Hello again! It’s been a while, I know.
In March, the city of Columbus was shut down, with stay-at-home orders issued by the Governor. All businesses closed, and were to remain that way for what turned out to be two months. When businesses did start to reopen, it was sporadic. Some weren’t prepared for the sanitation and safety issues that would be required. Some didn’t make it through the two months of being closed. It was a rolling, residual effect — restaurants couldn’t fully reopen and instead reverted to carryout and limited service,, pedestrian traffic slowed for shopping, realtors that deal with commercial real estate were inundated with empty spaces and terminated leases, small and micro-business was made more difficult. It was like watching a train coming, if you were on the tracks and couldn’t get untied (like the old black and white movies).
The locations where I display work were frozen in time. The work of Muse Gallery artists was left in place at Smith Bros., Gallerie Bar & Bistro, G Michaels, but nobody was allowed in those buildings at first, then many that worked or visited those buildings stopped working there, are working from home, or businesses that occupied those buildings went out of business. Luckily, all made it through and are still functioning in a modified form, but the artwork certainly isn’t getting seen as it was before. For example, at Smith Bros. Hardware building, many of the businesses that operated in that building have continued to have their employees work remotely. Juniper Restaurant, which was on the rooftop of Smith Bros., closed permanently. Guest stays at the Hilton and the Gallerie Bar & Bistro in the Hilton dropped dramatically.
Following the shutdown orders, protests and riots broke out in Columbus for the Black Lives Matter movement, and business in the Short North area of Columbus (where Smith Bros. and the Hilton are located) were boarded up and closed again. It was the one-two punch that, for many, was the final straw. We are still, in Columbus, in a state of flux. There’s a rolling effect of more businesses closing because of ongoing safety concerns, lack of foot traffic, emotional exhaustion, etc.
Interestingly, after 25 years in business, I seem to have built a remarkably loyal customer base, and an amazing stable of artists that people across the country continue to collect and support. Muse Gallery is fine, and I thank all of you for that. Thank you to Capitol Equities for reopening Smith Bros. Hardware as safely and quickly as possible. Thank you Hilton Columbus Downtown for continuing to operate through all of this, and for initiating positive services such as curbside pickup, free meals for your employees, etc. And thank you, especially, to those collectors who purchased during the shutdowns. It was important to the viability of Muse Gallery and critical for some of the artists. Thank you, thank you. Based on the customers I had reach out and buy, and the utter joy that provided, I decided to “pay it forward”. I started buying artwork by my artists. Win/win!! I get beautiful artwork, they get the support many of them so desperately need. It hasn’t been monumental, but it’s been something. One piece here, one piece there. Please, if you haven’t purchased artwork lately, consider it. Artists often worked in the “gig economy”, multiple small jobs or self-supporting as artists. There aren’t alternative jobs now — waiting tables, teaching, etc., Please, consider supporting the artists. They need you, and you need art!!
I’ll close by showing some of the smaller, more affordable pieces available by Muse Gallery artists. Hope to hear from you soon.
Christopher X. Bost, Bonsai, 14” oval, $500
Wendy Franklin, Companionship, 30”x30”, $2,800
Sol Halabi, Summer Dream, 12” round, $2,400
Christina Hall-Strauss, Floating #10, pastel on paper, 16”x20”, $650
David Hostetler, Earth Goddesses, Lithograph 7/30, $1,500
Brandon C. Smith, Pressure, charcoal and pastel on paper, 30”x44”, $2,900 framed
Char Norman, Preserved II, 3”x8”, $650
Carole Pryharska, Symbiotae Series, 16”x18” acrylic on canvas, $750
Dave Senecal, 08-2017-#7, oil on paper, 14”x17”, $350
Bonnie Teitelbaum, Bayou Garland, acrylic on panel, 15”x15”, $950