Free Tour of Art and Architecture at the Historic Ohio Judicial Center

WHEN AND WHERE

October 25, 2012
4:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
65 S. Front Street
Downtown Columbus

Reception to follow
Cop o' Joe Downtown
.

ABOUT THE TOUR

A free tour, Hiding in Plain Site: The Superb Art and Architecture of the Ohio Judicial Center, will be offered on October 25, 2012 from 4:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at 65 S. Front Street in Downtown Columbus. A reception at Cup o' Joe Downtown will follow.

Those interested in the tour should RSVP by contacting Project Coordinator Dow Kimbrell via email: dowpublicart2012@gmail.com

Attendees will be entering as a group through the Ohio Judicial Center entrance located at 65 S. Front Street, promptly at 4:45 p.m.

The Ohio Judicial Center is home to the Supreme Court of Ohio, the Ohio Court of Claims, and the Ohio Judicial Conference. The historic structure, built in 1933, was once referred to as “Ohio’s Pride.” Over time, its luster faded, with thousands passing by daily, not knowing that inside were monumental lobbies, grand hallways, and lush hearing rooms—all richly detailed with historic art. The building underwent a meticulous four-year renovation and was rededicated as the Ohio Judicial Center in 2004, complete with new pieces of commissioned artwork.

Led by local historic preservation expert Nancy Recchie, this special tour will feature restored frescoes, murals, decorative ironwork, bronze elevator doors, and mosaic ceiling tiles by a dozen nationally acclaimed artists from the 1930s era. Modern artwork featured on the tour will include significant pieces by Malcolm Cochran, Andrew Scott, and Ron Anderson, celebrated local artists who were commissioned to create new pieces when the Supreme Court of Ohio renovated the building in 2004. Recchie will also discuss how this important building perfectly illustrates the integration of art and architecture.

Finding Time: Columbus Public Art 2012 is taking place in public spaces, plazas, parks, streets, and alleys throughout the downtown during the bicentennial year. The program is transforming downtown into an open-air gallery with 12 temporary public art projects by more than 50 international, national, and local artists. Reflecting the broad range of contemporary public art in multiple forms and media, projects range from the familiar—sculpture and murals—to unexpected installations, sound works, and performances in non-traditional sites, including COTA busses and church bells. These site-specific artworks explore the physical and philosophical measurement of time, generating questions on the notion of time, passing of time, use of time, measurement of time, the chronology of life, world time, and the notion of temporary and permanent.

In the context of this current program, it is eye-opening and inspiring to see this superb example of the integration of art and architecture completed 90 years ago.