What new aspects of this year’s festival should people be most excited about?
We’ve got some great new events this year. I’m particularly excited about the Piada Italian Street Painting – watching artists make chalk masterpieces on the street is going to be so cool! We also have a 50-seat, air-conditioned Film Tent showcasing work from international, national and local filmmakers, and Canstruction, a unique design exhibition using cans of food donated by Kroger. After the festival, all the food will be donated to the Mid-Ohio Foodbank – and I’m all for helping hungry people (and sharks)!
What’s your favorite thing to do at the festival?
I love it all! Shopping for cool art, listening to music and poetry, checking out the hands-on arts area where I can get my creative groove on – and, of course, all the great food and drinks. And while I am a fish out of water, so to speak, I still love playing in the fountain with the kids. The Arts Festival really has something for everyone!
What benefits does an entity – such as a festival – reap when it is represented by a shark?
Well, I’ve been told that sharks and art are the coolest things ever. And I’m the Art Shark, so I guess I’m both of the coolest things ever! But I’m still pretty humble about it. I wouldn’t want people to think I was like that Jaws guy.
What do you do with yourself when you’re not in the middle of festival season?
Well, I’m the Art Shark. So, of course, I try to spend time doing art, seeing art, buying art. I put myself on all the arts organizations’ mailing lists and I check into ColumbusArts.com all the time to see what’s going on around town. I love going to gallery openings, the Columbus Museum of Art and OSU Urban Arts Space, the Wexner Center, CAPA shows and Shadowbox Live – being theater people, those Shadowbox folks, I feel, really get me and my unique character. People ask me all the time if it’s hard not to eat people. In truth I may be the only vegan shark you know. And people have gotten used to seeing me now, so they’re not so scared anymore.
What are your favorite and least favorite portrayals of sharks in popular culture?
I love the Land Shark. That guy was a genius! He’s the one who inspired me to get my fins out of the water and try my luck on dry land. Of course, he and I are a bit different. I’m all about the art. He’s all about the, you know, eating people thing. On the flip side, man, that Jaws guy gives us a real bad name. And he’s such a diva. Every time I talk to him he’s all, “Stevie Spielberg and I were hanging out the other day” and “Did you see my perfect teeth in that movie poster?” What a narcissistic name-dropper.
June 2, 2014: A few words with CityScene’s June cover model: the Columbus Arts Festival’s Art Shark
