A cowboy, a six-foot-tall poodle and a fireman stand on South Sixth Street …
No, it’s not the lead-in to a joke — it’s a description of the public art display on the sidewalk in front of sculptor Alan Cottrill’s Zanesville studio and gallery — and you can immediately tell the locals from the visitors based on their level of surprise at the larger-than-lifesize pieces.
Cottrill, a Zanesville native, returned to his hometown in 2003 to open the 17,000-square-foot space. It’s both a workspace and a showplace, where he sculpts, he says, “like a crazy man,” often working seven days a week. Cottrill is intense and passionate about his art; that’s evident in his gallery, which features more than 450 sculptures.
The arts scene in Zanesville has been growing steadily since Cottrill’s return and the founding of the Artist Colony of Zanesville — an effort that he led and which now comprises more than 70 artists. The Colony’s First Friday Art Walks and the annual Y-Bridge Arts Festival are popular events, and July’s annual Zanesville Pottery Festival — celebrating a craft that once defined this region — brings visitors and collectors from all over the world for an event that Hartstone Pottery’s Dawn Lafferty calls “truly incredible.”
Zanesville served as Ohio’s capital for two years, from 1810 to 1812. To commemorate the 200th anniversary of this event, the all-volunteer Pioneer and Historical Society of Zanesville created the “Zanesville 1810 Project,” which includes a lecture series and a new downtown walking tour.
In fact, folks here support the historical society so staunchly that the group is running out of room for all the donated artifacts and furniture, says society director Jim Geyer. But, he agrees, it’s a good problem to have. The Stone Academy, one of two buildings that house the historical society’s collection, was itself a donation of Lydia McHenry, who stipulated that it always be used as a museum.
Through another generous donation, the Zanesville Museum of Art has acquired more than 100 photographs of city life circa 1930. Dr. Harry Taylor took the photos as a teenager, capturing candid moments like a pro. Museum director Susan Talbot-Stanaway says the photos are considered to be the largest known group of 1930s non-WPA photos in the country.
Over the past few years, the economy in Zanesville has been “holding steady but with quite a few major victories,” says Zanesville/Muskingum County Chamber of Commerce President Tom Poorman. In 2009, Avon Products opened a high-tech distribution center in the city’s East Point Business Park. Another 300-acre site is in the final stages of the Ohio Job Ready Sites program certification.
Zanesville’s largest employer, Genesis HealthCare System, employs thousands of workers, while new small businesses, like Mike Brooks’ Three Sixty Bicycle Shop, are also opening in town. Innovative locals such as Carl Cardi, developer of a new electrical technology called coolWIRE, find a home at the regional Muskingum County Business Incubator, where fledgling entrepreneurs learn skills to help them thrive. In addition, Ohio University-Zanesville offers 13 complete academic degree programs, including business, communication, education and nursing.
Younger students are also learning to thrive in Zanesville, and were welcomed to the 2010 school year by Mayor Howard Zwelling at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Zanesville High School, John McIntire Elementary School and Zane Grey Elementary School. The schools boast new gymnasiums, interactive whiteboards in the classrooms and, of course, new studios and equipment for the next generation of Zanesville’s artists.
Zanesville
Year Founded: 1797
Location: Muskingum County seat, approximately 50 miles east of Columbus
Population: 25,500
Size: approximately 11.5 square miles
Type of Government: Mayor, 10-member council