And just like that, our kids are a week into school! And just like that, we’re already looking forward to another weekend of adventures. As usual, I’m searching the calendars on ColumbusMakesArt.com and discovering plenty of things to do.
One of my personal favorite free festivals of the year, Urban Scrawl, is this Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 24-25. We’ve taken our boys almost every year and loved it, seeing local artists create murals throughout the weekend, plus live music, local food trucks – and there’s a great kids’ section where they can take turns painting, too.
The McConnell Arts Center opens two new exhibitions on Thursday, Aug. 22: one is a student show in the corridor galleries, while the other features work from Yani Sheng exploring traditional Japanese sculptures. Both are free!
The Columbus Black International Film Festival runs this weekend, Aug. 22-25, starting at the Wexner Center and moving to the Hyatt Regency downtown. It’s our chance to see an amazing selection of films from black filmmakers, as well as attending helpful workshops for budding film artists.
If we’re feeling in the mood for both dinner and jazz, two Columbus greats – Byron Stripling and Bobby Floyd – are teaming to perform on Aug. 23 and 24 at The Refectory. This should be an amazing show!
The Wexner Center for the Arts is throwing a party called Demo: Bringing Down the House on Aug. 23, complete with bands, DJs, music, dancing and more – all celebrated in their gallery spaces, which are empty as they transition to their fall exhibitions.
The Ohio Song Project makes two stops at the Streetlight Guild this weekend, offering Songs for the People: American Voices on Aug. 24 and Love For Love: Lyric Europe on Aug. 25.
CATCO opens a new musical this Thursday, Aug. 22: My Way: A Tribute to Frank Sinatra.
The Cultural Arts Center is currently running Pasos de Arte, a free-to-visit exhibition featuring the work of Ohio Latino artists. It runs through mid-September, which will be here before we know it.
Whatever you choose to do this weekend, tag your arts adventures with #artmakescbus!
Nick is Marketing, Communications, & Events Administrator for the Arts Council. He also leads culinary tours and blogs about breakfast at breakfastwithnick.com. By this time next week he’ll be visiting Yellowstone National Park with his family!