The Gift - OneShot!

Written/Photography by
Andrew Livelsberger

Location:  Cleveland Museum of Art - Large Room Just Past The Armor Court

The Gifts.

This was a gift to me, as I was fortunate enough to have walked into the room and saw this scene before me. I had the my camera hanging off my right hip. I immediately pulled the camera to my eye and there it was, almost perfectly framed. I fired off one shot.  I took another, then the scene changed and subsequent shots just didn't have the same feel.  The first image was the one, as is often the case.

The real gift is the fact that 3 generations were together, enjoying the day out of the heat. This was at the Cleveland Museum of Art, in the large room just past the Armor Court.

Always take the shot now, as you are never guaranteed the same scene upon return.
Never take anything for granted.
Always give love, but never expect it in return. The reward for loving one another is not an earthly one, but an eternal one.

Have a great week and I hope this image helps put you in a positive mindset!

Cincinnati / Over The Rhine Street Art

Written by Dani and Andrew Livelsberger

Photography by Andrew Livelsberger

Background:

The revitalization of Cincinnati's Over The Rhine area abounds with must see street artworks.

Impression:

If you do any internet searches on the Over The Rhine area of Cincinnati, you may be surprised by what you read.   Just a few years ago, it was one of the most densely populated city areas in the country.   Articles about the crime rates were the norm.

Through many efforts by the city, community organizations, and enduring residence, the Over The Rhine area has come a long way.   Vine Street is now bustling with retail gems, barber shops, and culinary delights.

This area has changed.  It has changed a lot.  While I would never presume to say that any area is crime free or any inner city area is 100% safe, you can definitely tell that this area has made huge strides to reduce crime and blight.

If you are around the Vine and 12th Street area, you are close to Washington Park and the Cincinnati Music Hall.

Findlay Market, having its own storied history, is within walking distance of the hustle and bustle of Vine and 13th.

Staying in an AirBnB in the heart of Over The Rhine gave use the opportunity to take in the neighborhood.

While the renovations and legacy architecture stand out to you, what popped out at us more so than anything else is the mural and street art you see almost everywhere. 

Having worked professionally with some local Columbus mural projects, we have a decent idea of what it takes to pull these projects together.   We also understand the pride, beauty and hope that these artworks provide to the community.   This is not only for those from the neighborhood, but is an excellent draw for those coming into the area for the first time or frequent visitors. 

Art like this makes people want to walk around and discover it, thus giving business more potential for walk by traffic.

Art on display is not of one type either.  Various artists and styles are employed.  You also have commissioned work as well as what appears to be graffiti-type work on vinyl.

This level of artwork is incredible and we feel, improves the panache and draw to the area.

We are looking forward to returning to this area to do some in depth about this great community.   Keep checking back or subscribe to our RSS feed to stay in the loop!

Arnold Sports Festival 2018 Recap

We want to welcome back our Arnold Sports Festival Columbus readers as well as any new readers!
You might be wondering why the Arnold articles now?

We wanted to give you a little recap of 2018 and start getting you pumped and excited about all that is going to go on in 2019!

The team is currently looking over the events for this year and building out our schedule of coverage.
We'll update you on anything new that is coming in a future post.

Guns and Hoses Amateur Boxing

This event was held at the Hollywood Casino event area.  Police and firefighters compete in 3 round boxing matches.

Body Painting Competition

2018 was the first official body painting competition at the Arnold Columbus.   Great artists and models came together to showcase their skills.

 

Art At The Arnold

For many years, art has been a feature at the Arnold.   2018 saw the introduction of the body painting category, other more traditional art forms continue to be made and displayed.  2018 saw the artists move to a more spacious area in the newer section of the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
New location, same great art.

Yoga

Yoga is also represented at the Arnold.  At this session, sensory deprivation is used to help block out the outside influences of the world and get the practitioners focused.

Pole Dancing

Professional pole dancing is a must see event.  We stop by every year to see the amateurs and professionals display their awesomely choreographed and athletic routines.

Scottish Highland Games

Caber tossing and rock throwing were on display in the Expo.

Toughman Competition

New for 2018, the toughman boxing was exciting and entertaining.  We are hoping that this event returns in 2019.
These fighters left everything in the octagon.

Wheelchair Bodybuilding

After we saw this event for the first time a few years ago, this has been a must see every year.  Showcasing the strong will of the human spirit.  These bodybuilders overcome some of the biggest adversities and prove that you can be whatever you set your mind to!

Pickleball

we knew very little about this sport, but it is easy to understand once you watch for a little while.  This fast paced sport is great to watch.  Definitely check it out!   This event is normally at the fair grounds along with gymnastics, cheerleading and the kids expo.

Professional Wrestling

Yes, there is that as well!  We stumbled across this high energy match whilst making our way through the kids expo.   It was so good, we stopped to get some coverage of NOW - New Ohio Wrestling!

There are so many competitions at the Arnold every year, we have a tough time trying to figure out what to cover!  There is something for everyone at the Arnold, so make sure to look over the 4 days of events and find your favorite!  Or better yet, find something you've never seen or heard of before and give that a go.

Here is a link to the 2019 schedule of events.
Official ArnoldSportFestival Website - SCHEDULE 2019

Remember, if you can't make it, checkout our coverage February 28 through March 3!

Urban Scrawl 2018

Written by Dani and Andrew Livelsberger

Photography by Andrew Livelsberger

Background:

A 2-Day arts festival organized by the Franklinton Arts District.  It has been an annual event since 2007, featuring art murals from over 60 local artists.  This is one of central Ohio's largest urban renewal projects.

Impression:

Music, food trucks and art done on site.  If you are looking for a fun weekend, definitely give Urban Scrawl's annual event a look see.

Artists embrace their favorite medium of choice and use large wooden boards to showcase their talents.  This year, we notices the same great variation in styles...but we also were treated to quite a few more three dimensional pieces that jumped off the board.

You have everything you need in one place.  Something to entertain you - the music and the art, you have food and drinks - food trucks and beer.

We were able to bring some new eyes to this event this year.   We had some friends who had never been before and we invited them.   They loved the variety and techniques that artists employed.

Since this is an annual event for us, we were fortunate to see some familiar faces and old friends.

It was great to see the first timers taking it all in.    Speaking of first timers, we invited some friends of ours to partake of the event for their first time.    It was exciting to see their reactions to all the different art styles and techniques.

Since this is a very visual event, we'll just let the images below speak for themselves and you can get an idea of the event that is presented over at 400 W. Rich Street.