January-11---Where-I-Live---Public-Art-in-Columbus

JOURNALING: One of the things I love about my hometown, Columbus Ohio, is their dedication to public art which includes all forms of art, regardless of its permanence and created in any medium. I’ve chosen to concentrate on statues, but we have a tremendous selection of art in other mediums. In fact, the “Greater Columbus Arts Council” and “Can’t Stop Cbus” have teamed to create an app to help visitors find both outdoor and indoor public art. Nearly 1,000 pieces of public art in Central Ohio are documented with descriptions and photos. Below is just a small sample of some of my favorite sculptures.

ART - a steel sculpture outside the Columbus College of Art and Design

Umbrella Girl – the centerpiece of a fountain in Schiller Park’s Grace Highfield Memorial Garden installed in 1996. The artist, Joan Wobst, used her daughter as a model for the art piece.

Scioto Deer – one of three bronze deer, this one on the Rich Street Bridge, by artist Terry Allen. His inspiration came when he learned “Scioto” means “hairy deer” in a Native American language.

Free – one of three statues by noted sculpture Alfred Tibor, located at the Miller Park Library and adjacent roundabout. Tibor wrote of his statues, “I want to create sculptures that both express and evoke human emotion”.

Dancing Hares – located in Ballantrae Park the three hares, as tall as 24 feet, are crafted from metal scraps including hammers, screws, and other everyday objects by London artist Sophie Ryder.

Hope – another statue by Alfred Tibor located at The James Cancer Hospital on the grounds of The Ohio State University. The stylized female is releasing three birds that represent man, woman and child. The birds are free and healthy, reflecting optimism about a tomorrow without pain, sadness or fear.


5 objects – umbrella, deer, scarf, bunny, bird; additionally the outline of Ohio and the geo tag

TOTAL 296 words (103 words at top of page and 193 words describing statues).

CREDITS – WORD ART TITLE – created by me; PHOTOS – by me; KITS – “Ohio Cut Outs”, Scrapping with Liz; “Brand New Day”, Lynn Grieveson; “On the Road”, “In the Forest”, and “Autumn is Here”, Kristin Aagard; “Sinclair Nature” and “Donovan and Her Scraves”, Rebecca McMeen; “Down the Chimney”, Pink Reptile Designs; FONTS – Lithos Pro, Graphite Std Light