Event located at the corner of Gay and High Street
We’re bringing BAM (Bar, Art, Music) to the heart of Downtown as part of the new event series,
UnderCurrent! Join us for a one-night only experience under Janet Echelman’s sky-high sculpture on the corner of Gay and High Street on Friday, August 30, 5:00–9:00 PM.
We’re closing off the street to bring you a dance party with theCOMINGHOME (tCH), creative experiences featuring quick guest portrait drawings by Mary Jane Ward and Shannon Vaught, an interactive photobooth, live painting with FDZgraffiti, food trucks, yard games and a cash bar directly under
Current.
Admission is free!
Street parking is available in the area as well as nearby garages.
In case of severe weather, that the event will be canceled and not rescheduled. Keep an eye out for announcements from CMA and Downtown Columbus on social media.
BAM (Bar, Art, Music) is offered at CMA every Thursday from 5:00–10:00 PM, through September 26 along with FREE general admission to the museum. BAM is proudly sponsored by Bank of America.
UnderCurrent was developed by
Downtown Columbus, Inc. to expand the diversity of events offered downtown, bringing together community members and enhancing the district’s cultural vibrancy beneath the uniting emblem of
Current.
Artist and DJ Lineup
FDZgraffiti (Felicia Dunson) is a native of Columbus, Ohio who is a brilliant artist on the rise. Felicia is a multi-faceted, formally trained fine artist with a passion for fashion and an urban arts background. She also goes by the name FDZgraffiti. FDZ creates Graffiti Pop art in 2D, 3D, and NFT digital arts. She is a muralist, fashion designer and works in mixed media sculpture. Her work features pop art subjects and abstract graffiti styling. She finds inspiration from music, pop culture and bold bright colors. She is also an art instructor who loves sharing her gift with the community, and has grown passionate about portraying graffiti as a fine art form and not a crime. Committed to educating others about graffiti as a fine art goes hand-in-hand with her passion for sustainability and up-cycling. Her lessons that have resonated with art educators near and far. FDZ has committed to using her art to restore, recycle, and resurrect old walls and forgotten items. Her art is visual music with the same rhythms and vibrations of hip hop. “It’s why graffiti is hip hop”. She calls it, “Post graffiti visual periodicity”. She paints the music that you can see. Check out her Instagram.
theCOMINGHOME (tCH) is a creative collective whose namesake harkens back to a near east side day parade located off of historical Mt. Vernon Avenue. A parade where community is celebrated and people convened in appreciation of the creators, makers, and architects that shaped Columbus’ early artistic heritage. In that spirit tCH is a multi-hyphenate creative studio that reaches across culture, business, art, and media to delight audiences and imprint the social zeitgeist. Check out their Instagram.
Mary Jane Ward is a draftswoman and painter, and lives in Columbus, Ohio. Mary Jane had a ten year career as a professional ballet dancer and performer before studying drawing and painting at the Grand Central Atelier in New York City, under Jacob Collins. Mary Jane teaches at the Columbus Cultural Arts Center, and serves as a Trustee for the Ohio Plein Air Society. She is represented by Keny Galleries of Columbus, OH. Mary Jane primarily creates work from life, finding the most inspiration in the immediate presence of her subjects, whether sitting in a studio with a model or immersing herself in a landscape. Check out her Instagram.
Shannon Vaught is a figurative painter currently living and working out of Columbus, Ohio. She received her BFA from the Laguna College of Art and Design in 2019 where she learned to paint in the classical style. With respect to her academic roots, Shannon maintains a sense of realism in her portrait and figure painting but finds a harmony in the impressionistic quality of her mark making and contemporary subject matter. Check out her Instagram.