Friday, March 22, 2013

New Night Market Coming To Gay Street


Markets, markets everywhere! Farmer’s markets, open air markets, Winter markets. Columbus has experienced an explosion of growth in terms of quality venues hosting a wide variety of themed markets and talented vendors seeking opportunities. As we venture into this interminable Spring thaw, we welcome market season and all the sights, sounds, smells and excitement that accompany each one. Despite the plethora of successful markets in Columbus, an open-air nighttime market has yet to exist…(cue suspense)…until now.
We want Columbus to stroll, shop and eat underneath the stars, all while enjoying the bustling, eclectic pocket of Gay St. nestled between High St. and Third. The Moonlight Market will be a vehicle for people to experience a thriving downtown neighborhood in the company of passionate business owners, tradesmen and artisans. Many existing businesses along Gay St., High St. and Third will set-up shop on the sidewalks and keep extended hours into the night. Local and regional vendors will be interspersed on the sidewalks with the businesses, creating a vibrant, diverse marketplace. Musicians, artists and theatrical lighting tricks will add to the palpable ambience.
The Gay Street District and the Moonlight Market look forward to welcoming you to an exciting new Columbus monthly event series. See you on April 13th!



Taken from: www.moonlightmarketcolumbus.com

Friday, March 1, 2013

Cheerful Pleasures to Enjoy in Downtown Columbus


It’s grey outside. And bleak. It seems like spring won’t get here soon enough. So how do downtown residents make life more enjoyable and see the bright side of life when the world is not so bright?

Thanks to the sights of downtown Columbus, just walking around can be an uplifting experience despite the weather thanks to public art.

In 2012, during the city’s bicentennial, a public art campaign initiative,  Finding Time: Columbus Public Art” took place throughout the year in public spaces, plazas, parks, streets, and alleys in the downtown core and the riverfront. The Finding Time campaign included 14 temporary public art projects by more than 50 artists. Some of these public art projects still exist around the city.

As a result, you can find a splash of color along some streets, thanks to discreet wall paintings by members of the Central Ohio Plein Air. Or read the generative sentence, written by the people of Columbus and placed phrase-by-phrase on a blank wall behind Key Bank. It starts with “Columbus never…”

The Veterans Plaza on the east side of the Ohio Statehouse offers stirring letters written by veterans from World War II to loved ones etched in granite. It’s time well spent and a great way to break up a walk.

For those willing to walk further east, the Topiary Park is a work of art and work of nature.  It brings to life George Seurat’s painting, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte.” The scene unfolds before you: Men, women, and children are engaged in fishing, rowing, sailing, strolling, chatting, or simply gazing at the river as they enjoy a pleasant afternoon. What more imagery do you need to conjure up brighten days ahead?

These are just a few of the small pleasures we have around downtown while we wait for the sun to come back out.