What a Day! Fall for the Arts Brings Art, Music and Creativity Downtown
For one Saturday, downtown Columbus became a gallery, a stage and a place to experience the arts in a whole new way.
The first Fall for the Arts brought artists, musicians, businesses and community members together throughout the Trackside District for a day filled with live music, visual art, creative experiences and plenty of opportunities to explore downtown.
The idea behind Fall for the Arts was simple: Businesses become the galleries. Downtown becomes the stage.
And on Saturday, September 19, that's exactly what happened.
Visitors could walk from one downtown location to another and discover something different along the way. Musicians performed inside businesses and at outdoor venues. Artists displayed their work and had the opportunity to visit directly with guests. The Columbus Art Gallery welcomed visitors for a special reception. An open mic gave performers another opportunity to take the stage, while activities such as face painting added another creative element to the day.
Perhaps one of the best parts of Fall for the Arts was seeing so many different forms of creativity happening at the same time — and in places where people might not normally expect to encounter them.
A First Year to Build On
As a first-year event, Fall for the Arts was also an opportunity to try something new.
While organizers would have loved to see even more people making their way throughout downtown during the day, those who did participate had plenty of positive things to say about the experience. Visitors stopped to listen to performances, spent time looking at artwork, talked with artists and discovered businesses and spaces along the way.
That's exactly the kind of connection Fall for the Arts was created to encourage.
The day also demonstrated what can happen when artists, musicians, businesses, organizations, sponsors and volunteers come together around one idea. Instead of creating one traditional festival space, Fall for the Arts spread creativity throughout downtown Columbus and invited people to explore.
And now we have something to build on.
Thank You for Taking a Chance on Something New
A first-year event doesn't happen without people willing to say yes.
Thank you to the artists who shared their work, the musicians and performers who filled downtown with sound, the businesses and venues that opened their doors, the sponsors who helped make the event possible, the volunteers who worked behind the scenes and everyone who came downtown to experience the day.
Most importantly, thank you for taking a chance on a brand-new event.
We learned a lot. We saw some wonderful moments. We made new connections. And we came away with plenty of ideas for what Fall for the Arts can become.
For now, we're simply grateful to everyone who helped bring the first Fall for the Arts to life.
Businesses became the galleries. Downtown became the stage.
And Columbus made a little room for the arts.
Originally posted by Fall for the Arts via Locable