Times are tough, I know, but I really take heart in all the activity from Columbus arts organizations this week. Even just a quick glance at the calendars on ColumbusMakesArt.com and I’m seeing everything from new exhibitions to live outdoor concerts, virtual performances and festivals, and more:

• Thursday and Friday, Sept. 10 and 11, ProMusica returns with its next SummerFest outdoor performances. The ticketed concert takes place at Dublin Coffman Park and Headley Park in Gahanna, and will feature the work of Mozart and modern composer Max Richter.
• This weekend the Columbus Symphony kicks off a long series of free outdoor Community Concerts, at various locations across the city. This weekend, they’ll appear at Delaware Christian Church and National Veterans Memorial Museum (Sept. 11); Ohio History Connection, Bevelhymer Park and Gravity (Sept. 12); Polaris Fashion Place, McConnell Arts Center and Columbus Museum of Art (Sept. 13).
• 934 Gallery’s annual 934 Fest goes completely virtual this weekend! Livestream the festival on Saturday, Sept. 12 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. to see a live mural painting, music, comedy, spoken word.
• The Hot Times Community Music & Art Festival is also returning virtually this weekend, Sept. 11-13. Tune in to their website for visual art, music and other performances.
• And SÕL-CON: The Black, Brown & Indigenous Comics Expo goes virtual, too! It includes a student symposium, an expo, workshops and other programming, Sept. 10-12.
• The McConnell Arts Center opened a new exhibition last week, featuring the work of Yasue Sakaoka. There’s a live opening reception at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12. It coincides with a concert that afternoon from the MAC’s chamber orchestra (which is currently sold out!).
• The Billy Ireland Cartoon Research Library has opened its doors once again with limited hours. It’s currently running two exhibitions: Ladies First: A Century of Women’s Innovations in Comics and Cartoon Art and Making Faces: Portraits By John Kascht.
• This Thursday, Sept. 10, a new drive-in concert series kicks off at Westland mall. You buy tickets by the carload, then park like a classic drive-in and enjoy live music. This week it’s MojoFlo and The Floorwalkers, and in coming weeks they’re featuring Honey & Blue, Subtronics, Hippie Sabotage and more.
• And on Friday, Sept. 11, the Lincoln Theatre kicks off a three-week virtual concert series featuring graduates of its Expand Your Horizon Incubation Program. For three consecutive Fridays at 7 p.m., poets and musicians will be performing their work, starting with the wonderful Barbara Fant this week!
• The Thurber House hosts a virtual discussion with Ohio’s Poet Laureate, Kari Gunter-Seymour tonight at 7 p.m.
• The Streelight Guild’s Rhapsody & Refrain continues every night this week, with virtual performances by Steve Abbott, Stevi Knighton, Valerie Boyer, Jack Johnstone and others.
• And so much more: great streaming film through the Wexner Center, live music at Natalie’s, you name it. Find it all at ColumbusMakesArt.com.

Good luck to all the teachers and students going back to school this week. For additional fun creative activities for kids of all ages, check out COSI Connects and WOSU Classroom. And for parents who need to express some creativity of their own, check out our Classes and Workshops page on ColumbusMakesArt.com.

Nick is marketing, communications, & events administrator for the Arts Council. He also leads culinary tours and blogs about breakfast at breakfastwithnick.com. He camped out in his backyard this weekend and his back still hasn’t fully recovered.