Urban Arts Space, a Unit Within the Arts Initiative Within the College of Arts and Sciences, Proposal for Renewal of Lease With

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Urban Arts Space, a unit within The Arts Initiative within the College of Arts and Sciences, Proposal for Renewal of Lease with Columbus Downtown Development Corporation (CDDC) in the historic Lazarus Building February 15, 2015

Beginning with the opening of its doors to over 2,000 people on February 8, 2008, with Mayor Coleman and President Gee welcoming the town and gown attendees, the Urban Arts Space has stood as a tangible representation for Ohio State’s commitment to the State of Ohio and to the arts as an integral part of the downtown community. Recognized by the Greater Columbus Arts Council in 2009 for Achievement in the Arts for risk and innovation, and voted best gallery in Columbus for four consecutive years 2010-2014, Urban Arts Space has been a crucial part of revitalizing downtown; partnering with the City of Columbus, Parks and Rec, and Columbus Downtown Development Corporation; and at the forefront of exhibiting the work of faculty and students within the visual and performing arts in a professional gallery setting of 10, 000 square feet in a vibrant off-campus arts community.

From the beginning, the mission of Urban Arts Space has been three-fold: to be a part of the downtown community, to serve as a “storefront” exhibition and performance space for our international faculty work and student achievements, and to serve as a place where students gain hands-on, experiential learning in a professional, yet “safe,” working environment. Strategically located on the No.2 bus route (20 minute ride and accessible for free by students with their Buck ID), located within one block of four parking garages, and next to the Scioto Mile bike path that connects downtown to campus and through Clintonville, Urban Arts Space is situated in one of the most beloved buildings in the city, the historic Lazarus Building, across from the Verne Riffe Center and the Ohio Statehouse.

Since 2009, Urban Arts Space has exhibited work and served as an alternative performance space to 2,509 Ohio State student artists and performers. The Space serves as a laboratory for the tagged curricular degree programs in BFA Art, BSD (IS, VC, and ID), BFA Dance, BAE, and for graduate programs of MFA Art, MFA Dance, MFA Theatre. Over the past four years, the reputation and quality of staffing has exceeded original planning, and consequently, the Space has welcomed international notables and their work such as Lino Tagliapietra, James Castle, Jean Kirsten, and Xie Molin. The Space has attracted sponsored international exhibitions such as BIGG: Breakthrough Ideas in Global Glass (master mind of Richard Harned, Tom Hawk, and Sergio Soave), For Castle (curated by Brenda Brueggerman), PULL LEFT (curated by Sergio Soave), Open This End: Contemporary Art from the Collection of Blake Byrne (curated by Joe Wolin). As well, the Space has received loans and gifts from the Columbus Museum of Art, the George and Helen Segal Foundation, Steuben Glass Corporation, LA MoCA, Nasher Museum, and private and personal collectors’ loans in support of the Space’s international exhibitions. Thus, because of its location, Urban Arts Space fulfills a main focus of The Arts Initiative’s mission of connecting Ohio State with the world, and the world with Ohio State.

Throughout the “ramping up” of exhibitions to include “museum quality shows” along-side top- rated student and faculty shows, Urban Arts Space has experienced “growing pains.” The Space serves as the physical space for free public programming and educational tours, classes, and experiences, which harken back to Ohio State’s land-grant mission of providing opportunity, education, and access for all citizens of the state of Ohio. In 2014, 9,562 patrons participated in Urban Arts Space and Hopkins Hall Gallery free public events and programs. In 2015, with Urban Arts Space as its base, that grew to 28,226 patrons who participated in free public events and programs. Reaching that many citizens from the state of Ohio, as a representative of the College of Arts and Sciences at Ohio State, makes a significant impact on the community’s, and state’s, perception and experience.

Welcoming high-quality faculty, student, national and international shows, comes with limitations, for which our Deputy Director of Facilities (DDF) has expertly negotiated in the limited space that we control. The DDF has created a “make-shift” educational space for our weekly tours, programming, and commitment to ADD of Ohio, has worked with the Lazarus Building to secure times we can access and utilize the loading dock, and has negotiated additional storage facility for us that is provided to us at no charge. In addition, with our last two international exhibitions, we have learned we do not have an appropriate loading dock that meets museum-standard and AXA insurance –required specifications. However, the DDF has negotiated all of this with insurance, Ohio State Risk Management, the building and the city, so that we can accommodate these inconveniences and violations, within the parameters that we are given.

Approximately 25 students conduct the daily work of Urban Arts Space, taught by six staff and faculty members. Students learn while working as student assistants at the Space or through exhibition and programming opportunities. Student assistants have gone on to work and to lead in entities such as Thurber House, Columbus College of Art and Design, Origo branding company, Columbus City Schools, Ohio Arts Council, Greater Columbus Arts Council, Stanford University Art Gallery, Southern Oregon University galleries for Art and Art History, Jeff Koons Studios, Whitney Museum of Art, Wexner Center for the Arts, and many other non-profit and arts organizations.

In 2016, Urban Arts Space reached a new level of recognition when it was asked to join the Columbus Cultural Leadership Consortium (CCLC) which meets monthly with leaders from Columbus Partnership, CAPA, Ohio Arts Council, Columbus Foundation, and many others who are focused on building the economic culture and advancing the culture of the region. And when it received operating support from the Ohio Arts Council which is in tandem with its state peers of Cleveland Museum of Art, Wexner Center for the Arts, and the Columbus Museum of Art.

With the inclusion of The Arts Initiative in 2012, with support from the Office of the President at Ohio State, Urban Arts Space became part of a new branding initiative, where the Space serves as the flagship of The Arts Initiative. With the additional funding came oversight and leadership of the OSU/RSC Partnership, Town and Gown Advisory Committee on the Arts, and the on- campus Hopkins Hall Gallery. The crucial need for an on-campus gallery is ill-served by Hopkins Hall Gallery which is building its campus audience to 4,499 in 2015, a 73.5% increase from 2,593 in 2014, which was a 42.5% increase from 1,820 in 2013. Hopkins Hall Gallery is a necessity to fulfill smaller-focused and less-formed artistic thoughts, and serves as an experimental gallery for courses, included, but not limited to, history of art, classics, art, women’s studies, and dance. However, it does not replace nor fulfill any part of the mission of Urban Arts Space or the crucial space needed for student and faculty experimental exhibitions and courses that we need in an expanded and fully realized on-campus gallery. A new on-campus gallery placed strategically at the heart of the Arts District and in tandem to the Curatorial Practices, Classics, Dance, Art, and Design programs will serve as a prototype for the high – quality exhibitions which will come to the now internationally recognized Urban Arts Space.