During the summer of 1999, a friend convinced me to join her at the Columbus Museum of Art for an exhibit of Dale Chihuly’s work. It was the final day of the show and we spent nearly two hours strolling among the dozen magnificent glass chandeliers throughout the space.
At the time, I was pleased the museum was nearly empty. The Sunday afternoon excursion was quiet and peaceful and helped spark a short romance.
But those serene afternoons are now becoming too common at every art space in Columbus. With a population exceeding 700,000, the art scene should be exploding with fresh faces and new ideas. Instead, the music scene may be the only area consistently supported, with too many other organizations finding themselves without patrons.
Perhaps the best example of this is the Contemporary American Theatre Company. Before teaming with the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts in July, the company reported operating deficits of $237,000 and $264,000, respectively, in 2002 and 2003. Shows were being altered midseason, including a planned 20-piece version of “A Christmas Carol” being replaced with the funny, but smaller, “A Tuna Christmas” – a two-man show that cost much less.
Even CAPA, once a solid foundation for the arts, isn’t doing well. In January, the organization began laying off employees to help combat a projected $370,000 deficit for fiscal 2004. Through partnerships with other area arts groups, CAPA provides a wide variety of entertainment and manages four Columbus theaters, including the Palace Theater and the Ohio Theatre. If things don’t turn around, how long is it going to be before places like CAPA have to start cutting events in addition to people?
Even the artistic Short North is getting hit. Though winter months always see a cut in gallery hop attendance, the trendy Short North arts district is beginning to be overrun by non-art-oriented outlets hoping to relocate in to trendy areas. Next to the old home of the sorely-missed Blue Cube Gallery – now a clothing store – sits a brand new construction project that has already begun introducing retailers to the area. First up, a smoothie joint.
Smoothies? Is that what the Short North is becoming? What happened to all of the galleries? Standbys like the Ohio Art League and Roy G Biv galleries still exist, but more good ones seem to be fleeing by the handful. The Acme Art Co. fled to Indianola, and the split of the Riley Hawk Glass Gallery sent Hawk – and a large collection of Chihuly pieces – to East Main Street.
Statistics from both the Columbus Museum of Art and the Franklin Park Conservatory seem to suggest the tide is turning, but I can’t help but wonder if it’s going to be too little. Attendance is nearing the 100,000 mark and although the draw, another exhibit from Chihuly, is nearing the end of its scheduled run, the conservatory is in negotiations to extend the run.
Likewise, the museum is reporting a 25 percent increase in attendance from the same point last year thanks to a glass exhibit from Lino Tagliapietra. But it’s easy to wonder whether these numbers really suggest a renewed interest or if the numbers will drop off once these shows end.
If there is one group that can turn this around, it has to be the Ohio State community. As one of the largest schools in the country, the potential attendance for local art is astounding. Where there are bodies, there will be funding. As a community, we need to start investing our time and money into the Columbus arts, if only so the next group of OSU students have something to do during the football offseason.
Todd LaPlace is a senior in journalism. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].
