David Zinn: Drawing His Way Downtown
December 4, 2017
David Zinn, a street artist from Ann Arbor, Michigan, visited Columbus this past summer to create eight improvised drawings of his own imagined creatures.
The eight drawings are hidden around downtown Columbus, embedding a new sense of creativity in the landscape. Maps hinting at the location of each creature can be found at both the Mill Race Center and the Visitor’s Center (map seen below).
Zinn began his career as a commercial artist, creating logos, posters and illustrations for various clients. Almost all of his commercial work was done at a computer, keeping him away from the outside world.
“After twenty years, I finally gave in to the rationalization that drawing on the street is technically art and therefore technically my job, and went outside with my chalks to do some brainstorming,” Zinn said.
In addition to his work as a commercial artist, Zinn has conducted workshops in street art and pareidolic anamorphosis, a form of art presented in a distorted pattern. He travels around the world, creating new drawings and teaching others how to draw in his style.
Before the Mill Race Center contacted Zinn, he had no prior knowledge of Columbus. However, once he was introduced to the artistic and architectural circles downtown, he was strangely hooked.
“Columbus clearly has creativity woven into its deepest roots as a community, and I’m inordinately proud to be connected to that in any way,” Zinn said.
Other than Columbus, Zinn’s street art drawings can be found in four locations including Borås (Sweden), Kaohsiung (Taiwan), and Vicksburg, Michigan. A small flying pig can also be found on a brick wall in Zinn’s home town.
Each of Zinn’s drawings are improvised by what is already there on the street. One of his Columbus creatures was designed with the intention of changing with the seasons, while another was designed to remain resolutely static.
“I draw ‘em like I see ‘em,” Zinn said.
The idea of a “permanent interactive map” of Zinn’s small street installations was proposed by Beth Parkhurst from the Mill Race Center. She contacted Zinn and asked him to come to Columbus with his unique drawings.
Zinn’s drawings are currently hiding in eight different locations in downtown Columbus, waiting to be found. The scavenger hunt serves as the perfect opportunity to spend time with friends or family, searching for Zinn’s hidden creatures.
