Columbus resident Melissa Reardon has spent much of her time as an artist and art instructor encouraging everyday people to let their creativity freely flow onto the canvas during classes at the local Tri-State Artisans. So you can imagine how enthusiastic she is about the Columbus Area Arts Council’s third annual “50/50 Exhibit” running through Feb. 14 at the 411 Gallery at 411 Sixth St. in downtown Columbus.
The display allows anyone — well, the first 50 people who sign up — to take a 4-inch wooden square panel free of charge and create whatever art they wish, have it displayed, and then sold for $50.
“It’s a really nice way to showcase just what 50 different people can do when given the opportunity,” Reardon said.
When the small squares are hung, Reardon likes to peruse the works without looking at the artists’ posted names in a quest to find trademark details and elements of the many artists she knows and pick out their pieces from the collection.
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Her own dark acrylic work might be easy for many to spot because she has continued her yearly 50/50-inspired variation on Paul Rand’s and the city’s classic dancing Cs logo with a piece she titled “C’ing Through Darkness.”
That seems especially fitting since part of the focus of the display is to shine a light on the muse that many have no avenue for expressing.
Kathryn Armstrong, the arts council’s executive director, mentioned when she first assumed her current post in 2016 that she wanted the local public to be more than event attendees and onlookers, but participants in the arts. This is one example of what she, an artist herself, was originally thinking when she expressed such a desire.
“It’s all about making art and the arts more accessible,” Armstrong said. “Everybody should have the opportunity to be creative.”
Columbus artist Steven Newlin agrees, and has been especially excited in the past to see even youngsters participating in 50/50. Part of the reason that means so much to him is that a host of other shows elsewhere that he has participated in feature only older artists. He finds that unfortunate.
“This is all so very welcoming and wonderful,” Newlin said.
Like Reardon has entered work all three years. His current acrylic-and-collage piece, titled “Chirp!” highlights three birds, including one with a human face. The collage portion of the work came from an 1886 edition of “Mother Goose” that originally was his great grandfather’s.
“The idea just hit me out of the blue,” Newlin said.
A bit of that same sense of serendipity triggered Columbus City Council member Grace Kestler’s piece “Building the Best Columbus.” She found Legos at her place left by a youngster, after getting her blank square. She eventually constructed four Cs in the mode of the dancing Cs.
“Art can really be made out of anything,” Kestler said. “And I love the 50/50 project because we see such a variety of material used.”
Plus, Kestler loves the sense of inclusion and gentle encouragement for the common resident in the display.
Besides, part of the arts council’s mission is “making the arts available to everyone regardless of their ability.”
“The arts council does a great job of creating so many events open to the greater community,” Kestler said. “I think this encourages anyone and everyone to engage in our community as an artist, and I use that word with quotes around it. I consider myself a creative person, but my creativity may not be as structured as a regular artist’s work might be.”
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What: "50/50: A Community Art Project," coordinated by the Columbus Area Arts Council.
Where: 411 Gallery at 411 Sixth St. in downtown Columbus.
When: Through Feb. 14. Gallery hours are noon to 4 p.m. Fridays, with six people permitted at a time because of social distancing.
Admission: Free. Art pieces can be purchased for $50 online.
Information: artsincolumbus.org
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