CFA Honors Video, Animation and Motion Graphics Artists at First-ever Festival

Central Ohio video and motion graphic design artists have pined for more opportunities to show their works publicly. Now that wish is coming true, thanks to a unique video display board in the Greater Columbus Convention Center and the first contest in the genre sponsored by the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority (CFA).

On April 15, the CFA honored the winners of the first Creative Video, Animation and Motion Graphic Design Festival. Almost a year in the making, the festival provided video, animation and motion graphic artists with a rare public venue in which to show their creative chops.

At a reception and awards ceremony at the Convention Center, the CFA awarded $1,000 stipends to the creators of the top four entries and $250 stipends to three others. The videos, shown on the Convention Center’s 60-foot by 7-foot digital LED board, will remain there through the rest of the year.

CFA Board President Sally Bloomfield told guests that “our display spaces for all our public art are public spaces. We believe strongly in using public spaces to showcase the extraordinary talent that exists within our community.”

The event resulted from a call for entries in June 2018 by Reese Brothers Productions, the curator of the CFA’s extensive collection of museum-quality local art. The call resulted in 17 entries from seven artists totaling more than 30 minutes of content, said Jim Reese. 

“Many video producers, especially those who are new to the art form, do not have a lot of venues to showcase their work,” Reese said. “By taking advantage of the Convention Center’s very large video wall – unlike any other in a public space in Columbus – we are extending the curated art found at the center and the Hilton Columbus Downtown, and expanding the idea of what art is.”

The theme this year was “Columbus as a city of creativity, acceptance and exploration.” Submissions ranged from animated birds hopping through a park, to gelatin-molded Columbus landmarks falling onto, and bouncing on, a flat surface, to a large snake entwining itself with LeVeque Tower.  

“I was so excited to be selected for this event and to be able to showcase my work in such a wonderful venue,” said Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) student Mackenzie Bigley, whose submission, “Peeping Peepers,” was a judges’ favorite and second place winner.    

Elliott Cennamo was the first place winner, while Rachel Wagner and Eric Homan took third and fourth, respectively. Pete Burkeet, Liz Hart and Justin Vincent were recognized as honorable mentions.  

Judges recruited from among those working in the genre were Charlotte Belland – Director Animation Department at CCAD; Beth Menduni – Creative Consultant, Branding and Marketing; Nicollette Swift – OSU Department of Video; Matt Swift – OSU Program Coordinator, Film Studies; and Aaron Petten – Moving Image and Material Visual Culture Historian at CCAD.

The CFA envisions the festival as an annual event that will grow both in numbers of participants and diversity of works. Plans already are underway for the second annual festival, for which the CFA has committed to awarding $10,000 in prize money – twice this year’s total.