And after everything, they decided not to build the parking garage at all.
Vita longa, ars brevis
Category: Murals
Aminah Robinson Artist Residency
My friend Jane Acri in Columbus, Ohio, alerted me earlier this year to the wonderful fact that Aminah Robinson’s former home in Columbus would be preserved for use as an artist residency space for African American artists, thanks to the good work of the Columbus Foundation, the Columbus Museum of Art, and the Greater Columbus Arts Council. Now, the renovation is finished and the house is ready for its first resident, artist Johnathan Payne.
Continue reading “Aminah Robinson Artist Residency”L’abbazia di Monte Oliveto Maggiore
When the first major lockdown in Italy began to move into a gradual phased reopening, we made a hesitant excursion out of Cortona, to the nearby Abbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore in the Crete Senesi.
“A Street Called Home” Mural Is Demolished
Back in August I posted an article about how “my mural” was to be demolished. On September 16, 2019, the tear-down actually began, and a few days later some local residents and the media figured out what was going on, and finally then there was an outcry. Not enough of one to save the mural, however.
“A Street Called Home” Mural to be Demolished
I left my teaching job at the Columbus College of Art and Design and moved away from Columbus, Ohio in 2013, to take the position of Associate Director of the University of Georgia’s Cortona Studies Abroad program in Cortona, Italy. I have lived full-time in Italy for almost six years now, and have drifted out-of-touch with the goings-on in downtown Columbus. It was therefore a shock when my friend Fred Fochtman, a painter and art conservator who helped me restore the mural in 2013, messaged me to share the news of State Auto’s decision to demolish the warehouse on which the mural is painted, in order to build a parking garage.
“A Street Called Home” Mural Restoration Begins
I am currently leading the restoration of the mural we painted for the State Auto Insurance Company in 2005. The painting itself is still in great condition, even after seven years — due primarily to the protective powers of the UV-blocking Golden MSA varnish that covers it. But the warehouse wall the mural is painted on has settled, and some serious cracks had formed in the cinder block. The repairs to the building, which were completed last summer and included grinding out old caulk and putting in new mortar, damaged the original painting. In order to repair it, we will re-paint the damaged areas, then re-varnish the entire mural to give it another 5-10 years of protection.
See step-by-step documentation of the mural’s restoration here.
“A Street Called Home” Mural Restoration
This summer, it looks like I’ll be managing the restoration of the mural we painted for State Auto in 2005. The painting itself is in great condition, but the warehouse wall it’s painted on is settling, as walls are wont to do… old cracks are opening up again, and new cracks are forming. The repairs to the building, which include grinding out old caulk and putting in new, will damage the painting. In order to repair it, we’ll need to remove the varnish, re-paint the damaged areas, and then re-varnish the mural.
