Urban Arts Space invites the Columbus community to September’s Artist Commune to discuss the role of public art across the city. Public art can come in a variety of forms, from monuments and murals to advertisements and graffiti, but each form is connected by its accessibility to the public for viewing and interpretation. The event will include a talk that demystifies the terminology around public art.
Community members are welcome to write down or share their thoughts to contribute to the larger conversation. Refreshments, coloring pages, and craft supplies will be provided to help keep the creative gears turning.
This discussion and organization of ideas is a form of public art, one in which attendees are encouraged to engage through collectively contributing to the creation, interpretation, and ongoing evolution of how public art is imagined, made, viewed, and understood.
You can also add your voice by submitting a response to the audio survey for Take pART:
Take the Public Art Audio Survey!
Co-Facilitators:
Arris’ J. Cohen is the inaugural Community Artist-in-Residence at Urban Arts Space. As a Columbus-based artist, he has made a name for himself selling personal pieces and commissions, as well as producing live paintings. He served as the 2021 Artist-in-Residence for the Calo Art Studio in Chicago, Illinois and has participated in public mural projects across the city, including Franklinton High School.
Dr. Gloria Wilson is the Associate Professor of Arts Administration Education and Policy at The Ohio State University and a founder of Racial Justice Studio. As an artist and public scholar, she has presented her research nationally and internationally, highlighting the intersections of structural racism, racial identity construction, and arts engagement through liberators' aesthetic praxes.
Marshall Shorts is a creative director and designer in Columbus, Ohio, and the founder of Artfluential, a design consultancy that brings culturally informed creative direction, strategy, and design to small businesses, agencies, and creatives. He is also the co-founder of Creative Control Fest, an annual conference and platform that centers creatives of color and advocates for diversity within the creative class.
Artist Commune is a monthly event at Urban Arts Space that allows artists and the community to come together to create art, discuss art, and network. It's held on the last Friday of each month. Free and open to all!
