The Buckeye Creative Connection Board of Directors poses for a picture. Credit: Courtesy of BCC
Ohio State students are bringing the arts to the greater Columbus community so locals can get outside and enjoy more than the improving spring weather.
Buckeye Creative Connection — a group of Ohio State students in the art education capstone course — is partnering with the Franklinton Arts District to host a free Spring Arts Fest to allow the community to scratch its itch for the arts and interact with like-minded creative individuals through showcases, workshops, performances and more.
Spring Arts Fest will be held April 18 from noon to 6 p.m. at 400 West Rich, the ROY G BIV Gallery and the Chromedge Studios. Attendees will have the option to take part in hands-on activities, such as creating a community mural and decorating masks. The festival will also host artist talks and poetry readings by many prominent artists in the community, such as award-winning poet and author Barbara Fant, Richard Durate Brown, Rachel Wiley, Sky Dai, Dana Lynn Harper and Amy Turn Sharp.
“Our goal is to create sustainable relationships between current thriving creatives in the community and those who are emerging into the community or hoping to emerge,” Lauren Decamillo, a fourth-year in arts management and director of BCC, said.
The Promenade Gallery at 400 West Rich will feature visual two-dimensional artwork submitted by Ohio State students. There will also be performances throughout the day by local artists, including Mistar Anderson’s Eric Rollin and local band Palette Knife. Aloha Aina Food Truck will be available on-site for guests as well.
Decamillo said the indoor spaces will have limited capacity, sanitation stations and temperature checks upon entering studios. Attendees have the opportunity to reserve their spots for the indoor interactive workshops in advance through Eventbrite.
“The great thing about this festival is that it was designed by students that are living through a pandemic and doing all of our academic work based on how to implement arts during a pandemic,” Decamillo said. “It is super difficult, but because we have had that at the forefronts of our brains, this festival is designed to be as safe as it can be.”
From a young age, Decamillo said she has always been involved in the arts, but it took her a long time to realize that her passion could be seen as a viable career path. After taking some time off of school and becoming more immersed in music and poetry, Decamillo decided to follow her heart.
Through an internship at ROY G BIV Gallery, Decamillo met with Johnny Riddle, executive director for the Franklinton Arts District. After having a conversation with him about the district, the arts and their history with art, Decamillo said she shared the idea of hosting a festival with Riddle and Gretchen McIntosh, her capstone professor.
“Lauren’s passion struck me as something very exciting,” Riddle said. “It is our responsibility to be that mentor to those young arts organizers, so when Lauren was telling me about BCC and the Spring Arts Fest, it seemed like a wonderful opportunity for us to provide that guidance and resource.”
Before taking on the role of executive director, Riddle has had an immersive career in fundraising, volunteering and has worked for the 934 Gallery for four and half years. As the executive director at Franklinton Arts District, Riddle said he views himself as both a connector and an advocate for artists to ensure that they are being treated fairly.
“I fell in love with the community of the artists and the volunteers who joined together to make something to benefit the neighborhood they served,” Riddle said. “It is something that became my all-in passion.”
BCC said it is currently looking for charitable donations, which will be used to provide materials, supplies, help with event setup and artist payments. BCC is also actively looking for volunteers to help with the event.
Riddle said he hopes to see the event elevate the visibility of Franklinton as an arts district and provide the young administrators with mentorship opportunities to continue their passion after graduation and use the networking experience to help their careers along the way.
Individuals can sign up to volunteer on SignUp Genius and donations are accepted on DonorBox. For more information, visit the group’s Instagram page.
