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.
