Wow. So December just kind of snuck up on me. With the holiday season already in full swing—happy Hanukkah—my mind turns to gift giving and the arts.
- The ever-popular Winterfair is a great place to find unique, artist-made gifts. It kicks off Friday, Dec. 3 and runs through Dec. 5, at the Ohio Expo Center.
- Saturday Dec. 4 is CCAD’s Art Fair and Marketplace—over the years I have found many a cool gift at the CCAD Art Fair.
- Sunday, Dec. 5, Craftin’ Outlaws Holiday Pop-Up Market is at the Columbus Museum of Art.
Also, Saturday, Dec. 4 is Gallery Hop and the Short North galleries have the season in mind. Check out:
- The Art of Gifting at Studios on High
- Holiday Miniature Show at Sharon Weiss Gallery
- And, as Nick noted last week, Small & Wonderful 2021 at Hammond Harkins Galleries.
Whether you want to give an arts experience as a gift, or just want to treat yourself—this weekend brings several holiday themed favorites:
- Dec. 1 – Dec. 5, Jazz Arts Group serves their annual favorite Home for the Holidays. This year’s concert features Nashville-based singer/songwriter Venessa Campagna and a live stream option is available.
- Thursday, Dec. 2 OhioDance will perform during the holiday festival and tree lighting at the statehouse.
- Capital University presents the 2021 Christmas Festival, Dec. 2-5.
- Westerville Symphony presents Sounds of the Season, Friday, Dec. 3.
- Vaud-Villities Production Company presents Santa’s Workshop, Dec. 3-5 at the Northland Performing Arts Center.
- Dec. 3-5, the Columbus Symphony presents their spectacular annual concert, Holiday Pops, at the Ohio Theatre.
- WinterFest is back at Bicentennial Park Dec. 4 with Absofacto headlining.
- And, CAPA is bringing The Hip Hop Nutcracker back to the Palace Theatre for one night only, Dec. 4.
These are my ideas for kicking off the holiday season with good cheer, but you can find even more at ColumbusMakesArt.com—including arts events that don’t have a holiday theme, in case you’re not quite there yet.
The following events/organizations received project support in 2021: Vaud-Villities Production Company and Westerville Symphony.
Image: from the Columbus Symphony’s Holiday Pops at the Ohio Theatre.
Lacey Luce is a digital marketing strategist for the Greater Columbus Arts Council who is 100 percent here for the latkes.