Columbus Arts Festival News
Columbus Arts Festival and GCAC Thank Community for Support
June 14, 2011
On behalf of the Columbus Arts Festival, GCAC would like to express our sincerest thanks to those working behind the scenes during the event, June 3-5. Despite the storm, the 50th Anniversary celebration was a great success and we simply could not have done it without the expertise, dedication and tremendous hard work of our volunteer Coordinating Committee and staff. We’d also like to thank the staff at CCAD and Columbus State, onsite volunteers, our wonderful sponsors and onsite vendors. And thank you to the Discovery District for being our gracious host since 2008.
As many of you know, a severe microburst storm hit the Festival with almost no warning on Saturday evening. More than 30 artists’ tents were destroyed and a few artists lost their entire inventory of art work. Though the storm was extremely dangerous, volunteers, staff, the Columbus Police Officers onsite and even festival-goers stepped in to do what they could to help out.
Many have seen the haunting image on Facebook by our photographer, Greg Bartram, snapped just as artist Kelly Zalenski’s tent was upended and taken by the 60 mph + winds. We want to thank Sgt. Tyrone Hollis in particular for his quick and selfless act of grabbing Kelly and dragging her to safety.
There are so many heartening stories from artists about perfect strangers stepping in to help; many of those stories are being shared on our Facebook page.
As the artists begin the prodigious task of assessing the damage and restoring and recreating work that was lost, we are moved by the extraordinary outpouring of support from the local community, Festival participants as well as artists from around the country who heard about the devastating damage and have helped spread the word about the Columbus Arts Festival Artist Relief Fund. As of June 14, we’ve raised more than $7,000 for the cause.
All in all, this year’s Columbus Arts Festival was a tremendous success. Only a handful of artists were unable to show the final day of the show due to damages. We made space for artists who lost their tents but still wanted to exhibit on Sunday. And Columbus Art Festival fans came out in droves to show their support for the show and the participants. We thank every artist who participated in our show this year and we laud them for their resilience and determination.
Again, thank you all for your support of the 50th Anniversary Columbus Arts Festival.
The 2011 Columbus Arts Festival is presented by Time Warner Cable. Additional sponsors to date are American Electric Power, State Auto, Belvedere Vodka, Bella Giardino Landscaping, Catering by Scott, Coca-Cola, Dine Originals, Fahlgren, Glazer’s, GRID Furnishings, Heineken, Live! Technologies, Orange Barrel, Oscar Mayer, Sherwin Williams, Target, The Westin and ZonePerfect Nutrition Bars. Media sponsors include Alive, Ohio Magazine, WBNS 10TV, WOSU, CD101@102.5FM, WCBE 90.5FM, WMNI/Classic Hits 103.9 FM.
About the Greater Columbus Arts Council: Through vision and leadership, advocacy and collaboration, the Greater Columbus Arts Council supports art and advances the culture of the region. A catalyst for excellence and innovation, we fund exemplary artists and arts organizations and provide programs, events and services of public value that educate and engage all audiences in our community. GCAC thanks the City of Columbus, Franklin County and the Ohio Arts Council for their continued support.
# # #
