Columbus now reigns as the Indie Art Capital of the World.  And today, the city has a new place to hang its crown. 

The Urban Art Space, a new downtown gallery located at the city’s center, opens its doors today.  Headed by the Columbus Downtown Development Corporation and The Ohio State University, Urban Art Space will serve as part of a comprehensive plan to revitalize downtown. 

The gallery encompasses 10,000 square feet of performance/exhibition space on the ground floor of the former Lazarus department store.  OSU College of the Arts Dean Karen Bell calls the location “a professional launching pad for the students, helping to bridge the gap between their academic and professional careers.”

The inaugural exhibition is Midnight Robbers: The Artists of Notting Hill Carnival, a groundbreaking installation curated by OSU Theatre Professor Lesley Ferris and Ruth Tompsett from Middlesex University in the UK.  The exhibition explores the historic context of the London Carnival and delves deep into the Carnival art form.

The show highlights the work of Carnival artists, including photographs, costume designs, costumes and a timeline of the history of Carnival.  And like the beloved Midnight Robber character of traditional carnival, the exhibition seeks to provoke and engage audiences, and underscore the cultural strategies that colonized people used through their carnival masquerades in earlier times.

Be sure to check out the new gallery soon - missing this show would be a crime.

OSU Urban Art Space, 50 West Town Street, Columbus, OH 43215.  Gallery opens today with a Grand Opening Reception planned for Friday, February 8th from 5:30 to 7:30 PM.  RSVP by calling 614.292.5171.