exhibit at the Community Center. The show – organized by VSA Ohio, an organization that encourages and promotes artistic work by individuals with disabilities – runs March 12-31.
Awards are presented by popular vote, and even though the exhibit is in March, the display is a part of Arts Month.
“This is kind of our pre-Arts Month,” says Cameron. “We have so much, we just cannot contain it in one month.”
For more information on Arts Month, visit www.westervillearts.net or www.visitwesterville.org.
Westerville resident Chris Woodley is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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