Art is All You Need

Local artist and teacher, Hakim Callwood, is giving back to the Columbus community in a colorful way

By Laura Hennigan / Photos by Leonardo Carrizo / Story Design by Bryce Patterson

When Hakim Callwood was a kid, he spent hours pouring over the comic books his older brother had passed down to him. It wasn’t until years later that Callwood realized this was his first exposure to art, a term that he had previously thought only meant paintings in museums and other traditional mediums.

Art is all around us, especially here in Columbus, and Callwood is on a mission to encourage everyone to stop and take a closer look.

Barely 30, Callwood has racked up an incredibly impressive resume, including creating custom murals for CoverMyMeds, the Ronald McDonald House, and the Crew, plus participating in internships with the Ohio Art League and Idea Foundry, and a collaboration with Nationwide Children’s Hospital for their On Our Sleeves campaign.

But he isn’t here to talk about himself; he would much rather discuss the ever-changing Columbus art landscape and how there is a place at the table for everyone. “When I injected myself into the art world here, there were a lot of closed doors, but also a lot of open arms,” said Callwood. “People didn’t have to spend their time or money helping me, but they did, and I feel like it’s my duty to keep passing that kindness along. I’m trying to align all my actions to expose more people to art and to make it more accessible.”

It’s all about giving back to the community and paying it forward, shared Callwood. He doesn’t want the spotlight on himself, but rather the many people who are still trying to gain traction with their art. “Anyone who asks me how to get involved in art, I tell them to go where the art is and spend as much time there as you can,” he advised. “I’m honored to be someone that people think of when they are talking about art in Columbus, and I want to make sure I give back by spreading the word about other artists.”

Callwood is currently wrapping up a six-month stint as part of the Artist Residency Pilot Program at Gravity, which aims to foster the creativity of artists of all backgrounds through communal living and collaboration. He also teaches part-time to 4th through 8th grade students at a community school in Lima, and continues to pop up all over the city, from appearances at The Attic Comedy Club to a recent day hitting up local establishments with his good friend Ted Cadillac. The duo aimed to document how many Columbus businesses they could patronize with $300. Stops included coffee at Upper Cup, shopping at Homage, getting inked with a new tattoo, drinks in German Village, and food at the newly opened House Taco, where Callwood recently completed a mural.

Inspired by the idea of using the resources available to you, along with your own lived experiences, Callwood’s art can be seen in a wide variety of locations, plus on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. While he acknowledges social media is a double-edged sword these days, he also appreciates the reach it provides to many people, especially emerging artists.

“One thing that I think is super positive about social media is that more people consider themselves artists now. It’s open to everyone. I think there is so much room for hobbyists to not be shy and put their work out there and be an artist,” he emphasized. “With access to resources and the ability to share so easily, it’s giving people confidence. You don’t have to label yourself as a certain genre or skill, it’s really about the art and being creative.”

To learn more, check out Hakim’s art on his website, hakimsartnstuff.com and @hakimsartnstuff on Instagram.