The Pizzuti Collection

The pizzuti collection is a downtown Columbus Ohio art museum that me and my family stumbled upon while exploring the short north district of the city whileKilling time between my daughters cheer comp we was in town for. The outside of the Museum features some really awesome sculptures that draw you in. Th family and I are big public art fans so seeing the outside sculptures drew out attention. The inside on our visit was very limited. The upstairs and downstairs was blocked off to the public so we checked out the main floor which featured some unique Andy Warhol type style art. Overall This was a quick and interesting tour to make. I will say personally I enjoyed the outside sculpture garden pieces more but it was still worth a visit.

The Pizzuti Collection of the Columbus Museum of Art was one of the participating galleries of the monthly Gallery Hop. They are only open Friday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm. It had a nice outdoor sculpture garden. My favorite sculpture was the Chrysler (2013) by Alexandre Arrechea. Admission was $5 per anyone 4 years and older. They offered free admission to veterans and active duty and their families. They may bring up to 7 guests. Alternatively, if you bring a receipt from a Short North business, then you can get free admission. There were two floors of art exhibits. They are currently exhibiting Greater Columbus, Was It Your Trigger Finger?, Alison Saar's Nocturne Navigator, and more. My favorite indoor exhibit was Residency by George Rush.

The Pizzuti Collection is housed in the former United Commercial Travelers insurance building. It is the culmination of a lifetime of diverse & eclectic art collecting by a wonderful Columbus couple, Ann & Ron Pizzuti.The pieces on display here are important to the art world, intellectually challenging, and champion a wide array of artistic voices.On the occasion of my recent visit I had learned at the main Columbus Museum of Art that the Pizzuti had only recently reopened. Of course I made a beeline over to the Goodale Park area for the final hour of the museums daily hours - I was not displeased and in fact completely delighted with the current installation.The multi room concept currently showing is based on Dougal Robertson's book "Survive the Savage Sea" that describes his family's survival after their schooner was sank by a pod of whales in the Pacific Ocean. Six people for 37 days on a nine foot dinghy. The concept was turned into an electrifying and fantastic multimedia presentation spanning several rooms. Well done. This is the sort of fantastic and fascinating art that the Pizzuti's generosity has brought to Columbus - we are fortunate to have this collection in our midst. The holdings are extensive, counting over 2,000 pieces.

Pretty cool collection!This was opened by the Pizzuti family in Columbus. It's all the art that they own. They had been closed for a bit, but today was the opening of a new exhibition. They had different types of chairs that were made creatively. Some were made by graffiti artist, Kaws.There were some other pieces that were kind of abstract, as well as some political pieces. It was refreshing to see. There are a lot of political perspectives creatively depicted in art these days regarding racial tension. It really makes you think. The amount of silence in those rooms as people looked around was almost uncomfortable and yet refreshing. We need to talk about what's wrong and heal the wounds we've left to fester.It was free to visit today and I saw a good handful of people walking around. Lots of young adults, couples, a girl with her mom, etc.It's normally free for students and kids anyway, but I believe it's $12 for adults.I found parallel parking a block down, but you can park at the garages too.They won't let you hold your purse if it's a certain size, so they keep it at the front desk. It's understandable. The art should be protected and preserved. You can't touch anything but they do welcome taking photos!The workers here were really personable and nice! They conversed about the art. The Pizzuti collection is now under the Columbus Museum of Art, so we will see how it will operate.

The "Chairs" exhibit at The Pizzuti Collection is one of the most extraordinary, can't take your eyes off of it collections that I have seen in quite some time. In fact, I found myself using the video option on my phone so that I could capture each chair at a distance and use the zoom feature to get an in-depth look at the exquisite detail.Pro-tip: be sure to keep an eye open for Pizzuti Community Days which offers free admission, often activities for youth, and rotating exhibits. While there it is always nice to take a stroll through Goodale Park on a nice day. No designated parking space for the museum, but there are many metered spots nearby.

I was able to visit the Pizzuti Collection during Columbus's Big Explore opportunity a couple weeks back. Entrance to it was free for us and I had never been, but had only heard great things. It did not disappoint. At this time, the main displays were that of artistic chairs of all types. It's roughly three floors of art pieces. While overall, the space seems a little small, there is plenty of room to walk around and admire the pieces of art. Highly recommend if you just want to do something laid back and experience some really amazing art.

I live within walking distance of the Pizzuti Collection and am ashamed it took me over 2 years to visit. Tucked away between Goodale Park and the Short North, it's small museum packed with a diverse collection of surprising, thought-provoking art. When I visited, it was quiet, allowing for lingering and picture taking (which is encouraged). I'm glad places like this exist in Columbus and will certainly be back to see new exhibitions.

Basically, I can't say enough good things about this great addition to the arts scene in Columbus. I've organized an event here for about 200 people (on behalf of a non-profit I'm associated with) and attended a few exhibitions. Every time I've been here, I've been blown away by the professionalism of the staff and the well-curated exhibits. I have visited the Visions of India exhibition twice already and can't wait to go back a few more times. I'm pretty sure that no other museum has ever exhibited such a large collection of contemporary Indian art in Ohio. It's exciting to see such a small museum doing such exciting things in Central Ohio. Please support them!

The current exhibition "US IS THEM" is a MUST SEE [pardon all the caps]. The sculpture, painting, and photography are all beautiful. Also the two-wall video in the "black box". This exhibit is very well curated, mounted & displayed. It is intellectually challenging, and yet also eye pleasing.I visited on a thurs just before noon. There was plenty of metered 6hr. on-street parking on both sides of N. Park St. right in front of the building. [Actually, I took the bus and swilled a pour-over at One Line Coffee prior to the museum opening!]

One of the major oversights of the current Pizzuti exhibition is a lack of narrative context for the art. There is nothing that helps frame the conversation or any of the individual pieces (save one or two). This is especially concerning because the Pizzuti Collection is supported largely by white wealthy benefactors and arts patrons. And this exhibition purports to be a conversation on oppression, stigmatization, privilege, and racial/ethnic difference. I want to know what questions the exhibition is asking. I want to know how the exhibition is defining its relationship to power and powerlessness. I want to know how an exhibition titled "Us is Them"--which is absolutely ridiculous, as there is no way in this world that people with endless amounts of race and class privilege live identical lives to the "them" displayed inside the building--even made it off the drawing board. Yes, I could have read the catalog. Which I did--and found underwhelming, especially considering the political ambitiousness of the show. But the catalog is a static book on a table. The best galleries and museums know how to provide a complex and critical context for the exhibitions that they curate. And they know how to share that narrative with a visitor, so that a visitor does not encounter art in a vacuum. If this Collection is going to be anything other than a vanity enterprise, they need to step up their game. And $12 admission? Come on now.