University District area residents will soon open up their porches to the public.
Eighteen porch and sidewalk locations in the Glen Echo and South of Hudson neighborhoods north of campus will be open for viewing different kinds of art on Sunday.
The inaugural Neighborhood Porch Festival is hosted by Wild Goose Creative, a nonprofit arts organization located on Summit Street in SoHud.
Jessie Glover Boettcher, a board member of Wild Goose Creative and organizer of the festival, said she is looking forward to seeing what the members of the community have to share on their porches.
“The vibe that we’re going for is very much a cross between a yard sale and trick-or-treating,” she said. “So it’s a very casual time to enjoy one another and enjoy art together.”
Members of the community will be featuring art on their porches including music, film, pottery and poetry.
The festival will encompass a half-mile radius, with houses as far north as Cliffside Drive and as far south as Maynard Avenue.
A map of all of the houses participating in the event will be distributed around the festival.
Naomi Kennedy, a third-year in arts management and gallery intern at Wild Goose Creative, said she thinks students can benefit from connecting with their neighbors over art.
“I don’t think a lot of students realize how vibrant the neighborhood surrounding Ohio State is,” she said. “There’s so much creativity and such a great sense of community once you break out of the Ohio State bubble.”
Kennedy also said she is excited to see more of the creativity that she has already observed in the Glen Echo and SoHud neighborhoods.
“I remember one time I was walking down Summit Street and saw a man carving a wooden sculpture on his front porch, and I was so inspired,” she said. “I love sculpture so I’m hoping to see some live sculpting.”
Boettcher said the festival is a good opportunity for students who live in the area to meet some of the people who live nearby.
“It’s a really casual kind of event, it’s a very much meet-your-neighbors kind of situation,” she said. “So it’s a great way for students to meet their neighbors and to make some connections.”
Community members who don’t live in the Glen Echo or SoHud neighborhoods were still given the opportunity to participate by “borrowing” the porch of someone who does have a house in one of the neighborhoods to display their art.
A couple of former High Street businesses that have been relocated to the SoHud neighborhood due to High Street development will also be participating in the festival, including Evolved Body Art and Used Kids records. Boettcher said Used Kids will be hosting sidewalk musician performances and a sidewalk sale.
In the future, Boettcher said she hopes to hold the event again and make it bigger, with even more houses participating.
“I think a lot of people have creative things happening inside their houses, and it might feel like a little bit of a risk to put them out on their porch, but I’m hoping people will take the cues from their neighbors and put things out on the porch next year,” she said.
The Neighborhood Porch Festival will be held on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
