The Knowlton State Warriors | Field Assignment: Blog 4

Right now, a walk down North High St. between Woodruff and W Lane Ave. reveals that there is little to no public art. The walls of buildings are completely blank, and there is no visible art whatsoever. The sidewalks have no color or decorations. A stronger art presence could bring in a new crowd of people who appreciate art. It could also attract more art-focused businesses that embrace art as a form of expression and advertising. It would help create a more inviting space for people to gather around, instead of being a way for students and residents to get from point A to point B. This would attract people to want to spend more time and money in the University District.

Our first recommendation is for the “Old North Columbus” Arch. We propose that we run a strong underneath the arch from one post to the other. Along that string we attach old carriages in the form of cutout silhouettes. The other detail would be a silhouette of a carriage conductor leaning up against the post of the arch on the west side of the street. The reasoning behind this installation is that the Old North Columbus was home to a major horse carriage station during the early years of the city. We think that this proposal alludes back to the history of Old North Columbus and also refreshes the arch which has become unnoticeable as everyone is used to its sight.

An area we saw that could use some revitalization was in front of the Ohio Stater’s building. The building is very bland and also has some chipping paint. On top of this it is very boring and doesn’t look like it should belong on campus. The name of the building suggests otherwise though as it is called the Ohio Stater. We felt that to bring this space more life, adding a mural of Ohio State and some of its prominent features would really do the site justice. The hope is to bring some color and pop to such a bland building. Our mural would add some excitement with the classic “Go Bucks!” phrase and some classic pictures of places on campus as well.

For the Old North Columbus sign and the mural outside the Ohio Stater’s building, our plan is to further its link with the community there. To do so, we would first need to fully design the project with the help of an artist. After the design is complete. The project will then need to be created, thus hiring both someone to design and to actually implement the project. As the project is not extremely large, it can easily be paid for through taxes and through a community fundraising effort. Both the arch and the mural could be funded as they both would be inexpensive. Leading a community push at city council to form a push for funding could also help but is not seen as being necessary for this scale project as long as they are approved by the local governing body.

CRP4A Blog 4

Erin Gleason

Natalie Kroger

Lauren Springer

Summer McCann

Christoph Ciurlionis

 

North High Street is a major component of campus and of Columbus as a whole. Walking along High St. from Woodruff to Lane our group immediately noticed how bland the buildings were. Everything felt very generic and for being so close to the College of Architecture there was really nothing architectural about them. Most buildings were newer and had little to no character. When comparing the rest of High with this section we felt like there was just something missing. Giving High St. a stronger art presence creates an attraction for visitors and students. Art is particularly needed on this end of High St. to help give it more of an identity. New art installations would also create something that students living in the nearby dorms can appreciate.

 

One of our projects we would like to propose features a long mural along a wall that is exposed towards the street and separates the sidewalk from an adjacent parking lot on High Street. The mural will feature the logos of several businesses located along High Street such as: Target, Buckeye Donuts, and Starbucks. In the top left corner will be the words “Where Will You Bike?” This piece will tie into the nearby bike racks that we proposed as a way to promote biking along High Street and relieve traffic congestion. It wall also make the area more aesthetically pleasing as the current beige colored wall is an eyesore.   

 

A second proposed project focuses on a small area of High Street, right where the Ohio Stater apartment building meets adjacent to Donatos. Both of these walls have blank, boring facades. We decided to fill this space with art that is not only appealing to the eye, but would fill a purpose as well. With all of the surrounding retail and food destinations nearby the space, such as United Dairy Farmers, Chatime Tea, iFixx, etc., it would be nice for students to be able to bike to this spot more readily. We propose a series of bike racks being implemented in this space to encourage students to bike more.

Because the mural will be promoting local businesses throughout High Street, we proposed to charge each business around one hundred dollars to cover the cost of the mural and its upkeep. Due to all of the continuing construction on High Street, the mural should be updated every five years with new businesses added and old businesses removed. Because this area is highly associated with the University District, we proposed that Art Management students would be responsible for the upkeep and repainting of the mural.

 

 

Blog 4 (Finding Houses)

The current side of Bowen Hall that faces High Street is bland and empty. The current design entails a façade that has three dark gray rectangles that resemble garage doors on the first floor. These appear to be unwelcoming and do not catch the eye of any passerby. With the implication of a stronger art presence, this area could be livened with the use of bright colors. This would encourage pedestrians as well as those driving by in cars to look at the building and allow it to stand out amongst the others. When viewing the plaza across the street, it has a basic color scheme, and does not look inviting. The plaza does not have any features that draw pedestrians or street traffic in, and by adding art to this area, it would allow this space to be brighter, and encourage people to stop by.

On the façade of Bowen Hall, there could be murals placed on each rectangle that faces High Street. The middle rectangle would be of what appears to the viewer to be a postcard that has “Welcome to COLUMBUS” on it in large letters. Each letter in “Columbus” would contain a different aspect of the city. This would largely include landmarks such as the reindeer, the Shoe, etc. The neighboring rectangles would contain campus related art, such as Brutus and the block “O” on solid backgrounds to encourage school spirit since the murals would be on campus. This art would draw the eyes of passerby, and encourage pedestrians to take photos with the murals, which would then bring in revenue as others would want photos with the murals as well.

The plaza across the street could be revitalized by adding in overhead lighting and a mural to the pedestrian wall that separates the sidewalk from the plaza. The overhead lighting would include bright lanterns. This would  allow for a brighter atmosphere at night, increasing safety of the area. The mosaic along the sidewalk would bring color to the area that would contrast the currently matching color of the building behind. This would provide vibrant colors in the glass that would draw in the eye of those passing by. This could also allow for a ‘photo opportunity’ to aid in bringing in revenue. It makes a once boring plaza into something memorable.

In order to implement the first option, OSU or an alumni could provide funding. The reasoning behind this funding would be to bring more school spirit into the area as well as to bring in future revenue. With OSU’s approval, a pervious graduate art student could accomplish completing the murals. This allows for the art to be placed in the community and completed by someone in the community. For the plaza, the funding could come from OSU or the Ohio Stater Student Housing building in the plaza to aid in bringing in potential customers. The lanterns for the lighting would be designed by a local artist in Columbus, and the mosaic would be completed by either a local artist or even art students at OSU. Due to all of the new buildings being added to High Street, the new developers could be required to give a small portion of their profits to these projects as well to renew these older areas to account for any potential revenue that could be lost to the newer buildings.

HI-5, Blog 4

The Ohio Stater, Arts Implementation Proposal

The location of The Ohio Stater along High Street between Woodruff and Frambes could be better utilized to serve The Ohio State community.  Currently, the residential building is set back from High street and has very few architectural details or visual interest. It is essentially a tan box with a parking lot in front.  There is a parking lot in front of the residential portion of the building that increases traffic and pedestrian/vehicle interactions in the middle of a busy portion of High Street. The portion of the residential building that runs along High Street is a large blank expanse with a few windows high up and otherwise, adds little to the appeal along High Street.  The retaining wall that runs along the parking lot from the lot entrance to the opening of the Ohio Stater Mall is in disrepair and adds little appeal. Because this property is set back from the newer buildings along High street it offers space that could incorporate art installations and other features that would add visual interest to this dead zone and also invite more people to utilize the mall.  Art features installed here would liven up this visually dead space on High Street as well as improve the appeal of the businesses that operate out of the basement mall at this location.

The wall and sidewalk in front of the Ohio Stater are crumbling at our feet and are in dire need of some TLC. We thought of some things that we would like to see happen which includes, the use of neon paint and lights to brighten up a dull part of High street. We also thought that this space could benefit from greenery and water. The use of trees and shrubs along the wall could help the city space becoming less hard and more inviting.  The idea of covering bad patches of sidewalks with an easily resealable, recycled plastic would be a great way to use our own trash to build a better and more pretty city.

Another thought that can improve the surrounding vitality is by creating an open area for students to offer different ideas and art works that can be shown in front of the hotel’s gate. The students can promote their thinking and make it into a art exhibition that would develop a great artistic atmosphere around the campus. The walls could be also painted as a graffiti art that connect to the theme of that time period like Christmas or something else. The hotel owner could determine the orientation by the certain festival in order develop the sense of belonging and warmth.

Arts and cultural planning is an increasingly important option for revitalizing urban areas. In particular, public arts have the potential to bring communities together by communicating artistic values and ideas. The Ohio Stater is passed by many students and Columbus residents every day. From general observations, this area lacks aesthetic, color, and space. Arts revitalization can impact this area by making it more aesthetically pleasing. This can be achieved by adding green space, or environmental aesthetic concepts, such as trees and vines. It can also utilize public art space by using some sort of projector. The projector can circulate different art pieces by students, residents, or global artists. These two simple options for arts revitalization can draw more people to this area by utilizing public art

Blog 4 – Elephants

Countless students, faculty, perspectives, tourists, and Columbus natives utilize this specific pathway that marks the beginning of the eastern edge of campus. Beginning at High Street, it leads to many dorms that thousands of students call home. This walkway is an important gateway to the heart of campus life, but is usually unrecognized due to its simplicity. With the position it is in, being close to the night scene and off campus areas, safety becomes a priority. This walkway offers little in terms of the lighting needed to ensure students safe passage home, especially on weekend nights when many return very late. Implementing artwork could have many positive effects in highlighting this area as the important entrance to campus it is, and making it safer due to more lighting opportunities and increased awareness of the space from people around the area.

traditions_jimxu_staff

UC Berkeley Seal

Boston University Seal

This walkway is used every day by not only students, but professors, alumni, and proud parents every day. It is a gateway for Buckeye fans as they travel to and from the stadium from High Street, but it’s unbelievably boring. It’s not noticeable or distinguishable from any other brick path. Our plan is to place an OSU seal right in the middle of the entrance onto North Campus. Walking around, there isn’t much to distinguish North Campus from any other university. With a seal in the brick, we could definitely call this North walkway our own. We drew our inspiration from the sea on South Campus on the oval. We also noticed seals on other heavily used pathways at other universities, such as Boston University who, like OSU, has a heavy tradition surrounding it. Seeing a seal on the ground would create a space that inspires school spirit and a sense of place.

Fountain Orlando

Purdue Water Fountain

Indiana University fountain

Indiana University Fountain

02 New York Washington Square Park With Washington Arch And Fountain From NYU Kimmel Center

New York University Fountain

We also explored the possibility of adding a water feature to this location. We believe that it would make the whole area look better overall and also provide lighting to an otherwise darker area. Our goal here was to make this location as inviting as possible during the day and at night. One of our ideas is to add lights into the water feature so at night it will add color and light for passersby to enjoy and deter most crime that would possibly take place in a poorly lit area. We got this idea of a water feature because often, big corporations have them around their headquarters creating an inviting, yet powerful presence. There are always people taking pictures or videos of these features, or just hanging out around them. We thought adding features to this area would it recognizable and provide a sense of place. Overall, adding water to this area would create not just a recognizable point of campus, but also a space for both students and visitors alike to enjoy.

Monetary support is necessary to see our ideas become reality. To add visually pleasing and helpful features, we need to be backed by people who understand and support the growth and beautification of the Ohio State University. One of the few people we thought could help finance our project ideas is the university itself. The Ohio State University Campus security should be very supportive of our idea, as it will light the walkway, making students, staff, and community members feel safer while walking at night. Another supporter could be the many clubs around campus. The lights included in the water feature could be multicolored and be set for different events and occasions. Red and white for game days, pink for breast cancer awareness month, and even rainbow for pride month. Finally, we could also ask different fraternities and sororities or even alumni if they would be interested in helping fundraise for the different features. We would offer surrounding bricks where a donor’s name would be stamped in, becoming an important part of the Ohio State University.

Blog 4: Arts & Urban Revitalization

Names: Jack Barron, Sam Jallaq, Haley Jaynes, Gabrielle Smith & John Smith  

Over the course of our walk on High Street, we found two lackluster locations. The first location we scouted was the Donato’s Pizza on High and Frambes, jutting out from other buildings.

One of the walls, the large black wall facing North, is misused, wasted, and it could be repurposed into a location for a nice art installation. The best proposal for the wall is a mural projection bulletin board hybrid with a bench in front. Our second idea was for the underground mall.

The mall, as it is underground is already somewhat hidden, in turn, we would like to bring more attention to it by creating a unique, and what can only be described as Narnia-esque area. In turn, the above suggestions will drastically improve these areas on High St.

Returning to the first issue, there are several parts to the Donato’s mural. Firstly, we would use florescent paint in order to ensure the mural is easily differentiable from the wall. Secondly, the mural, Block O, leaves the center unfilled to place the projection inside it, to take a picture frame aesthetic. Additionally, there will be a nice bench in front of the mural for a better photo opportunity. This mural has two different appeals, during the day it will be a great place, as referenced before, for photos however at night, the fluorescent paint will illuminate the O and frame the projection which contains photos, ads, and events. The Donato’s wall is a prime area for new art on High Street.

The other major art installation, the underground mall will be more of an architectural art addition rather than a ‘normal’ art piece. For the outside, as mentioned before, we would like to alter it significantly. The idea set forth, is a deconstructed house, alike to the ruins of reminiscent Ancient Athens, with brick instead of marble. When- walking into the ruins, you are enveloped in light from the bulbs leading the eye naturally to the doors of the mall. Additionally, there are fairy doors in the brick siding to leave positive, encouraging messages for visitors to build neighborhood comradery. The new façade for the underground mall would be amazing for the community and the business.

In regard to policy, we feel as if both installations shouldn’t need any major public policy initiatives. For the bulletin board, we would use local businesses to fund the projection by having paid advertisements. Additionally, you will be able to tag yourself at the Donato’s location, which will provide an incentive to pay for it as its online advertising, for them. Also, the tagged photos will appear on the projection as well. In turn, public policy shouldn’t be a factor as this is a private wall and a private endeavor. For the underground mall, other than maybe a lighting ordinance, it may be necessary to approach town hall in order to find out how bright the lights can be, but the mall should pay for the creation of the new façade. Funding and policy for these tow art pieces should be of little consequence.

Back Corner Design Team Art Planning – Blog 4

Pictured above is a rather unpleasant, aesthetically speaking, strip of High Street. It includes the sidewalk in front of the Ohio Stater, and the area in front of White Castle. This area is characterized by flat, cement, nothingness. In the mid afternoon, when we visited, it was also very sunny and somewhat unwelcoming. The result is that we felt far more comfortable and welcomed walking on the Campus side of the street. However, what is the purpose of a sidewalk if it does not feel welcoming to pedestrians. Having people prefer the campus side of the street leads to more congestion, and less business for stores along the edge.

We devised a plan to tackle the unfriendliness of the place using art.

The basic outline of the plan is broken into two parts, left and right. On the left is what we called the “green stretch” which would act as a water retention plot, a location for more aesthetically pleasing lighting, and as a way of removing the very ugly intersection of road and sidewalk. In the first two pictures posted, it can be seen that there is very little greenery. The goal of this project would be to improve greenery without losing the feeling of the area. Every two trees along this strip would then include a lamp post much like the one pictured in front of the UDF sign. Artist would then be employed to create OSU themed bike racks next to each light (in our initial rough draft they simply spell OSU, however a more creative approach could be taken by local artists). This creates a better sense of place, and encourages bicycle use. The overall goal is to create a well shaded, green, and friendly place during the day that doubles as a safely lit area at night.

Funding such a project can be difficult. Especially because the green space requires maintenance. That is where the image on the right comes into play. The goal is to add a large billboard onto the top of the White Castle. It’s location is designed to further provide adequate shade for the sidewalk. The billboard could then, theoretically, be rented out to potential advertisers — provide offering discounted design assistance through OSU’s design school, thus further integrating the arts. The profits generated from the billboard could then be used to pay a landscaper to maintain the grass/flower/tree beds proposed on the left.

Another part of this area that is subject to change is this:

a short wall, about 5 feet, separates a parking lot from the sidewalk. It is a rather bleak beige color that stretches the entire block, and as can be seen, does not add much personality to the street. If the above idea is not adopted, something surely must be done to create a more inviting environment. We have proposed a mural + smaller green space. below is a rough draft of what the space could look like.

The art installation is heavily Ohio themed, featuring alternating buckeye leaves and Block Os, a red carnation garden (the state flower), and a Block O garbage can. There are, of course, other ideas implementable at this site as well. As mentioned in the photo, a Columbus Skyline Mural would be a good choice for the wall. Including the skyline would not only provide personality to the area, but also reinforce the idea that Ohio State is part of Columbus, as opposed to a separate entity within the borders. This artistic choice would improve sense of place, atmosphere of the sidewalk, and utilitarian use (trash cans help to cut down on litter, and attractive facades help to attract business to the Ohio Stater and the neighboring businesses).

Funding for this mural could, once again, be implemented by corporate sponsorship. Adding benches along the garden allows advertising opportunities, and integrating the financial interests of the Ohio Stater can be a good way to incentive involvement from the firm. While maintenance would still be important, the mural could be used as an alternating display for Ohio State design and art students as well.

 

— Back Corner Design Team–

 

The Pricks- Blog 4

Problems:

The south wall of Dunkin Donuts is a plain beige concrete brick siding that is UGLY.  In front of the wall is a four-person wide side walk that allows for the heavy foot traffic of college students and professors that come in from the east side. This wall is around 10 feet and could have a demanding presence if it was not beige and I’ll say it again UGLY. There is no true problem with the space except for that it is a missed opportunity for the community to come together. Through the addition of art this wall could become a photo hot spot for the community and E Woodruff could become safer because of the increased presence of people to this area. A second problem space we noticed was close to the Dunkin wall. It is the area directly in front of the coffee shop. Well in front and below. The inlaid courtyard in front of ChaTime is the second problem area our group found. The massive stone steps while appropriate on a Renaissance Villa are out of place in this small area. Not only are the steps taking up absurd amounts of space, but the space is even more cut down by ChaTime having a fake façade two feet out from the actual edge of their building. The area of the courtyard that is left over is inhabitable because while it is inlaid, outside of having walls, there is no resemblance of a roof or protection against the elements. Through a redesign of the stairs to a more modern design and implementation of some sort of roof element the space could become a hot spot and an off-campus getaway.

Art Revitalization:

To change the wall space, we could follow the outline given by the concrete blocks and invite the community in to take a block and color in it. In the horizontal lines of filler between the blocks some light feature could be introduced to bring the space alive at night and also increase safety as people walk home from high street at night. Another way to revitalize the space would be to invite a local artist to create a mural for the wall, again will some sort of  lighting feature.

The inlaid courtyard could be fixed through a plethora of artists instillations. One artist could be brought in to add overhead lighting, to avoid this being simple outdoor lights the artist could take influence from the shops around and design the lights as donuts, coffee cups, Chinese food, etc. Or any other idea they could come up with to light the space at night and tie the area together. Another artist could be invited to design a modern set of stairs that allow access to the area while not being as bulky as the existing steps. The newly opened area could be revitalized with tables and umbrellas to allow protection against sunlight and rain. The umprellas could be a simple navy on the outside but once opened would have different artists work painted on the inside. This allows artists to come in and individualize the space while not overpowering the small area with too much. The building itself could also be painted a new color (not beige) to bring new life to the space.

 

Implementation:

This project while covering a small area is one that would take some time to fully complete. To ease the business owners’ minds about this issue of a loss of business off of the main street there would be signs posted around the construction of the inlaid entrance stating where the side entrance is for the underground complex. The signs would then continue on the path much like road detour signs work. This would diminish the loss of customers because the signs along with the construction would intrigue people and then the business would be on their mind and they would go to check it out. The mural on the side wall would go up first and be finished in a couple days because it is simply a change of façade. This new mural would catch the public’s interest and be a way to excite people for the upcoming newly revamped store fronts/courtyard. To finance this project, we will go to the businesses whose store main entrances are in the courtyard. Through strong presentations with data about the increases in business seen for these shops post construction we will gain profits to start and pay for these projects. Another group we may be able to approach for money to implement this plan is the City of Columbus. The courtyard is not currently handicap accessible and through the use of the city policies that state all public places need to be accessible to those with disabilities we could gain funding to redo the stairs to allow for all people to access the shops and areas.

Team Upperclassmen Blog 4

Blog 4 : Team Upper Classmen

 

The area that we chose is on the corner of Lane and High Street. This is where the new apartment complex called Wilson Place has recently popped up. Below it, there is a new Chipotle and Starbucks. This building complex is undeveloped at the ground level and unattractive as a major sidewalk intersection. The barrier wall is light bricks with noticeable mortar and no decoration. Our group agrees that this building brings decreases the aesthetic of High Street as a whole, a city that prides itself on its hipster and youthful art district. We all think that a way to improve this very industrial and unattractive building could be though the implementation of city approved street art or sculptures.

 

1.

Our first idea would take place on the brick that lines the area between the building and the sidewalk. (pictured below)

Here, we would add a mural to the actual brick, so people would be attracted to the procession that the wall offers and the ground level it is attached to. We want it to work with the same idea that the mural on High and 13th Avenue does. (mural pictured below)

More specifically, we would want a local artist, possibly the same artist to the one who did the above mural. This would be fun and vibrant colors painted in a lively and artistic way. The wall would contain important names of streets and buildings that High Street organizes. This can be achieved with vibrant colors and a contrasting facade style than the Starbucks and Chipotle directly behind it. This would add a sense of liveliness to the otherwise bland bricks that line the sidewalk. (drawing pictured below)

2.

For our second idea, we would stay in the same location, but instead of utilizing the brick we would focus on the area by the undecorated street pole on the corner. (pictured below)

We are planning on adding a half circle structure to wrap around the poll, because a half circle curb has already been installed. The shape would be extruded from the curb. The design strategy will be a facade of an old Columbus streetcar. Streetcars used to be an important transportation service for Columbus, and there likely would have been a stop on the busy intersection of Lane and High. (based off of picture below)

This facade would function as a bulletin board for people to post about local events. (drawing pictured below)

In terms of feasibility for both of our ideas, the money could hopefully come from donations. This art piece would cost more than the mural, especially because the crosswalk button would need to be rewired off of the street pole and onto the streetcar facade. It could be possible to outsource work to a local custom metal manufacturer so the entire structure can be molded in as few pieces as possible. The actual installation of the streetcar would be less difficult.