Columbus renamed its Cultural Arts Center Downtown er former longtime City Council member, art advocate and local gallery owner Priscilla Tyson at an event Friday across the street at Bicentennial Park.
“The arts, the building, are near and dear to me,” Tyson told the gathering, reminding current council members present at the ceremony – to a roar of laughter – that “we’re certainly going to be coming to you guys for funding … because once your name is on a building, you want to make sure that you have resources.
“So there’s some added benefits to having my name on that building, because we’re going to make sure that it’s representative to who we are. … Thank you in advance.”
Tyson was the longest-serving woman on City Council, serving just under 15 full years when she left in January after deciding not to run for another four-year term.
The facility, located Downtown at 139 W. Main St. at 2nd Street across from Bicentennial Park, has been home to the city Recreation and Parks Department Cultural Arts Center for more than four decades. The arts center is situated in an historic former Civil War arsenal, built like a brick fortress in 1861, and opened under a long-term lease from the state in 1978 as a workshop for local artists.
Today, the structure features a ceramics studio, painting and weaving labs, two galleries, and offers community arts classes and programs.
“This honors my family and the people who have loved and cared for me,” Tyson said. “The only reason my name could be on any building is because of my family, who loved me, taught me what I need to do.”
Mayor Andrew J. Ginther said through a written statement that the decision recognizes Tyson’s life-long commitment to advancing the arts and quality of life in Columbus.
“Her efforts have helped to connect countless residents with the visual and performing arts – a central component of any dynamic and inclusive community,” he said. “We all owe her a debt of gratitude for everything she has done to enrich our shared cultural fabric.”
Tyson’s contributions to the arts include:
- Supporting local artists by displaying their works in her gallery, Star Arts Gallery.
- Serving as a member of the Greater Columbus Arts Council for more than 14 years, the longest tenure of any member.
- Advocating for the arts during her tenure on Columbus City Council, including providing funding for public art and establishing the first funding for the Columbus Arts Commission.
- Helping to revise the funding formula for the arts through her service on the Creative Columbus Policy Steering Committee in 2009 during the city’s budget downturn.
- Providing funding to arts organizations and events including the Columbus Performing Arts Association (CAPA), the Wexner Center for the Arts and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
- Advocating for Urban Strings, which was founded in 2007 to recruit and support underserved minority youth who play string instruments.
Tyson said she hopes young people in the future will come to Downtown and see a building that is named after a “seasoned Black girl,” who was “born in this community of humble beginnings,” who attended Columbus City Schools, graduated from local colleges and served her community in a significant way.
“I hope this will be inspiration to all girls – all girls – but especially Black girls,” said Tyson, who while on Council pushed the city to create the Commission on Black Girls, and fund it as an ongoing concern, exploring policy to eliminate inequities that can present significant challenges in the lives of Black girls.
wbush@gannett.com
@ReporterBush
