Columbus, Ohio USA
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Dis 'n' Data
By Margaret Marten, Editor
email margaret@shortnorth.com
October 2010
Some of you may recall Healing Ways, Christine McDevitt’s massage therapy practice, located at 22 Buttles Ave. in the late ‘90s, and later at Victorian Gates, before being put out of that site with the condo conversion in 2006. McDevitt moved her practice to Grandview, and then to Worthington where she stood her ground for another four years massaging and mending before migrating south again this summer. Her new location at 3474 N. High St. in Clintonville, a block north of East North Broadway, rests within an old house in a like-minded community – perhaps the perfect place for her practice. “It’s a great location, and it is so nice to be out of an office-type building,” said McDevitt. “The move was the right decision – my practice is already busier.” She refers to her therapy method as eclectic. Her background includes training in energy work as well as different modalities of massage that she can blend into any one session depending on the client’s needs. For those wanting to reconnect with Christine or to learn more about Healing Ways, call 614-261-6464.
Mahan Gallery closed this month. Located at 717 N. High, the space featured fine contemporary art, regularly pulling in impressive talent from out of state. Owner Jacquie Mahan will now turn her undivided attention to her family. When the gallery opened in 2004 at 1042 N. High (before moving to its second location three years ago) her two boys, Donovan, 4, and Lincoln, 1, were not yet in the picture, so the demands of motherhood were not pressing. In her parting email, she expresses gratitude for the support she received over the years from her partner Adam Otcasek and family members, as well as her friends Colleen Grennan and Kelly Cousin. We should thank all of these folks for their dedication and hard work in helping to maintain the gallery, adding a brushstroke of beauty to the Short North.
Artist Lynda McClanahan received a 2010 Visual Arts Fellowship from the Greater Columbus Arts Council. The award includes $5000 cash, participation in a Columbus Museum of Art show in March 2011, and candidacy for participation in the Dresden Exchange program, a two-to-three month residency abroad. McClanahan – along with three other artists – was chosen from among 111 applicants. Influenced by a background in theology and yogic philosophy, her work often reflects the holiness of ordinary life. She is a self-taught artist, as well as a musician known in the Short North district where she and her husband, Joel Knepp, have performed as the duo “Nick and Polina.” They live in the Harrison West/Victorian Village neighborhood.
Wedding plans are in the works for Short North publicist and community volunteer Alexandra Kelley. During a recent visit to Spain with her boyfriend, Kevin Fox, she was surprised and delighted when he turned to her in Madrid’s historic Retiro Park and, speaking in Spanish, asked for her hand in marriage. A courageous feat on a couple of levels. For one, Fox does not speak Spanish, and another, the phonetically challenged proposal was offered on bended knee. “He memorized how to propose to me in Spanish because I speak Spanish,” Kelley explained. “He wrote down in English what he wanted to say, and my closest friend in Spain translated for him and wrote it down on a piece of paper to memorize.” There were cheers and screams resounding from a distant soccer game at that moment in the park offering some unexpected encouragement, according to Fox, as he imagined the enthusiastic crowd cheering him on. Kelley described the scene as Alice-in-Wonderland like, and was in awe when the sky shifted to a lavender hue. Kelley, 33, is responsible for the continuation of the summer music series in Goodale Park that almost bit the dust two years ago when funds dried up for the Short North Sunday Jazz series. Kelly also sits on the board of the Short North Foundation and the Short North Civic Association and is a feature writer for ColumbusUnderground. Screen on the Green, the film series in Goodale Park, is another project developed under Kelley’s direction. Her fiancé Fox, 36, is vice president and creative director for GSW Worldwide, an advertising agency. He lends his design and photographic talents to the neighborhood as well by contributing art for publicity fliers, Web site creation, and photographs of neighborhood events posted online for the public to enjoy. The couple’s wedding is scheduled June 2011 at the Columbus Museum of Art. We share in the romance of it all and wish them the very best!News about upcoming events in the neighborhood can be found in Community Events and the Bulletin Board.
Email the Editor margaret@shortnorth.com
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