9 ways Columbus keeps it chic
Columbus is a cultural hub of the Midwest. We’ve got world-class museums, galleries and arts centers. Not to mention a renowned symphony, opera and ballet company. Read on to learn about some of our favorites in town.
Located in the heart of the CCAD campus, Beeler Gallery is one of the city’s art and event gems. Committed to consistently rotating the latest and most exciting exhibitions, the gallery also brings the most innovative and creative speakers, from designers to writers to musicians. Students are the first to learn about upcoming Beeler events, all of which are free.
Housed in one of Ohio’s oldest buildings, the center features contemporary art and emphasizes emerging artists. Managed by the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, it illustrates the city’s commitment to spreading art within the community, offering classes and community workshops all year long.
CCAD’s neighbor, the Columbus Museum of Art, exhibits traveling shows (Picasso!) and houses an extensive collection that includes pieces by George Bellows, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and CCAD alum Aminah Robinson. The addition of a new modern wing, coupled with an outdoor sculpture garden and a top-of-the-line restaurant, add even more reasons to go. (Which is good because CCAD students can visit the museum for free.)
Based in Franklinton, the Columbus Idea Foundry is a community workshop, learning center and creative space that provides training and access to tools and technology from the conventional to the high-tech. It’s a place to meet CCAD students and alumni and network with fellow entrepreneurs, fabricators, inventors, prototypers, designers, craftsmen, artisans and artists.
In a historic building in the vibrant Short North Arts District, the Pizzuti Collection showcases work by world-class contemporary artists and designers. Recent exhibitions have included outlandish furnishings like a couch made out of leather alligator dolls by Brazilian designers Fernando and Humberto Campana and a large-scale installation focusing on Chilean artist Patricia Dominguez’ investigation of Spanish horses once owned by Colombian drug lords.
Located in the Short North, this beloved nonprofit gallery shows the work of emerging artists. CCAD students often find their work accepted to this remarkable space. With top-notch curation, the shows are some of the city’s (if not the nation’s) best.
Located on the nearby campus of Ohio State University, the Wexner Center for the Arts is one of the city’s finest exhibition and performance spaces. It’s a true treasure, attracting exhibitions by acclaimed artists.
8. BILLY IRELAND CARTOON LIBRARY & MUSEUM
Columbus is home to the world’s largest and most comprehensive academic research facility documenting and displaying original and printed comic strips, editorial cartoons and cartoon art.
Thurber House is a literary center for readers and writers housed in the historic former home of author, humorist and New Yorker cartoonist James Thurber. Thurber House has attracted well-known writers like John Updike, T.C. Boyle, Tracy Chevalier and Scott Turow.
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Read more in our series CCAD & Columbus.