Goodbye, Clintonville.
Dear WGC Community,
It is with a heavy heart that we will no longer be occupying our space at 2491 Summit Street due to COVID-19. Our decision to close the SoHud space will allow us to focus on our future serving the Columbus creative community in a newly renovated larger home at 188 McDowell St. in Franklinton.
“We discovered the Summit Street space in the summer of 2008, close to where we all lived, and signed a lease that September. We were excited to bring art to a growing neighborhood, to broaden the opportunities geographically for artists,” said founders Nick and Beth Dekker speaking for co-founders Karl and Jessie Boettcher, and Jacqui and Ryan Hoke.
“We’re so proud of what we made in that space, and how its walls rang for over a decade with music, laughter, conversation, and community.”
Near the end of 2019, our board and community came together to raise funds to support our expansion to Franklinton. At the time, we were routinely booked and had to turn away multiple events each week. The Franklinton space will allow us to bring more improv, theater, music, art, educational opportunities, and community outreach to the city we’ve been serving for over a decade.
“We’re excited for this new era of Wild Goose, as it finishes its run at Summit Street and takes on new life in Franklinton. We believe Wild Goose will play an important role in this growing and thriving arts district,” said Nick and Beth Dekker.
Local artist Bee1ne, launched his career at Wild Goose Creative. “In 2014, I rented Wild Goose creative for my first-ever pop up show. Since then, many doors have been opened to me in the arts community. I’m excited for Wild Goose Creative to continue their work in Franklinton, as affordable space is needed for so many artists.” Bee1ne just finished a large-scale mural at 188 McDowell — our future home in Franklinton.
Tiffany Hardwick, Youth Program Specialist at the Dowd Education Center an entity of the Homeless Families Foundation in Franklinton says, “while we are saddened to hear of the closing of Wild Goose Creative in Clintonville, as it has long since been a staple in our local artist community, we are ecstatic that they will be able to focus their energy on their latest space here in Franklinton. We look forward to strengthening our community partnership to include youth-led art programs, fostering mentorships between established and budding artists, easier access to live art performances, increased exposure for our students to different art mediums and opportunities to jump in and create, and ultimately another place of pride right here in the neighborhood.”
“Wild Goose has always been focused on how we can best serve our creative community and while we’re sad to say goodbye to our SoHud home, this decision prioritizes the future of the organization and we could not be more excited about our new space in Franklinton,” says our Board President, Heather Lynn Kyle.
“The founders of Wild Goose created a magical space with a palpable sense of acceptance, and that will continue in our new space. Our organization will continue to be the place people come to try something new and the place where art gets started. Columbus residents have poured their hearts out on our stage and this move secures our promise for continued opportunities to do so in the future.”
We are excited to announce that we will have a temporary space in the Bridge Gallery at 400 W. Rich while our new space is being worked on. Thank you to everyone who has made this space so special over the past decade. We will undoubtedly carry the soul of Wild Goose into Franklinton.
With gratitude,
WGC Board and Staff
