Swing Time in the Alley

Arts in the Alley stepped back in time last Thursday evening with a crowd decked out in fedoras and fringed dresses for the Al Capone Speakeasy. The event, called the Third Thursday Birthday Bash, was presented by JamJam Productions and (Mix)ed Media. It featured jazz-era dancers from Swing Columbus (above) and drag king troupe the Royal Renegades, along with DJ Julia Applegate (below).

Notable News

The first Art Market of the year in Arts in the Alley is Saturday, Jan 30, noon-6 pm. The market, in the Arts Initiative space, 1568 N High St, will feature a wide variety of hand-crafted jewelry from local artists. Subsequent markets, which are presented by ARTillery Ohio, are Feb 27 (clay works) and March 27 (prints).

Sundays @7, staged readings presented by Whistling in the Dark Theatre Co., continues on Sunday, Jan 31, in the Shoebox with a reading of Hunter by Jim and John Thomas, directed by Doug Davis. The piece is the original draft of the screenplay for Predator, the 1980s Arnold Schwarzenegger action film. $3 at the door.

Put next Thursday (Feb 4) on your calendar. Arts in the Alley presents three Gallery Openings and a Gong Show! Gallery openings are for: Heroes and Legends, works by Adam Brouillette (Arts Initiative space, 6-9 pm); After, fiber works by Erin Riley (Shoebox, 6-9 pm); and Constructing Color, works by Christin Hutchinson & Ian Magargee (Ohio Art League gallery, 6-8 pm). At 8 pm, the No-Talent Talent Gong Show gets underway at the Gateway Film Center Lobby. You can still sign up to enter your under-3-minute act -- just email jamjamproductions@gmail.com. Image below is a section of All My Friends are Heroes, by Brouillette.

Heroes and Legends Opens Feb 4

Save the Date! Heroes and Legends, new works by Adam Brouillette, opens in the Arts Initiative space in the South Campus Gateway alley on Thurs, Feb 4, 6-9 pm. About his large-scale paintings, Adam says, "I view my work, not as revolutionary, but as a step back in time, knowing what we have learned from our modern forms of communication. I like to use the explosion of color and design that is inherent in advertising and cartoons, to convey, in a simple fashion, the broader ideas of social and personal philosophy, ideas of scientific theory and discovery, and commentary on life as I see it." Above, segment of All My Friends are Heroes.

At the same time that evening, works by Erin Riley will open next door in the Shoebox, while the Ohio Art League Gallery hosts an opening of Constructing Color, works by Christin Hutchinson and Ian Magargee.

And don't miss the first "No-Talent Talent Gong Show" that starts at 8 pm that evening in the Gateway Film Center Lobby. Stop by for a variety of crazy acts, presided over by Eoin O'Brien as MC and a panel of celebrity judges.

All events are in Arts in the Alley at South Campus Gateway, on High Street at 10th Ave.

Notable News

Thurs, Jan 21, in the Shoebox is the first Third Thursday Birthday Bash -- the Al Capone Speakeasy. Featuring performers including Swing Columbus and drag king troupe the Royal Renegades (above), the event will celebrate Jazz era dance, music, fashion and 1920s style merriment. It's pay-what-you-can admission.

On Sun, Jan 24, the Sundays at 7 staged reading by Whistling in the Dark Theatre Co. presents Tis Pity She's a Whore by John Ford, directed by Andrew Blasenak. The reading begins at 7 pm in the Shoebox, and is $3 at the door.

Check out the first Monthly Art Market brought to you by ARTillery Ohio. The art sale, in the Arts Initiative space, will feature hand-crafted jewelry by local artists. The sale runs noon to 6 pm on Sat, Jan 30. Future markets will be the last Saturday of each month. The Feb 27 market focuses on clay arts, and the March 27 event focuses on print works. For a complete schedule, go to artilleryohio.com.

Introducing our Fellows

Eleven visual and performing artists from Columbus have embarked on the Arts Initiative's Fellowship for Emerging Artists. The artists are (above, l-r top row) Maggie Page, Ryan Smith, Ryan Agnew, Lisa McLymont, Stephanie Rond, Jacob Reed and Joey Monsoon, and (l-r front row) Eric Rausch, Amandda Tirey Graham, Colleen Leonardi and Jenai Cutcher. They were nominated by local arts professionals and chosen by an advisory panel. The program is a post-college effort to help creative, promising artists create their work and compose their lives in central Ohio. The year-long fellowship, directed by Donn Vickers, will include a series of workshops with ample time for reflection, exploring and for envisioning what success will look like for them.

Notable News
Things are hopping in Arts in the Alley at South Campus Gateway. Take a look at some upcoming events:

Al Capone Speakeasy (a 3rd Thursday Birthday Bash)
Thurs, Jan 21, 7 – 10 pm at the Shoebox, 1570 N High St
Jam Jam Productions and (Mix)ed Media announce the premier of an event series for 2010 -- 3rd Thursday Birthday Bashes @ The Shoebox. Each month we’ll celebrate the life and culture of a famous, or sometimes infamous, historical figure whose birthday falls during the month. Kick off the series Jan 21 with The Al Capone Speakeasy. Entertainment includes performances by Swing Columbus and drag king troupe, the Royal Renegades. Pay what you can.

The No-Talent Talent Gong Show
Thurs, Feb 4, 8 - 9:30 pm, Gateway Film Center Lobby, 1550 N. High St.
Can you play the harmonica with your nose? Or the piano with your toes? Tell lousy jokes? Impersonate Elvis? If you have a crazy act, then come be a part of a new event brought to you by JamJam Productions and Everybody's Favorite Carrie – the No-Talent Talent Gong Show. Interested? Send an email to jamjamproductions@gmail.com and include type of performance, number of performers, and contact name, email, phone. If you just want to come enjoy the show, it's pay-what-you-can admission. MC for the evening is Eoin O'Brien, and celebrity judges include John Petric and Melissa Starker.

Save the Date: Opening Receptions for Three Gallery Exhibitions
Thurs, Feb 4, 6 – 9 pm, Arts in the Alley, South Campus Gateway
Works by Adam Brouillette, The Arts Initiative Space
Works by Erin Riley, The Shoebox
Works by Christin Hutchinson and Ian Magargee, Ohio Art League gallery.

Sundays @7: Staged Readings presented by Whistling in the Dark Theatre Co.
Sundays, 7 pm, the Shoebox, 1570 N High St
$3 at the door

Jan 17: The Faculty Room by Bridget Carpenter, directed by Liz Martin
Bridget Carpenter’s caustically funny play is a hall pass to what happens when you mix gun-toting sophomores, lonely teachers and an unnatural obsession with the Rapture.

Jan 24: Tis Pity She's a Whore by John Ford, directed by Andrew Blasenak
Did you think Shakespeare was the only good playwright of early modern England? Think again! John Ford's tale of ill-fated lovers tests the taboos of any time. It's like Spring Awakening meets Romeo and Juliet, where a brother and sister succumb to their attraction to one another while her host of suitors and the men and women they have wronged join the battle royale of wooing, bedding, wedding, revenge, disguise, ambush, poison, and a host of treachery and betrayal.

Canceling Events Tonight

Due to the snow storm, Arts in the Alley events for tonight are canceled, including the Sketch Comedy performance, Act-o-Matic, DJ entertainment and Dan Gerdeman's exhibition opening reception.

Happy New Year!

Very warm wishes for the new year from the Arts Initiative at Ohio State to you! We are delighted to be part of an exciting venture -- Arts in the Alley -- at South Campus Gateway, with Campus Partners, the Gateway, Ohio Art League and some amazing emerging artists. Take a look at the video from a recent "first Thursday" opening. . . and stop by and visit us sometime!

Arts in the Alley Celebrates 2010

Visit Arts in the Alley this Thursday, Jan 7, 6-9 pm to kick off the new year! The alley -- a collaborative venture with the Arts Initiative, South Campus Gateway, Campus Partners and Ohio Art League -- will come to life with a gallery opening, comedy sketches, music and more.

Sketch By Number presents Your New Year's Resolution Sucks, two 20 minute shows at 6:30 and 7:30 pm, admission free, in the Arts Initiative space. Dwayne Blackaller’s “Act-O-Matic” provides entertainment around the shows. The opening reception for This is not a Coincidence, artwork by Dan Gerdeman, whose work centers on conversations, pop culture, flights of fancy and imprints on our psyche, takes place in the Shoebox space. DJ and VJ entertainment will be provided. Plus, a new exhibition is on view at the Ohio Art League gallery and continuation of works by Sarah Weinstock is in at the Arts Initiative Space.
Arts in the Alley is at South Campus Gateway, N High St at 10th. Artwork above: My Castle, Dan Gerdeman, Acrylic on Panel. 2009

Notable News

WOSU TV's monthly arts and culture news program, Artzine, produced by Cindy Gaillard, recently featured the OSU/Royal Shakespeare Company partnership, airing the video created by Jake Housh and Kristen Convery from University Relations. Watch it here.

Whistling in the Dark Theatre Company presents Sundays @ 7 -- weekly staged readings starting at 7 pm in the Shoebox, 1570 N High St, in the alley at South Campus Gateway. Upcoming shows include Top Gun (Jan 10) by Chip Proser, directed by Kal Poole; The Faculty Room (Jan 17) by Bridget Carpenter, directed by Liz Martin; and Tis Pity She's a Whore (Jan 24) by John Ford, directed by Andrew Blasenak.

Sketch Comedy by Sketch by Number comes to Arts in the Alley the Second Saturday of each month in the Shoebox, 1570 N High St at South Campus Gateway. Sketch by Number is a community of young writers, jokesters, editors, philosophers, artists, managers, and trash talkers who believe that comedy is the greatest vehicle to any topic. Shows begin at 8 pm. $5 at the door.

Jam Jam Productions and (Mix)ed Media announce the premier of 3rd Thursday Birthday Bashes at The Shoebox. Each month will celebrate the life and culture of a famous, or sometimes infamous, historical figure whose birthday falls that given month. On Thursday, Jan 21, the series remembers an American gangster with the first birthday bash of the season: The Al Capone Speakeasy. Come to the Shoebox for Jazz era dance, music, fashion and 1920s style merriment. Festivities start at 7 pm. Pay what you can.