Association execs leave their mark on city

Tanya Kennedy rolled up her business suit in her bag and pulled on an old gray T-shirt, just in case any of the yellow paint meant for the canvas on the table in front of her spattered.

Kennedy, who works for Matrix Group International in Washington, D.C., is one of about 5,000 people attending the American Society of Association Executives 2019 Annual Meeting & Exposition at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. But between the keynote speakers and breakout discussions, attendees were invited to “Leave Your Mark” through a community mural painting.

“This is so easy. Anyone can do this,” Kennedy said. “It’ll be fun to see what it ends up looking like and knowing I painted the windows.”

The mural, which will be displayed at the Reeb Avenue Center on the South Side, portrays two men embracing in the foreground, with other people and the building filling the background. Local artist Jeremy Jarvis designed the mural, which is broken into eight separate panels to be painted over the course of the ASAE convention.

Jarvis asked himself what should represent the heart of the Reeb Avenue Center, which houses 13 nonprofit groups geared toward adult and youth education and employment.

“Love” was the answer. “What I came up with was a simple hug,” he said.

The mural is a giant paintby-number affair. Attendees pick a color and paint the corresponding sections of the canvas panels.

Jane Grote Abell, cofounder of the Reeb Avenue Center and a member of the family who founded Donatos Pizza, said the mural highlights the South Side neighborhood’s diversity and shows that people outside of Columbus care about the community as well.

“This building is an example of the community coming together, collaborating,” Grote Abell said. “When people come together, we all thrive.”

By the time Brian Buff made it to the mural painting, he already had crossed two Columbus sites off his personal bucket list: the Jubilee Museum in Franklinton, which celebrates Catholic culture, and Huntington Park, home of the Columbus Clippers.

During this, his first visit to Columbus, Buff — who works for Capitol Hill Management Service in Albany, New York, and sits on the Empire State Society of Association Executives — said he was struck by the city’s energy and hospitality.

“I intentionally came in early Friday to explore the city,” Buff said. “It’s full of gems.”

Taking time to paint the mural felt like a “worthy donation” to a city he’s discovered to be an “incredible place,” Buff said.

Attendees can paint again Tuesday before Jarvis touches up remaining pieces. The Reeb Avenue Center art commission of tenants and business owners will decide where in the building to display the mural, which will be unveiled at one of the center’s upcoming community meetings.

Other ASAE community service-oriented events Saturday included a tour of the National Veterans Memorial and Museum and a bowling outing to raise funds for drug addiction recovery.

cproctor@dispatch.com @ceproctor23