Prologue
Columbus Museum of Art at The Pizzuti
Admission Information
Prologue is a pop-up installation and event series at Columbus Museum of Art at The Pizzuti
Prologue is open during special events and by appointment for tour groups.
Program Description
A pop-up installation and event series at The Pizzuti, Prologue looks back to the historical origins of CMA’s satellite location at 632 Park Street.
From 1923 to 2008, the Pizzuti building served as the national headquarters of the Order of United Commercial Travelers of America (UCT), a fraternal society and insurance provider for traveling salespeople. Founded in 1888, UCT catered to a subset of retail professionals widely distrusted by consumers, and whose door-to-door solicitations foreshadowed the porosity of private life to commercial interests. Taking the now-defunct company’s history as a starting point, Prologue places UCT-related archival materials and historical artifacts in dialogue with works by modern and contemporary artists, including a selection from the museum’s permanent collection. Installed in the second-floor galleries, these works illuminate the role of artists as persuasion agents and uninvited interlopers, while also exposing the thin boundary between public and private space.
This installation forms the groundwork for a series of public events organized in collaboration with The Ohio State University and presented with generous support from OSU’s Office of Academic Affairs.
Featured Prologue artists include:
Lee Friedlander*
David L. Johnson
Dionne Lee
Jack Manning*
Elijah Pierce*
Alison Saar*
Julia Scher
Tavares Strachan*
Ryan Trecartin
Julia Weist
*Artists in the CMA permanent collection
Prologue
Beginning this December and running through May 2025, CMA will launch Prologue, a pop-up series of performances, talks, screenings, and multimedia installations within CMA at The Pizzuti. Organized in partnership with faculty from The Ohio State University, Prologue will offer an exciting roster of artists, musicians, DJs, and other special guests. Prologue is open during the special monthly events listed below, and by appointment for tour groups.
January 31
6:30–10:00 PM
Conversation with art historian Faye Raquel Gleisser and artist David L. Johnson, whose work is featured in Prologue. Following their conversation from 7:00–8:00 PM, stay for Errant Forms X Nesting, a DJ series curated by Love Higher (Reg Zehner).
Cash bar sponsored by Watershed Distillery. Free with registration.
March 14
6:30–10:00 PM
Conversation with artists Julia Scher and Julia Weist, both of whom are featured in Prologue. Following their conversation from 7:00–8:00 PM, stay for Errant Forms X Nesting, a DJ series curated by Love Higher (Reg Zehner).
Cash bar sponsored by Watershed Distillery. Free with registration.
Tavares Strachan, Encyclopedia of Invisibility (Pocket Guide), 2024. Leather, gilding, archival paper, lucite box and stand. Image courtesy of the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery.
