Art Inspired by the Front Lines Ribbon-Cutting Event - Interview with Artist Alan Cottrill
Art enthusiasts and military supporters joined the Ohio Department of Veterans Services and distinguished guests as we welcomed the exhibit “Art Inspired by the Front Lines” to the Vern Riffe Building on October 18. The exhibit showcases the artwork of Ohio veterans and reflects their experiences serving in the United States military. A total of about 40 works are on display, including sculptures, drawings, paintings and photographs.
Free to all, the exhibit runs from October 18 through November 13 and appears in the Art Gallery’s extension in the lobby area of the first floor of the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts. The Riffe Center is located at 77 South High Street in downtown Columbus.
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WASTE WATCH: Big Bucks for Bronze Deer
COLUMBUS (Brooks Jarosz) -- You're paying big bucks for big, bronze deer. It's the newest high-priced art project planned for downtown Columbus.At Genoa Park, you'll soon get to gaze at $281,000 worth of lounging, life-size bronze deer near the Scioto River. The artist says the word Scioto means hairy deer.For the Columbus Art Commission, it's a vision that rises high above the city skyscrapers -- a plan for public art popping up to put Columbus on the revitalization map.ABC 6 Investigators started tracking it all including hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars spent on artwork. We dug into a special project headed up by the Columbus Art Commission. A panel sought out more than 100 artists worldwide to submit their designs for downtown.Meeting minutes and project records ABC 6 Investigators obtained show Flowing Kiss was the original design winner for North Bank Park. It cost you $250,000 and a consultant was hired for another $20,000 to oversee the project.However, the city tells us the Scioto Lounge proposal was so well received, it decided to push forward with that project too, taking another $280,000 from city taxpayers.We spoke with the artist who says he will cast and create his deer in Walla Walla, Washington, hundreds of miles away from Columbus.Ohio artist Alan Cottrill feels slighted because around every corner bronze sculptures surround you at his studio in Zanesville. However, Cottrill wasn't even invited to submit an art plan for downtown Columbus.Not even to get a phone call and not even to be considered for the casting -- yeah I feel neglected, artist Alan Cottrill said. They didn't need to spend this much money on this -- they could have gotten five times the amount of art for half the price.Cottrill already has two major works at the Ohio State University including Woody Hayes and Jesse Owens.Project organizers didn't want to speak on camera to ABC 6 Investigators but say they're working on building a public art collection to draw visitors. But since an Ohio artist was not picked to put artwork in Genoa Park, Cottrill is up in arms.Government waste is what it is -- shame on them, Cottrill said. They could have easily got a couple of art professors from Ohio State to oversee it.While the city did consider local, national and international artists, some, like Cottrill, are taking aim on the process, the decision making and how and where your money is being invested.The Columbus Art Commission says the consultant hired for Flowing Kiss helped create a template for public art for the city.The Scioto Lounge should be finished by next year and more bronze deer could be added in the future. City leaders say they want our art to be competitive with other big cities and their art programs.