CFA to Issue Hilton Tower Call for Art on November 15

The Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority (CFA) continues to expand its collection of local art as new buildings come to life. On Nov. 15, the CFA took the next step with a new call for art; this one will populate the new Hilton Columbus Downtown Tower, says James Reese of Reese Brothers Productions, the CFA’s art curator.

Reese says he is working with the Greater Columbus Arts Council to formally push the call out through its communication channels, and that the Ohio Arts Council and Dublin Arts Council have also agreed to spread the word. The call for art is the venue through which artists can propose their works as additions to the Tower collection. The call will remain open through the end of the year.

“In all we will be acquiring at least 200 works for the Hilton Tower, and it could go up from there, depending on final hotel designs,” Reese says. “In addition to purchasing art from local artists, we’re also working with the Columbus Museum of Art on a loan agreement for pieces from its collection.”

The CFA currently owns central Ohio’s largest contemporary collection of local art, which is displayed throughout the Greater Columbus Convention Center, the Hilton Columbus Downtown and the CFA’s three parking garages.

The collection is primarily the result of a communitywide call for art, overseen by an art selection committee consisting of: CFA board member Barbara Nicholson, Columbus Museum of Art Executive Director Nannette V. Maciejunes, Columbus Museum of Art board secretary Loann Crane, former Columbus Museum of Art board member Peggy Mativi, award- winning poet Barbara Fant, outstanding artist Bryan Moss, along with collection curators James and Michael Reese.

“Our artists and our art reflect the rich diversity of our community, spanning age, race and gender,” says CFA Executive Director Don Brown. “Our art is public art, and as such is free of charge to anyone visiting any of our buildings. We’re excited to continue building on the collection as we begin work on the new Hilton Tower.”

Designed by the architectural firm of Cooper Carry with interior design by Jeffrey Beers International, the Hilton Tower will be 28 stories with 463 guest rooms and 47,000 square feet of meeting space. Together with the existing Hilton, the hotel will become the first 1,000-room hotel in the city and the largest hotel in Ohio when it opens in 2022.