The Pizzuti Companies and Columbus Crew are happy to share the most recent work of art featured at Astor Park. The large-scale installation along Columbus Crew Way has been completed by Odili Donald Odita, an internationally recognized artist, with project funding provided by the Greater Columbus Arts Council, City of Columbus, Haslam Sports Group, the Edwards Family, and The Pizzuti Companies.

Born in Nigeria, Odita’s family immigrated to Columbus one year after his birth, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Ohio State University. Today, Odita is one of the most prominent living artists who has called Columbus home.

The 42 colors included in his “Inter-Play” were selected for their brilliant color contrast, enhancing the organic nature of the piece. As described by the artist, this installation is comprised of a combination of colors that section off four areas of interactive color play. The basic frame of the colors represents the Columbus Crew moving from dark (black) to light (yellow). 

To be completed by July 20, Odita’s work at Astor Park will be revealed in tandem with Major League Soccer’s (MLS) All-Star Week. Events will be hosted throughout Columbus from July 20-24, including the 2024 MLS Skills Challenge on Tuesday, July 23 and 2024 MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 24 at Lower.com Field. Additionally, the MLS has taken over The Joseph Columbus, decorating the hotel’s interior and exterior in Columbus Crew’s infamous yellow.

As Odita’s display joins existing pieces, finished works include Alex Dodge’s train bridges on Nationwide Boulevard at the entryway of Astor Park, and Karen Snouffer’s Trellis Magnolias. Located on the northwest corner of the Astor Park parking garage, Snouffer’s mural will be a spotlight feature at the future Residential A Block courtyard.

The neighborhood of Astor Park is a mixed-use rarity where multi-family living, class-A offices, riverfront parks, curated art, ground-floor retail, and world class sports come together. As home to the Columbus Crew’s new stadium Lower.com Field, Astor Park is for those who seek an active, urban lifestyle where they can enjoy a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood immersed in locally and globally recognized art by artists from Columbus and around the world.

“Pizzuti continues to incorporate art as a key factor in our development approach. Including Odita in a project of such importance in our hometown and his adopted city was an easy choice when working with the Columbus Crew to choose an artist,” said Joel Pizzuti, President and CEO of The Pizzuti Companies.

The completion of all three murals adds to Astor Park’s curated art program, which delivers on The Pizzuti Companies’ commitment to living with art and the sense of community it fosters. Over the past 50 years, the exponential growth of the Pizzuti Collection and the Pizzuti Companies have been inherently tethered, and the Pizzuti family’s connectivity to the art community has made artwork more accessible, as not to be restricted to the traditional museum or gallery. Parking garages, residences, and building facades can all function as canvases for cultural immersion, a quest in which Astor Park’s art program will most certainly deliver.

Experience more of the Pizzuti family’s artwork on display in the second-floor mezzanine of The Joseph Columbus. The artwork at The Joseph is open to view 24 hours a day, unless closed for a private event.

Click here for a rendering of the mural at Astor Park’s garage, and images of the two completed works.