Columbus: COLUMBUS ANNOUNCES $3.5 MILLION PLAN TO REIMAGINE PUBLIC ART AND COMME
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~ The City of Columbus has announced a groundbreaking plan to transform its commemorative landscape in order to better celebrate the diversity and multiplicity of the city. The initiative, known as "Reimagining Columbus," includes a record investment of $1.5 million in new public art on the City Hall campus, as well as efforts to promote diversity in the city's public art and public spaces.

In addition, the Mellon Foundation has announced that Columbus will be joining eight other cities funded by its Monuments Project. This project will provide $2 million to convene the Columbus community and collaboratively design a space that re-contextualizes the city's Christopher Columbus statue. The goal is to explain his legacy as it is understood today and uplift the stories of underrepresented residents in the telling of our city's history.

Mayor Andrew J. Ginther expressed his excitement about this new initiative, stating, "Today, we take the next step in rewriting our narrative. We take responsibility to tell the truth about colonialism and racism, and to tell the stories of the people who have been overlooked and erased from the telling of our history." He also invited the entire community to join in an inclusive discussion that will allow for a re-envisioning of how Columbus presents itself to the world.

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Elizabeth Alexander, President of the Mellon Foundation, spoke about their decision to fund nine projects across the country through their Monuments Project. She stated, "Through monuments and memorials, our civic spaces are where many of us first learn about the American Story." She believes that these grants will strengthen new possibilities for commemoration in American cities and help us better understand our history.

The Reimagining Columbus initiative was established following a directive from Mayor Ginther when the Columbus statue was placed into storage. With funding from the Monuments Project grant, residents will be engaged in research into colonial and contemporary history. They will also use best practices in placemaking to assess the future disposition of the Columbus statue, which was given to Columbus by its Sister City of Genoa in 1955.

Led by a team of historians, indigenous architects and designers, and diversity and inclusion advisors, the project will use conventional and restorative practices to support the sharing of personal narratives from Columbus residents. The goal is to create places and symbols that reflect the community's diverse perspectives on difficult history.

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The Reimagining Columbus initiative will also involve public engagement to gather feedback on how public art and city symbols can better communicate the community's values and aspirations for the future. The City of Columbus has committed $1.5 million – its largest sum ever – to create new public art for the City Hall campus that expresses this vision.

Councilmember Emmanuel V. Remy expressed his excitement about this multi-million dollar investment into public art and engaging discourse from the Mellon Foundation. He believes that this investment will help move the city forward while creating thoughtful, interactive spaces for the community to share history, stories, and truth.

In addition to Reimagining Columbus, the city has also launched the "Greater Columbus. Greater Art." initiative, which is funded by both the city and county. This effort aims to develop a public art plan for Columbus that includes a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy. This plan will detail actions that can be taken to depict more diverse subjects in public art, cultivate diverse artistic talent, and commission art in more neighborhoods throughout Columbus.

For more information about Reimagining Columbus, visit www.reimaginingcolumbus.com. This groundbreaking initiative is sure to have a lasting impact on how we view our city's history and celebrate its diversity.

Filed Under: Government, City
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