PUBLIC ART
Our community is proud to showcase a diverse range of public art installations, murals, and sculptures that bring beauty and inspiration to our everyday lives. From the thought-provoking and abstract to the playful and whimsical, our public art reflects the unique perspectives and talents of our local artists.
We believe that public art plays an important role in creating a vibrant and engaging community for all to enjoy. That’s why we are committed to supporting and compensating our local artists for their hard work and dedication in creating these stunning works of art.
CALL FOR ARTISTS
If you’re an artist interested in contributing to our public art initiative, we invite you to learn more about our call for artists page to submit your proposal.
The Path of Creation Dane Khy | October 2022
The Path of Creation, a mural created by artist Dane Khy (@dane.khy), gives a nod to the history of the Jerey Mining M.F.C., while foraging a community centerpiece that will encourage people to slow down and admire their surroundings.
The intentional details in the mural symbolize various elements from the history of the mural site. The mural depicts a Jerey miner sending a hummingbird, which are known to be messengers, to the present day to spread good will into the flourishing community. The detailed peonies represent the diversity within the Italian Village Community. Dogs, which
are an integral part of Khy’s murals, are also depicted. He believes that so much can be learned from dogs and their relationship to humans.
Dane is a Columbus based artist. Inspired by his curiosity in human relationships and their connection to the environment in which they live, Dane’s work largely focuses on the bond between people and their pets. He demonstrates this through a compelling line drawing, merging his subjects together to become one.
The Path of Creation is a project of the Fifth Avenue and Fourth Street Special Improvement District and the Short North Alliance.
The Path of Creation was made possible with support from the Fifth Avenue
and Fourth Street Special Improvement District and Thrive Companies.
📷: @dane.ky
Love Is Love: Sun and Moon Lucie Shearer | September 2022
The words “love is love” are scripted in string, an ode to the small mural by Bryan Grey that lived on this wall for a number of years. The women depicted in the mural symbolize day and night. The nostalgic use of the tin can to communicate between young friends, demonstrate that people ca be as different as night and day, yet still form a beautiful connection with one another.
Natural elements are included in fantastical ways, such as a sun and moon motif, which pair back to each woman on either side. The night side flourishes with ancient bonsai trees that bloom with stars. The sun side bursts with dandelions, producing their well-known wisps of white that float in summer air. Rainbows, stars, beams of light, swirls of smoke, flying birds, bats and bees – can also be found throughout the scene, creating a new experience every time you see this public work of art.
Lucie Shearer (@lucieshearer.art), is Columbus-based and is a full-time freelance artist, muralist, and illustrator who has completed over 20 murals since 2013. Her work emphasizes the role of collaboration and its ability to bring a community together while embracing the differences that lend to connection.
Love is Love: Sun & Moon is a project of the Fifth Avenue and Fourth Street Special Improvement District and Short North Alliance.
Love is Love: Sun & Moon was made possible with support from the Fifth Avenue and Fourth Street Special Improvement District and Alex and Seth Clarke.
Village Tapestry Nick Stull | November 2022
Village Tapestry, created by artist Nick Stull (@nick_stull_art), illuminates the harmonious diversity of the Italian Village community through specific historical content and various styles.
While Italian Village was named for the Italianate style of architecture that dominates the buildings found throughout the community, it has been an immigrant hub to many additional communities, including Greek, Irish, Lebanese, German, Polish, and African American. The design includes birds and wildflowers of Italy and Ohio, and ornate patterning representative of the Italianate and Queen Anne architectural styles that characterize the foundational style of the neighborhood’s structures.
Stylistically, the mural mixes a variety of artistic approaches, including flat geometry, delicate line-work, and realistic portraiture. This collage of visual styles and subject matter that surrounds the contemplative female figure is representative of the ethnically mixed “International Village” that Italian Village has cultivated since its inception, and continues to embody today.
Nick Stull is a Columbus-based artist whose experimental portraiture has been exhibited locally, regionally, and nationally. In addition to his studio practice, Nick owns an art & design company called Day Blink Creative, which specializes in large-scale murals, custom portraiture, and branding & design projects.
Village Tapestry is a project of the Fifth Avenue and Fourth Street Special Improvement District and the Short North Alliance.
Village Tapestry was made possible with support from the Fifth Avenue and Fourth Street Special Improvement District and the Lykens Companies.
Vinyl Head Katie Golonka | November 2022
Vinyl Head, created by artist Katie Golonka ( @cherryalleypaint ), illustrates a reference to Columbus’ underground music scene.
The mural depicts a sketch style androgynous neck and shoulders with
a melting vinyl record covering the face. Behind the head is an energetic
lighting bolt pattern, directing the eye and paying homage to the image
depicted in the building’s original architecture. In the foreground are two
bright green styluses rendered with jagged lines referencing a heartbeat
monitor. The background reveals the original wall’s brick texture to add
another layer and show the harmony between the mural and the wall.
The mural is based on the idea of the cycle of old and new, and how what is antiquated often becomes relevant again.
Katie Golonka is a Columbus-based artist who is self-taught and enjoys
working with various styles and media. Her background includes
working as a scenic artist for the Contemporary American Theatre
Company, commissioned interior and exterior murals, and fine art shows.
Vinyl Head is a project of the Fifth Avenue and Fourth Street Special Improvement District and Short North Alliance.
Vinyl Head was made possible with support from the Fifth Avenue and
Fourth Street Special Improvement District and the Lykens Companies.
Altitude Dillon Beck | September 2023
The mural, titled “Altitude” created by artist Dillon Beck (dillonbeck.com), is a creative interpretation of stairs reaching and descending from high elevations with the Italian Village sunset casting a glow on the giant steps.These large sets of stairs pierce that sky and allows the viewer to interpret if one is ascending or descending.
Dillon Beck is a Columbus based artist, muralist, and designer. His work has always found its footing in between analog and digital; between the real and the impossible. With a keen eye for detail and a vibrant imagination, Dillon creates mixed-media works that transport viewers to ethereal worlds – a place you’ve never been that somehow feels oddly familiar.
“Altitude” is a project of the Fifth Avenue and Fourth Street Special Improvement District and the Short North Alliance.
“Altitude” was made possible with support from the Fifth Avenue and Fourth Street Special Improvement District, the Mary Marjorie Wittwer; Edith Doud Unrestricted; and Lewis B. and Myra B. Simpson funds of The Columbus Foundation, The Ohio Arts Council, Seventh Son Brewing, and Thrive Companies.
(In-Process Photos)
Zoetrope of Life Virginia Kistler | November 2023
The electrical poles on 4th Street are by local artist, Virginia Kistler. These installations, called Zoetrope of Life, are inspired by the visual language of Italian Village and the rich history of the neighborhood. The work is suggestive of motion and the passage of time. The vibrant colors of the work speak to the diversity of the neighborhood and the energy of Italian Village. Using architectural details as inspiration, the sculpture acknowledges the area’s vivid history, while reminding pedestrians and motorists of the neighborhood’s character and potential.
Virginia Kistler earned her Bachelor of Science from The Ohio State University and Master of Fine Arts from the Columbus College of Art and Design. She is an interdisciplinary artist working primarily in sculpture while using a variety of media—laser cut plastic, cnc router-cut plastic, stainless steel, wood, and 3D printed plastic.
Before becoming a public artist, she spent twenty years designing interactives for children’s museums and science centers. Virginia has shown work nationally and has been commissioned by the Lincoln Motor Company, the Dayton Metro Library, Cleveland State University, The Ohio State University, and the city of Ocala, Florida to create permanent works of sculpture.
Sun Rise and Set Andrea Myers | October 2023
The installations on 5th Avenue are by local artist, Andrea Myers. Titled, Sun Rise and Set. Andrea created a series of works that enliven the streetscapes with transitions of color and pattern moving through the landscape both horizontally and vertically. The variation of each pole will allow for viewers to keep discovering nuances and subtleties in each location. I look to abstraction and use of saturated color as a way to create accessibility for the audience. By incorporating bright color and patterning, each viewer can imagine their own narrative and participate in the meaning of the work.
Andrea Myers explores the space between two and three dimensionality, hybridizing painting, sculpture and fiber arts. She received her BFA in Printmedia in 2002 and her MFA in Fiber and Material Studies in 2006 both from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally including the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Hyde Park Art Center, Evanston Art Center, Toledo Museum of Art, Art Prize, Art Miami, Steven Zevitas Gallery, Fiber Arts International, the Columbus Museum of Art, and coGalleries (Berlin, Germany). Recent exhibitions include her first solo museum exhibition, Neon Speed, at the Textil und Rennsport Museum, Hohenstein-Ernstthal, Germany and Pieced+Painted, a two-person exhibition with Galen Cheney at the Haggerty Gallery, University of Dallas.
Zoetrope of Life and Sun Rise and Set are projects of the Fifth Avenue and Fourth Street Special Improvement District and the Short North Alliance.
Zoetrope of Life and Sun Rise and Set were made possible with support from the Fifth Avenue and Fourth Street Special Improvement District, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, and the Ohio Arts Council.
(In-Process Photos)
