The first art festival in the bubbling Gay Street strip happened Saturday, September 20th. Called "This Is Independent"
it was one of two art festivals downtown that weekend and was mostly ignored by the local media. Yet, great weather and a sizable crowd made it a memorable laid-back affair to showcase the great downtown buildings being transformed by creative people a block from the statehouse. This used to be part of the main shopping area for Columbus with a few old bank building with tall decorative lobbies. Stone buildings with classical columns abound. There's a new 12 story hotel right in the center of the block and many recent updates, like a rain water garden to filter run-off from the street, make this a comfortable place to hang-out. Yet, this first try at a festival suffered from the same attitude as the Short North's first Art al Fresco in August. Many people treated it as an afternoon event. Most of the artists had left their booths long before nightfall. Those that stayed found that lighting was lacking unless you brought your own. But the entertainment continued on into the night on two outdoor stages and a couple of indoor ones.
Half of the festival was in Pearl Alley
where a mural was being painted, but other murals are part of a small nightlife and bar scene that has kept century old pubs going in the center of downtown. The crowd were mostly young artsy types that probably either go to C.C.A.D. or live downtown. Mainstream people had the Riverfront Art Festival along the river at COSI that featured the last Fire Walk on the Mile.
Sky Lab art gallery
is on the Fifth Floor of an old loft style building which included a 4th Floor gallery and an active group of people shouting out of the window to the festival below. 
The Vault is an old bank with an amazing lobby
that was used for a few concerts during the festival. The front lobby had a sky painted ceiling while the main lobby must have 20 foot ceilings and colored lighting that could have held hundreds of people. The Vault itself was mostly empty but for a handful of paintings. There was a big break between daylight and late night activity. It seemed like two different events. The best performances were inside the Due Amici restaurant, which seemed to short change the street fair as the two outdoor stages seemed to spend most of their time tearing down and setting up for the next band. But then, if it was raining the indoor stages would have won the day.
Mayor Coleman was seen checking out the festival. The deli and coffeeshop on the corner of High & Gay was giving out free espresso shots to promote themselves, their expert coffee roaster, and a local creamery. All in all, this is a festival we hope will return and grow. Try to spend the whole day if Couchfire organizes this again.
Yet another great weather gallery hop! The November, 2008 hop started real early, like in the afternoon early, and kept going well into the night. Musicians seemed to be everywhere. [top left:) a rousing brass band kept things jumping early on. [top right:) Even a child with a violin found a place to play on the street. [lower left:) For what must have been a first, Phia Gallery had an opera singer... along with a rock band, art on the walls, hair being done, and art being made by an artist outside. [lower right:) Good to see a steel guitar musician on High Street.
Windows were central to the November Gallery Hop. Halloween and Day of the Dead holidays were both associated with the weekend. Beautiful art gave way to artists' darker side. 
Utrecht Art Supplies (top of three) really wants to sell you canvas, as Vincent looks on. Thia Bella and partner Alan had a big show at Norka Futon (center). Her circus side show characters look appropriate this scary time of the year. Norka Futon also had winners of a fancy costume contest around the store. Rivet Gallery (bottom of three) had another talented artist who does art related to their plush and vinyl toy art.
G & Co. was back from their renovation with red faced mannequins.
Of course, the Halloween window displays were the best in the North Short North. [top picture:) The best effort has to go to What The Rock's punked-out scarecrows. [bottom left:) The Garden certainly had the most exciting and colorful window. [bottom right:) and The Surly Girl Saloon brought in mexican circus posters, probably from Zona Cora Zon Galeria, which opened up again for Dayof the Dead.
