Weinland Park Story Book Debuts with June 29 Celebration

Columbus, OH—In celebration of the publication of the Weinland Park Story Book, a graphic anthology based on short stories and anecdotes from the neighborhood, the Wexner Center and Weinland Park community will host a family-friendly artists’ reception 2–4 pm Sunday, June 29, at the Godman Guild Association, 303 E. 6th Ave. Attendees can enjoy a free scoop of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream after they view the original artworks, which will be on display salon–style before they are donated to the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum’s permanent collection. Weinland Park residents and contributing artists will be able to pick up a free copy of the book (one per household) at the front desk.

The result of a long-term relationship with the campus-area neighborhood, the Weinland Park Story Book is a hand-illustrated, limited-edition publication that tells some of the joyful, funny, heartbreaking, and poignant stories and impressions of this emerging and vibrant area as it experiences both the benefits and challenges of rapid change and gentrification.

Wexner Center Educator for Youth Programs Jean Pitman says, “This collaborative community project has given voice to and shed light upon those who are often unheard and unseen. This is an authentic contemporary art project that works to transform people’s perceptions of Weinland Park and of the Wexner Center, and we are grateful to all of those whose contributions made the Weinland Park Story Book possible. It has been a joy to work on, and I look forward to continuing our relationship with the people of Weinland Park.”

The book’s genesis can be traced back to an open-ended request from neighborhood leaders Joyce Hughes (then president of the Weinland Park Community Civic association) and Diane Dixon (then vice president of the civic association) to the center’s education team for a community art project that would document Weinland Park’s past and present through the eyes of its residents. Pitman shaped the Weinland Park Story Book to be a vehicle by which a multitude of stories could be told, reflecting the neighborhood’s range of races, ages, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, incomes, education levels, and life experiences.

Wexner Center Director Sherri Geldin says, “The power of this community chronicle is that no single storytelling or illustrational style predominates. In its deliberate pursuit and embrace of distinctive voices and talents, the Story Book captures the neighborhood’s remarkable diversity and dynamism. We’re so gratified that Joyce Hughes, Diane Dixon, and the residents of Weinland Park saw in the Wexner Center the potential for genuine and sustained creative collaboration—an authentic two-way partnership between committed community stakeholders.”

Hughes notes, “While this was originally created for the youth, the project has touched every decade and given residents a sense of pride and ownership. The neighborhood has embraced the Weinland Park Story Book because it gives a history of my neighborhood that my neighbors took a part in creating, and it’s one that is the truth—unabridged and sometimes raw.”

The project, which was made possible with support from the Cardinal Health Foundation, had a creative team that included more than 40 professional and amateur artists, teen and college-age interns, and luminaries such as award-winning journalist Wil Haygood (a one-time Weinland Park resident). Funding through a Franklin County Summer Youth Employment program at Godman Guild paid for four TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families)–eligible teens to work on the project in the summer of 2013. Members of the Weinland Park Community Civic Association, Weinland Park Community Dialogue Circles, teen interns, local artists, college students, and Wex staff were involved in and served as advisers on the project.

After the book is distributed to the Weinland Park community, any remaining copies of the 1,000 books (whose printing was funded in part by the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s power2give campaign, with a match from The Columbus Foundation) will be donated to Weinland Park neighborhood institutions, as well as the Ohio History Connection, Columbus Historical Society, and the Columbus Metropolitan Library. “Good Morning,” an enlarged illustration from the book, is on view this year in the Short North Arts District as part of the Short North Alliance’s Viewpoints mural project.

An online edition of the Weinland Park Story Book is on view at wexarts.org/weinlandparkstorybook