The Living Room may be the coolest ticket in Downtown Columbus. Here’s what to know
Something truly special is happening in the Columbus art scene and there is no better example than Ben Redding’s The Living Room. Every Thursday, a set of artists perform on a little stage at the front of a room that looks like your grandmother’s, well, living room and it is absolute magic.
There’s a green, fuzzy couch, a stairway to nowhere, a chandelier, and an inclusive mix of interesting, creative, eclectic individuals who will make you feel like you’re at the cool kids’ table. As Redding so aptly observed when we spoke this week, “There are so many good reasons to stay at home. We are not one of those reasons.”
What originally started as a pop-up installation at the King Gallery on Howard Avenue, has since evolved into a much more textured endeavor on Broadway. While the first iteration was an exercise in volume and velocity, the new evolution aims, as Redding says, “to change the way we ‘hang out,’ giving us something else to do, jumbling up social circles and rallying around positive, creative and heartfelt shared experiences.”
I’ve been twice since the new version has reopened in the old Nonic building, and each time I left feeling like I ‘ve been let in on a very important secret. It’s hard to describe what The Living Room is and far more elusive to try to describe what it means to art lovers. Their mission has always been to provide a platform for disciplined and tenacious artists to cultivate their craft in an intimate, performance based setting and this is absolutely the experience I had during my few visits.
No two Thursdays are the same
Every Thursday features about three acts of varying genre and creative purview, and they can vary from chamber music to a film series to slam poetry. On one occasion, I heard a presentation about John Cena as a branding expert in a segment Redding has dubbed “Trashedemia.” This is “is a PowerPoint relay where participants deliver an academic perspective on subjects conventionally deemed as “trash’ or ‘guilty pleasures.’” It was quirky and delightful and now I am an expert on both John Cena and branding strategies. Well, not really, but I learned quite a bit about both.
There is typically also some sort of musical act as well, and the same night as Trashademia, we met Sophie Wise. Her performance was absolutely transcendent, and the entire audience sat, transfixed as she sang her single “When a Man.” I can say this with certainty: there was not a dry eye in the house.
It’s art as experience
And I mean this quite literally. Redding offers lengthier intermissions between acts to encourage guests to “chill and hang out.” The culture of the space is so inviting and familiar that it feels, like you are always meeting new people, but also somehow visiting with friends. As improbable as that sounds, Redding has struck a chord within the local art scene and seems to be 100 meeting a need that many of us didn’t even know existed.
The Living Room has featured artists that run the gamut from pole dancers, to tarot card readers, to spoken word poets to live paintings. It’s one of the most remarkable experiences I’ve ever had and I am incredibly excited for Columbus to have this opportunity. I wish I could see it again for the first time.
This week’s lineup is as follows:
Check The Living Room’s Instagram for up to date info on lineups.
Doors open at 5:30 and tickets are available now, by clicking here. Seating is cozy, by design, so it’s best to get those tickets ahead of time.
This story was originally published March 21, 2024 at 3:35 PM.
