This is the first guest commentary here at the Short North Blog.  Maria Galloway, owner of pm gallery and current president of the board of the SNBA is kicking us off!

Spring in the Short North

Prop the door open and catch the breeze, the aromas wafting from the restaurants and the roar of motorcycles.  At the corner of Buttles and North High it seems as though everyone is eating Jeni’s ice cream.  A sure sign of spring is the new seasonal flavors like Meyer Lemon Blueberry and Rhubarb Rose’.

Spring fashions adorn the windows at Rowe (in their new expanded space), Ladybird and a bit farther up the street - Undone, Voodoo Denim and Jinny.  The al fresco dining is in full swing with crowds at Union, Haiku, and La Fogata.

I love walking home in the evening this time of year. The lilacs fill the alley with their heady perfume. The daffodils in the park make me smile. The planter beds on High Street are newly planted with petunias, sweet potato vine and grasses. They have a ways to go to fill in, but I enjoy the formal spacing of the freshly planted. In a couple of months they will be lush and full and wild.

This is the time of year when anticipation of the year’s festivals begins. The June Gallery Hop almost always coincides with the downtown Arts Festival. Then in quick succession we have Comfest, the Gay Pride Parade, the DooDah Parade and the July Gallery Hop! Plus weddings in the park, graduations, and fashion photographers using the neighborhood as a backdrop. After the long winter is it so wonderful to see color and bustling activity return to the street.

This is wedding season at pm gallery. We get the anti-registry people. The people who want to get a memorable gift, not just plate #7 out of a 48 piece set. And it must work, because after 30 wedding seasons, we have only had one return. Funny thing is we have a gift registry, too. It is a What You See Is What You Get registry, since we have so many one of a kind items. I photograph the items and put them on our website. It is great for out-of-towners.

The slide into summer has begun. The air conditioner will be on soon and the noise of the street will be muted as we close the door against the heat. The colors will deepen and the days will lengthen. Buttles Avenue is my sundial.  The sun will be setting at the end of the street and the light and heat will fill the gallery. I am in no hurry for that to happen. Spring here, in the Short North, is full of change, evolution and fun. I am enjoying that.

The biggest sale of the year will be coming to the Short North District this month!  The Short North Winter Sale will be held January 22, 23 and 24.  This three day sale features incredible deals in the district’s favorite shops!  Mark your calender and come see what the Short North Arts District has to offer!  Save up to 80% on apparel, accessories, art, and more!  Core hours for the sale will be 11am to 6pm Friday & Saturday and 12pm to 5pm on Sunday (Some merchants will not be open on Sunday).  Come early for the best selection and enjoy the district!

Sample savings

Alexander’s Jewelers – 30% off all B Tiff Items

Bakery Gingham – 20% off all in-store cupcakes

Big Rock Little Rooster – Vera Wang Trunk Show Jan 21-23 - Sprig 2010 collection.  Brides receive 10% off. Appointments are required - Call 614-754-8116

Collier West – 25-75% off + $25 gift card for all purchases over $150

Emperor’s Newest Clothes – 20% - 50% off fall and winter items

Global Gallery - 20% off Alpaca Winter Wear

Go Figure Consignment – 20%-50% off outerwear & formal attire

GrandView Mercantile – 10 day sale starting Jan 22 offering 15% - 50% off

Ladybird– Fall/Winter holiday fashions 40% - 70% off

Luxe di vie - 80% off

Visit our site to see a full list of our merchants:  http://shortnorth.org/news.asp?n=212

We are on the cover of this week’s newspaper edition of Columbus Alive!!! The article highlights the history of the Short North Arts District as well as the history of Short North’s acclaimed Gallery Hop!

Here is a link to the article. Enjoy!

http://www.columbusalive.com/live/content/features/stories/2009/12/03/ca_u_gallery-hop-history.html?sid=108

In retrospect, I probably sounded a bit like a pickup artist at the February Hop. I spent a few hours touching base with visitors, asking them a variety of questions… innocuous little tidbits like:

Where ya in from?

What’s been your favorite stop so far?

Come here often?

You can find out a lot that way. For example, the Short North is probably the number one place locals bring out of town guests… particularly if it’s a Hop. Or, that about half of our visitors have never walked north of 1st Avenue. These folks are missing some amazing destinations that have blossomed “way up in yonderland.” More on that later. Or, Saturday’s a-ha moment: visitors WANT to find the galleries, but they need help.

Maybe we (the district) take it for granted that everyone knows where everything is. After all, we all know where Rivet and Terra and Lindsay galleries are located. Right? So when we say “come visit the galleries during Gallery Hop,” it seems like a sincere enough invitation. And that the galleries are distributed over a mile-long stretch shouldn’t seem daunting. Right? Wrong. The reality, as I found on Saturday, is that thousands and thousands of visitors make their way for a monthly sojourn they thoroughly enjoy… but have no idea they haven’t quite maximized.

Well no more! The Short North is too much of a treasure to not explore it completely. Beginning with the March Hop, we will introduce the Gallery Hop Gallery Locator. This pocket fold map will be available online at shortnorth.org, at galleries, and at a variety of shops and restaurants. I’m very excited about its addition to the Hop experience. It will undoubtedly impact the experience (in a very good way) for many, many people.

Additionally, the district is in the process of designing way-finding kiosks that will help even the seasoned expert uncover heretofore overlooked district nuances. Look for more on that front in April/May.

And in the spirit of moving things right along, below is a roster of the galleries you’ll want to add to your March Hop experience. The list is organized from north, around High and Fifth, to south, across from the Convention Center. How many have you visited in the last 6 months?

Rivet • 1200 N. High (near Fifth and High)

Rebecca Ibel Gallery • 1055 N. High (at 3rd and High)

Roy G Biv Gallery • 997 N. High (at 2nd and High)

Lindsay Gallery • 986 N. High (near 2nd and High)

Ohio Art League • 954 N. High (near 2nd and High)

KIACA Gallery • 937 N. High (near 1st and High)

pm gallery • 726 N. High (at Buttles and High)

Mahan Gallery • 717 N. High (near Buttles and High)

Marcia Evans Art Consulting and Gallery • 8 E. Lincoln (Lincoln and High)

Palnik Cartoon Studio • 14 E. Lincoln (Lincoln and High)

Sharon Weiss Gallery • 20 E. Lincoln (Lincoln and High)

Sherrie Gallerie • 694 N. High (near Brickel and High)

Studios On High Gallery • 686 N. High (near Brickel and High)

The Art Exchange • 17 E. Brickel (at Brickel and High)

Kathryn Gallery • 642 N. High (at Russell and High)

Terra Gallery • 8 E. Poplar (at Poplar and High)

Elements of Art / Art Space • 507 N. High (near Swan and High)

Last night Juli Rogers and I kicked off the weekend going to a reception at Rivet Gallery. Laura and Scott Kuenzli were launching one of the more “unique” art exhibits we’ve had in the District for a while: Darkness Into Light. We strolled in around 7:00. Things were just getting started. Laura was engaged with a few other early arrivals. We made our way to the bar set up for this special reception, grabbed a Magic Hat pils and some noshes courtesy of Barrel 44 and slowly began taking in the experience.

The exhibition features selected images from “counter culture” photographers Jeffery Scott, John Santerineross, Robyn Von Swank, Silent View and Chas Ray Krider. The images, most with mature themes, range from ethereal, hazy black and white to ultra crisp, vibrant color. There is a spiritual quality to the collection. Subjects touch on relationships, dreams, role playing and fetishes. Each image carefully stylized by the artist. As fascinating as the photos were, however, the centerpiece of the exhibit was the object d’art created from the skull of a 500 year old Tibetan monk.

To call Yama, Tibetan God of Death a pin-hole camera is rather like calling La Sagrada Familia a building. Yama, created by Wayne Martin Belger, is truly a labor of love and an amazing work of art. It has to be studied slowly to appreciate the astounding design, the quality of the craftsmanship and the exquisite materials, including: turquoise, sapphires, opals and rubies in addition to metalwork interfusing brass, gold, silver, and titanium among others.

As we absorbed the detail of the piece and beauty of the exhibit, a thought entered my mind: “How far the north end of the Short North has come these last 10 years.” Where once primarily thrift shops and empty store fronts dominated, now avant garde businesses such as Rivet are taking hold. You see it in Milk Bar (one of Columbus’ fashion hot spots directly across the street). You see it in What the Rock?! and Surly Girl. Even Monkeys Retreat is getting a makeover. Throughout the area experiential destinations now anchor the north end of the district: Skully’s, Liquid, Bodega, Yoga On High, Byzantium, the list goes on.

As the Jackson on High continues to spring forth (at 4th and High), is there any doubt that the north end will soon be rivaling the south end for the center of attention?

With Rivet setting the standard this weekend, I have no doubt. This Gallery Hop, treat yourself to a new view. Head north.

Darkness into Light will be on display from February 7 - 28. Due to the sensitive nature of Wayne Martin Belger’s work, the Yama showpiece will only be on display each Saturday until the show closes. For a private viewing of the piece, please contact the gallery.

Rivet: 1200 N High St • 614.294.8697