Read more about Bexley’s art scene here and here.
While work is often seen as a boring, mundane task, local artists in Columbus approach their work with a renewed enthusiasm every day. For them, work isn’t an obligation but a daily adventure.
Local artist and creative mentor Abby Feinknopf said she enjoys her job because she is paid for doing what she loves.
Feinknopf said she doesn’t mind working long hours because she is passionate about her art.
“When you’re pursuing something that you really care about, it never feels like work,” she added.
Assistant professor of Core Studies at the Columbus College of Art and Design Katie Davis said she feels similarly about her job as a studio artist and professor. Teaching Core Studies means she has students of all majors in her classes, she added.
“There is work involved, but at the same time when I’m making, it almost feels like play,” she said.
Davis explained she enjoys teaching art because she loves how her students are able to learn from each other.
“I leave my projects open so that students can come at a concept from different angles depending on what their skills are and what they’re interested in,” she added.
Nicole Monahan, Associate Vice President for Career Services and Partnerships at Columbus College of Art and Design, said her love of teaching art comes from the experience of watching students make breakthroughs in their work and learn to communicate their ideas.
Feinknopf said she became interested in art in high school where her focus was fine arts, but she didn’t originally pursue art in higher education.
“I had a solo exhibition, I had a portfolio and I wanted to go to art school,” she said. “My father said no way.”
After working in marketing and business development, Feinknopf said she reentered the art world when she made a fabric baby book for a friend.
She designed and illustrated the book using fabric pages that can be printed on, she said. They were customizable and she could print the names of family members, Feinknopf added.
“It was entirely baby-safe and washable,” she said. “That turned into a business for six years.”
Architectural photographer Brad Feinknopf explained his interest in architecture emerged because his father and grandfather were both architects.
“Architecture for me is a part of my being,” he added. “Ever since I was little I was going to job sites.”
Brad explained he has experienced continued support throughout his time living in Bexley.
“The Columbus community has always been very supportive,” he said. “I feel very much at home and happy to be in Bexley and Columbus.”
Abby Feinknopf explained organizations like the Bexley Community Foundation, Columbus College of Art and Design and the Bexley Public Library make significant contributions to the art community.
“All of these areas offer camps, classes and experiences that people can get involved in at a very early age and continue into adulthood,” she said.
Monahan said Saturday morning art classes, a long-established event open to the public at CCAD, help educate young people in Bexley and Columbus.
“It gives them a deeper appreciation for art,” she added. “It creates more people who understand and care about art in the community.”
Davis said the classes at CCAD offer a learning experience for artists at every age, regardless of their expertise.
“It’s a really inclusive program,” she said. “They teach people at all different levels.”
Davis explained connecting artists to new experiences and opportunities is important to her as part of the art community in Columbus.
Monahan said living in Columbus has taught her the value of feeling welcome in a community, especially as an artist.
“It is one of the most collaborative and supportive art communities,” she added. “Artists are some of the luckiest people.”