Stellan Hinz

In the late afternoon on Thursday, August 30th I found myself in the verdant Patricia M. Jurgensen Sculpture Garden in the Columbus Museum of Art. I was there for BAM (Bar, Art, and Music) a free event held each Thursday at the museum from May 28th – September 10th.

The event brings Columbusites from all walks of life together. It provides for the neighborhood a site of joint rapture, as Donald Hall put it. The third thing provided by the museum was art, as you might expect from an art museum, but I don’t want to focus on the visual art. The music provided by Damn Girl and the dance performance by Flux + Flow Dance and Movement Center were the focus of my attention.

Firstly I want to say that I find DJing to be a conceptually prickly artform. It seems hard. The set has to do something different for everybody. The young kids running on the grass, the young adults playing large guess who, the crowd drinking and dancing, the tables filled with polite chatting, and everyone in between all need the DJ’s work to fade into their chosen activity despite the stark contrasts between those activities. I think that Damn Girl succeeded in the difficult endeavor of the DJ because they were in conversation with the space as a whole not any particular group. The curation and stitching of well known tunes rewarded direct attention without demanding it, facilitated dancing, and was never outlandish or incompetent in the way that a bad DJ set can be. There was never a moment where the train crashed or even reminded those in the dining car of the possibility of death.

Damn Girl is celebrating its 13th year as a Columbus party institution, and given their success in molding their set to the moment, I look forward to hearing them when they have center stage.

My cynical east coast eyes seen a group of people dancing on grass as a scene reserved for a film musical. It was to my surprise when a group of people, in plainclothes no less, formed on the lawn in front of me and launched into a choreographed dance by Flux + Flow Dance and Movement Center. I appreciate the choice to dance in normal clothes as opposed to any other uniform. I think it prevented a barrier being formed between the dancers and the audience. The barrier the can be erected by theater stages and concert black. The choice allowed for a more personable feel. Its also in line with the message of Flux + Flow as stated on their website.

“We see every member of the community as an artist and encourage people connect with movement and their bodies in the way that feels right for them as individuals.”

The dancing was energetic and well performed. It reminded me that, although I move my body every day and see others do the same, I rarely take the time to appreciate the artistry of the human form in motion. Flux + Flow offers a range of classes and events if you too would like to practice the appreciation motion.

With the end of summer fast approaching it is important to recognize the ways we can spend the time we have left in warm sun and fair weather. The museum offers lots of examples. BAM for one. The COMA also now has free admission for anyone age 25 and under. Find your way to East Broad Street and envelop yourself in art while you still can.