THE ART OF THE DREAM

THE ART OF

THE DREAM

The principles“ of true art is not to portray,” novelist Jerzy Kosiński said, “but to evoke.” Indeed. Diamond Cellar relishes art in all forms—from jewelry to painting, clothing to dance, food to music. Here, meet three artists of various genres who inspire us with their abilities to evoke joy.

THE

MURALIST

Muralist Aaron Whisner’s Clean Hands painting crew has painted for noteworthy organizations around the country, from Pepsi and AnheuserBusch to the Oklahoma Thunder and Philbrook Museum. The Tulsa native’s work can be seen everywhere from street murals across Tulsa to inside Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop in Nashville to the Short North district in Columbus.

WHAT DREW YOU TO ART IN GENERAL?

I grew up around it as a kid. My mom is a designer. I was probably the only kid in school that had to do my papers in QuarkXPress. Ha! In high school, my art teacher was very formative. She started the first AP art program in the state, got us a wall to paint graffiti on at our school and really pushed us to pursue art as a living.

IN A YEAR THAT WAS CHALLENGING ON MANY FRONTS, WHAT HAS INSPIRED YOU?

Being around my 6-year-old daughter, Eva, almost all the time now has been super inspiring. It’s rad to see her development. We collaborate a lot on paintings, and she’s been able to be around more to see my work and process.

WHAT OTHER ARTISTS DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?

Faile (@faileart), Pose (@tenderj), Broken Fingaz (@brokenfingaz) and Cody Hoyt (@codyhoyt). And the local homies Baney (@mrbaney), Bson (@jakebson) and No Parking Studios (@noparkingstudios).

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF AS AN ARTIST?

Through co-managing Clean Hands, my greatest reward is always seeing young artists get inspired by what we do and continue to grow the scene.

THE

DANCER

Rachael Parini, a company member with BalletMet in Columbus, has also danced with the American Repertory Ballet, Nashville Ballet and The Washington Ballet. Favorite roles include Moyna in Edwaard Liang’s Giselle and Cygnets in Kirk Peterson’s Swan Lake. Parini also was a National Merit Scholar and former intern with the Department of Homeland Security. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international affairs with minors in political science and Italian.

YOU STOPPED DANCING TO PURSUE YOUR COLLEGE EDUCATION. WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO RETURN TO YOUR FIRST LOVE?

I wanted to focus on academia and work for the government and live in Italy. I had a whole plan. But it was actually a Facebook message from Andrea Long, a former dancer with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, that got me back into ballet. She said she’d watched my career and wanted to know if I was still dancing because she thought I should be. I don’t even know how to describe how Earth-shattering that was for me. She was one of my ballet idols growing up. I whipped myself into the best shape I possibly could. I don’t think I felt like I had accomplished what I could yet. I figured it was worth taking one more shot at it so there wouldn’t be any what-ifs or regrets.

ARTISTS HAVE OBVIOUSLY BEEN HARD HIT BY COVID. ESPECIALLY IN AN ARTFORM WHEN AGE LIMITS THE LENGTH OF YOUR CAREER, WHAT HAS THE SHUTDOWN MEANT FOR YOU?

It definitely made me feel it—the mortality of my career. Trying to stay motivated to stay in shape at 32 was difficult. With everything going on in society and politics too, it wasn’t a great time mentally. It was one of those things where I had a long period of feeling like there was so much more that I could be doing outside of ballet. I felt selfish for pursuing it. It took talking to my parents and husband and sister for me to recognize that it’s not selfish to follow your dreams, because it encourages other people to follow their dreams. If I chose to walk away, to retire during the pandemic, I would be back to wondering “what if” and not feeling fulfilled. Our life experiences color so much of what we bring to the stage, and I wanted to find a voice in all of this and come out on the other side and be stronger.

HAVE YOU LEARNED ANYTHING NEW DURING THIS TIME?

I learned how to bake! I had never baked before. I’ve perfected a couple of different cookie recipes, and I’ve learned how to make bread. That was a big thing for me. WHAT OTHER ARTISTS DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?

The chocolatier Amaury Guichon. It’s fascinating to watch him create all of these whimsical things out of chocolate. As far as fashion, Monse is one of my favorite fashion houses. And Michael Bondanza created my wedding and engagement ring. I love my rings. He’s a sculptor turned jeweler, and his stuff is architectural and contemporary, yet classic. I’m very much obsessed.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF AS AN ARTIST?

I would say at this point, it’s my determination. Being a woman of color, I’ve been tempted to stop or give up. It would have been easy to quit. But I didn’t, and part of it is because I’m stubborn. It’s helped me not let temporary setbacks become permanent regrets. I’ve never been more thankful that I didn’t let myself give up.

WHY IS ART IMPORTANT?

I think imagination is so important, and art is the way to get your imagination out for other people to see. There are so many different ways to make the world a better place, and I feel like art is one of them. It’s a type of joy you don’t get in other places. It brings joy to people in a way that only art can. It’s subjective, but I think that’s what makes it special.

PHOTOS BY JENNIFER ZMUDA

THE FESTIVAL MASTERMIND

Nashville resident Adam Lynn is co-founder and president of Prime Social Group, an international events group that has produced 1,200 shows from the midwest to Barcelona featuring artists from The Chainsmokers to Kendrick Lamar. Lynn helps oversee more than 20 music fests a year, including Breakaway, which includes shows in Columbus, Nashville and elsewhere.

YOU, LIKE MANY ARTISTS, WERE OBVIOUSLY HARD HIT BY COVID. HOW HAS IT FORCED YOU TO PIVOT AND GET EVEN MORE CREATIVE?

We’ve done a couple of livestream events that have been really successful, and we converted the old Westland Mall in Columbus into a drive-in music venue. We produced about 20 shows there throughout the fall of 2020 and plan to do more this spring. A lot of people in the industry treated this time as time off, but we’ve been pretty active and really are fighting for survival. It’s been a challenging period, but it feels like there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

WHAT ARTIST DO YOU MOST ADMIRE?

I really love Tiësto. He was my initial inspiration in terms of entering the EDM world. I’d seen him in Ibiza, and it was a life-changing moment and ultimately inspired me to want to start bringing these events to the U.S. Now he’s a good friend of mine. It’s inspiring that after 30-plus years in the industry, he still loves playing and loves being a part of it. WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF AS AN ARTIST?

Putting on a concert is a big feat, but organizing and producing these festivals is a whole other challenge. Not only are we curating the artists that are performing but also the food, the art, the merchandise. There are so many small nuances that go into the planning. My favorite thing is when it’s all said and done and we’re out there and people are just having a blast, and we know they’re having an amazing time because of a dream we had. It’s been a fun ride, and we’re not done yet.

WHY IS ART IMPORTANT?

Everyone needs a release. I saw it last year when we had to cancel Breakaway, and we had so many people reach out and say it was a void for them. It’s an activity they look forward to every year. That’s how we came up with the name “Breakaway.” It’s your one time of year to leave it all behind and break away.