CCAD celebrates 20 years of the Art Sign in Columbus
Having made its mark as a beacon for the city's art scene, the Columbus College of Art & Design is celebrating 20 years since the installation of its 100-foot Art Sign.
The 10-story steel sculpture, installed on June 23, 2001, has become an iconic piece of Columbus' cityscape and a prime landmark for skyline selfies.
But above all things, CCAD President Melanie Corn said the 31-ton, 101-foot wide sculpture on Cleveland Avenue speaks to the city's support of the arts.
"The Art Sign is a physical symbol that CCAD, and creative practice more generally, are at the heart of Columbus," she said. "Art and design drives our economy and turns our city from a place that is not just livable but lovable."
To celebrate the Art Sign's historic mark, CCAD is launching a series of programs and social media initiatives throughout the summer.
What's the history behind CCAD's Art Sign?
The sculpture came together after Ric Petry, now a CCAD professor emeritus, got the idea for a large, neon red and block-letter ART sign in 1996 while serving as a visiting artist in Taiwan. He kept noticing a similar sign at a local college on top of a Taipei City hill, and soon envisioned an equally striking sculpture at CCAD.
Petry pitched the idea to former CCAD President Denny Griffith. In 2001, the college received a gift from CCAD alumni Dale Beavers and Grant Beavers, who owned The Artglo Company, to make and erect the public art project.
In a process that took nearly 10 hours, the Art Sign, designed by Artglo Company's Doris Shlayn, was installed on June 23, 2001 and unveiled to the public that fall.
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"It really is monumental," CCAD spokeswoman Leah Spellman said. "There wasn't that much around CCAD's campus at the time, so it was really huge. The city of Columbus and that area has built up through the years, so it looks big even today, but imagine what it looked like back then when there were less structures around it."
Art Sign 'has stood the test of time'
CCAD has launched a web page that outlines the history of the Art Sign, and held a commemorative event Tuesday for the college's Board of Trustees and community leaders.
During the ceremony, Chris Mundell, vice president for institutional engagement at CCAD, said he was filled with gratitude when looking back at the people who contributed to the sign's placement.
"I think it's pretty amazing that the sign has stood the test of time over the 20 years, and has become a symbol and visual landmark that gives the campus a real sense of place," he said.
"It's much more than a sign."
The college has also installed two spots on campus to encourage visitors to take Art Sign selfies and post throwback pictures of the sculpture on social media using the hashtag #CCADartsign. The college is also sharing a Spotify playlist filled with No. 1 songs from the week of June 23 from 2001 to 2021.
CCAD's upcoming project, the Art Sign on the Road series, will bring a 10-foot inflatable replica of the landmark to COSI, the Clintonville Farmers' Market and other community spots in July and August to encourage visitors to learn more about the sculpture and the contributions of the college.
A full list of locations and dates will be added to ccad.edu/artsign in the coming weeks.
In the next 20 years, Mundell said he's hopeful the community continues to build around the CCAD and other art organizations, as they have been an integral piece in the continued expansion of the Downtown area and larger community as a whole.