Solar Flare: A Pop-Up Sculpture Garden & Art Walk

Solar Flare is a one-day, pop-up sculpture garden event taking place on the summer solstice in 2026. It is a neighborhood art walk in the Near East Side of Columbus, in which chosen artists will be paired with a garden space for them to display previously made and/or new work in. Artists are expected to visit their garden individually and collaborate with community members as they determine what to display and where to install their work. 

The walk takes visitors through the Near East Side neighborhoods of King-Lincoln Bronzeville and Olde Towne East. The sculptures will be installed for one day on the summer solstice: Sunday, June 21st, 2026 from 10am-10pm. The artists included will be chosen from an open call to artists living in, working in, or with a history tied to Franklin County. The artists are required to install, deinstall, and attend the final event. There are also mandatory garden tours and studio visits between January and May 2026.

Chosen artists will be given a generous working period and a $300 stipend to help realize their projects, working between January 2026 and April 2026 with a deadline of May 1st, 2026 for their finished piece(s). The artists and myself will collaborate during May to finalize the placement of their pieces in the parks and gardens as well as the methods to install/hang/stabilize them in an outdoor setting. Installation materials such as anti-theft anchors will be covered by another portion of the grant budget, not the artists themselves.

The works will be installed on June 21st, 2026 from 7am-10am. They will stay installed for the duration of the walk from 10am to 10pm, and then deinstall will take place after 10pm. To prevent theft and vandalism, each accepted artist will be assigned a 2-hour shift at their site, with the option to pick up more hours at $25/hr. The rest will be covered by volunteers as needed.

Professional photography of the event will be free of charge to the artists, as will promotion on social media channels. 

In case of inclement weather, there will be a back-up dates of Saturday, June 20th; Saturday, June 27th; and Sunday, June 28th 2026.