Colorful Cozies Brighten Snowy Sidewalks in Columbus

My first clue that I could be wrong about the tree cozies was the couple taking pictures of each other and their dog at the cozy in front of Kidscommons Saturday afternoon.

My second was a few minutes later on a northbound drive up Washington Street, when I saw the same couple taking pictures of themselves and their dog at another cozy in front of Irwin Union Bank.

My third was the dozens of other people looking at all the other cozies on Columbus' main drag. The fourth and most convincing one, however, was the smirk on my wife's face as she took in my amazed reaction.

OK, I'm ready to face it. The tree cozies are a good thing.

Saturday, February 23, some 33 groups and individuals began wrapping their carefully knitted creations around trees on Washington Street in the downtown. Up until then, I held to my original opinion - expressed in a column last month - that the whole idea was pretty off the wall and not something that really reflected Columbus.

I still think it's an off-the-wall idea. As to whether it reflects Columbus - well, I'll leave that for people to decide for themselves.

What it has done from the start is to get people talking and that's definitely a good thing. We had these same kind of discussions over a year ago when the statues went up around town as part of the city's first Sculpture Invitational. Anybody remember the bicycle parts jumble on the City Hall lawn? People are still talking about the statues and a lot have changed their minds about the bicycle conglomeration (which is displayed at the Recycling Center). Heck, people were so worked up about the statues that the community donated more than $35,000 to buy one of them for keeps - "Eos," across from the entrance to Mill Race Park on Fifth Street.

I doubt that any of the cozies will go for $35,000 but I can see that some of them will grow on people. One of them had a "Wizard of Oz" theme, complete with the Tin Man and a Yellow Brick Road. Another had a nature theme with birds flitting about. The unique feature of this particular work was the birds nest attached to the threads. It was filled with bird seed. There were a couple of American flag creations, including one adorned with stars, each of which had a one word message like, "Vote," "Elect" and "Unite." There was a food theme in the one in front of Tre Bicchieri Restaurant, but it was made special by the tray holding a bottle of wine and grapes attached to the cloth. Another dare-to-be-different cozy was the one made entirely of plastic grocery bags.

But the one that I predict will draw the most comment is the one that shows a dog doing his thing against a fire hydrant. I have to confess- these are some pretty creative people.

It's certainly not something to get all serious about which is what some critics did when the idea was first announced by the Columbus Area Arts Council. Some took the notion that it was somehow an insult to low-income residents to outfit trees in something called tree cozies while there were people struggling to pay their energy bills.

I never bought into that concept, arguing instead that the idea of artificially colored yarn wrapped around trees was just weird. My wife, Julie, - the one with the smirk - calls it an exercise in whimsy. In a way it's like the huge cow statues that were scattered around downtown Chicago a couple of years ago. They were just cows, but they were designed and painted in such a fashion that they became art. People came hundreds of miles, even continents, to see Chicago's cows.

It's OK to criticize the tree cozies, even say the whole idea is crazy. But come downtown and take a look at them. They'll bring a smile.

This story first appeared in The Republic on February 26, 2008 in the Opinions section, Page A6. The story was titled "Cozying up to visitors delight" by Harry McCawley.

Harry McCawley is associate editor of The Republic. He can be reached by phone at 379-5620 or by e-mail at harry@therepublic.com. The public has a chance to weigh in on their favorite tree cozy in downtown Columbus. The People's Choice Award will be determined by online voting at therepublic.com through March 22. The winner will receive $1,000 to be donated to the charity of their choosing.

Creative cozies hugging trees in downtown Columbus have injected a shot of color into late February's dull winter days. The cozies, knitted by area residents, cover trees along Washington Street as part of a Columbus Area Arts Council project. Patriotic, seasonal, or abstract in theme, the cozies will stay for about eight weeks. The public can vote for their favorite cozy at therepublic.com through March 22. Winners will receive a $1,000 donation to their charity of choice.