By Jennifer Sadler

This New Year’s Eve will mark not only the promise of a fresh new start in 2012, but the launch of a year-long celebration of special events to commemorate an important milestone in our city’s history—the Columbus Bicentennial. Named in honor of Christopher Columbus, Ohio’s capital began its adventure as a city with its founding on February 14, 1812. Today Columbus stands proud as the 15th largest city in the U.S. made up of a diverse population of people living in dozens of distinctive neighborhoods and districts. Columbus is recognized locally and globally as a great place to live and work with a robust and colorful history and an exciting future.

The Columbus Bicentennial celebration, dubbed 200Columbus, is a time for us to envision our full potential as a city and to take pride in the ambition, drive and creativity of the community of people and events that have built the foundation for our future. Along with the 200Columbus Committee, members of community organizations, civic groups, local businesses, representatives from public and private schools, and other interested individuals have been hard at work in planning for this momentous occasion. We have much to celebrate and plan to do so in grand style throughout 2012 offering visitors and area citizens numerous opportunities to participate in 200Columbus events hosted around the city.

Columbus is a dynamic city and has seen many changes over the past two hundred years and 200Columbus aims to highlight the best Columbus has to offer. As we prepare to enter our third century, we’re sure that as you experience 200Columbus events throughout 2012, you’ll discover many new facets and enjoy facts and stories about the long and rich history of our city along the way.

In each issue of Front Row Center, we’ll highlight special 200Columbus events and programs happening around town that you and your friends and family can enjoy.  Following are just a few events to look forward to in the coming months, including some that will kick-off the New Year and celebrate the official date of the founding of our city in February.  Join us as we celebrate our remarkable history. We encourage you to get involved…the celebration continues with YOU!  Happy 200th, Columbus!

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COLUMBUSARTS.COM Artist Profile: Ashley Voss, aka “coreroc”

By Jennifer Sadler

As the most comprehensive online events guide and resource for arts and culture in central Ohio, ColumbusArts.com offers a virtual guide through the Columbus art world with a searchable database of events, concerts, performances and more. ColumbusArts.com is an engaging place for artists and arts organizations to share what they do, with an average of 30,000 users per month.  The ColumbusArts.com Artist Directory allows visual, performing and literary artists to create a profile and portfolio to showcase their work—for free. Artists can upload images, PDFs, video and sound files, and promote upcoming events. The directory enables art enthusiasts to easily search for and connect with local artists.  Starting with this issue, Front Row Center will highlight an artist from the directory each month so you can learn more about the many talented individuals who make up central Ohio’s thriving creative community.

Self-taught artist Ashley Voss, a.k.a. “coreroc” works in the graffiti style with bold color palettes and clean lines. Coreroc’s work is a smooth blend of graphic design and abstract expressionism. He dubs his work “old school graffiti wild style” and will work on any surface that he finds interesting.

“I work from miniature scale to full building murals with comfort and love to tackle challenging surfaces and textures,” says Voss. “My work can be found everywhere from the streets of Columbus, local art galleries, and most of your best friends’ living rooms.”

As an artist, Voss says one of his goals is to speak to the aesthetic value of graffiti style art while seeking to shed the preconceived notion that graffiti is merely a form of destruction and or vandalism. In fact, he reaffirms what many say about commissioned murals on private property and businesses—the art adds beauty and interest to the neighborhood, and vandals tend to respect it and leave it alone.

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