I hope you have time to go out and play this weekend because April is bringing us a bounty of things to do.

The downtown area tends to have a high concentration of events, and that’s true this weekend. Not only could you hit several events with one visit to the area, you could hit several events in just one location:

• Friday, April 5, the Columbus Museum of Art opens two new exhibitions Marie Laurencin: Sapphic Paris and Robin F. Williams: We’ve been Expecting You. Admission for non-members is $18 with special pricing for seniors, children and students. Admission free on Sundays and for members. If you hit the museum more than a few times a year, it’s worth it to get a membership.
• Saturday, April 6, two exhibitions open at Blockfort. The World of Wobbley, featuring the artwork of Tim Blackwell, a proud autistic artist. The show opens with a free reception from 6-8 p.m. and runs through April 27. Art of Illustration, presented by Columbus College of Art & Design is in Blockfort’s Gallery B. It also has a reception from 6-8 p.m. Personal note: when I worked at CCAD, this was one of my favorite annual shows.
• The Columbus Symphony presents Beethoven, Mozart & Haydn at the Ohio Theatre, Friday & Saturday, with a special dress rehearsal performance Friday at 10 a.m. for only $14 (includes coffee and donuts). Tickets for evening performances range from $10 to $88.50 with special pricing available for seniors.
• The Pricilla R. Tyson Columbus Cultural Arts Center hosts Fuse Factory on Friday. They present experimental music at their Frequency Fridays events. Tickets are $10.

Downtown adjacent find:

• Thursday, April 5, The Lincoln Theater brings Deeply Rooted Dance Theater to town. Tickets are $52-$202.
• Friday-Sunday, Xclaim Dance Company presents Parables at Columbus Dance Theatre. Tickets are $25 with special pricing for seniors and students.

Head to Natalie’s in Grandview for a whole slew of shows, but here are three that stood out to me:

• Thursday, The LowDown Brass Band. Tickets are $32.
• Friday, Colin Gawel CG2 with Dave Masica. Tickets are $12.
• Saturday, Norman Nardini and the Switchblades with Willie Phoenix and the Soul Underground. Tickets are $30.
• Check out the Gallery Players at the Jewish Community Center as they open The Diary of Anne Frank on Sunday April 7. Tickets are $25.

And in Bexley:

Of course this is just a sample of what’s available. Head to ColumbusMakesArt.com for even more, including shows and exhibitions that we have mentioned in past posts that may be leaving soon.

Image: Image: Marie Laurencin, Women in the Forest (Femmes dans la forêt), 1920. Oil on canvas. Private collection, Alberta, Canada. © Fondation Foujita / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris 2023

Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus Symphony and Lincoln Theatre are funded in part by a Greater Columbus Arts Council Operating Support grant; Fuse Factory is funded in part by a GCAC General Support grant; and Gallery Players at the Columbus Jewish Center and Xclaim Dance Company are funded in part by a Project Support grant.

Lacey Luce is a digital marketing strategist for GCAC who is worried a tornado will come and drop a house on her, allowing some twit from Kansas to steal her shoes.