THE FRIENDLIEST FESTIVAL IN COLUMBUS!
Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
in memory 2024
Ramona Moon - My mentor, my muse.
Greg Phelps – August 2024
Ramona Moon is the godmother of artcars in central Ohio. She was my mentor and my muse.
Susan Sturgill and I started The Summer Artcar #1 in 1997, a 2-year interactive, fundraising project and my first artcar. Susan suggested I meet Ramona Moon after the two met at an art event. Ramona just returned to her childhood home in Worthington after several decades in California. I called Ramona and we met at the Coffee Table at the corner of Buttles and High. We shared stories and spoke at length as if we had always been connected. That cup of coffee started 20+ years of artcar collaborations.
Ramona introduced me to the aesthetics of maximalism, a world of artcars, and entertained me with stories of her life, from being the daughter of a local celebrity newspaper columnist, to her colorful times in San Fransisco, participating in festivals, happenings, and hanging out with the likes of Big Brother and the Holding Company. She introduced me to her friends, Judy Davis, Harrod Blank, David Best, and more.
We celebrated weddings and divorces. We shared holidays, official holidays, and those of our own making. We had meals to honor both birthdays and deaths. We traveled together visiting visionary artists and environments such as Ricky Bosacrino’s Luna Parc and Tyree Guyton’s Heidelberg Project. We spent time with PR Miller at his various studios and sat together in her studio in Grandview and relished the creativity and drive of Adam Brouillette, Ashley Voss, and Pilgrim Heidi Kambitsch.
At the turn of the century, Ramona and I began to collaborate on a variety of artcar events, exhibitions, and interactive experiences. Ramona was a featured columnist for the Short North Gazette, and I planned public and corporate events, a great combination. We introduced Columbus to the local world of artcars with Ramona’s International Drive-In at Dan Dougan’s Little Brothers. We invited artcars from around the country to Columbus for Those Cars, a Celebration of High Street. We popped up at Gallery Hops, High Road Gallery, and for World Artcar Day. We dubbed our network of artcar enthusiasts the Columbus Artcar Resource Society (CARS). Thanks to Ramona, CARS won the 2000 Emerald Award for Environmental Education from Keep Columbus Beautiful.
Ramona helped introduce artcars to Columbus and now they are iconic elements of the DooDah Parade, Comfest, and Hot Times. Hot Times was a special festival for Ramona. Over the years, Ramona hosted notable out of town artcar artists including Dave and Irene Major, Tom Maguire, Cricket Bidwell, Lewis Meyer, Alan Evil, and more. Those out of towners were lucky to enjoy the immersive experience of Ramona’s historic home on the ravine that was a maximalist scrapbook of her life, both inside and out.
Ramona had a sticker on her artcar that said life is short, but wide. She epitomized this. While she was the godmother of artcars in Columbus, she had equal and deep connections in other communities throughout central Ohio. She was involved in literary circles, spiritual covens, and collage groups. She was an author, columnist, Columbus historian, and teacher. Ramona’s spirit and creativity touched many lives and her contributions to the arts community in Columbus are both profound and enduring.
Read what Ramona had to say about Columbus, including her description of Hot Times, at https://www.shortnorth.com/Hayes.html If you want to honor her memory, grab a tube of glue and stick something to your car, sit behind the wheel of the Turkey Toyota at Nick Gore’s GoreMade Pizza, and visit her framed portrait by James Miller at the Hilton Columbus Downtown.
In the meantime, here is Ramona’s take on Bread and Puppet’s Why Cheap Art Manifesto.
The Why The Car Art Manifesto, by Ramona Moon
PEOPLE have been THINKING too long
that CARS are slick, shiny things
that BLEND into the roadscape.
CARS ARE NOT SACRED COWS!
Cars do not belong to
the manufacturers or BMV.
CARS ARE SPACESHIPS.
You can’t fly them but they are your SPACE
to take you on ADVENTURES.
CARS have lots of SPACE to DECORATE.
EVERYONE can decorate a car.
Artcars can go anywhere there is a road….and beyond.
CAR ART SOOTHES ROAD RAGE!
Car art wakes up sleepy drivers!
Car art fights complacency and mediocrity!
Car art is for lawns and meadows!
Car art is like good movies!
Car art makes LOTS OF FRIENDS!
Car art makes INSTANT PARADES!
Car art makes people laugh!
Car art is GOOD FOR CHILDREN
……and inner children!
HURRAH!
QUOTES FROM ART CAR FRIENDS!
"I am sorry that I can not attend as I will be filming Burning Man and screening film in LA. I would like to be part of it somehow. I have lots of great images of her and you know she was in my first film Wild Wheels. Please use whatever images you have for this and if you need more let me know. Thanks and love - Harrod"
"When someone was killed in an artcar (actually just a driving bus/bar) years ago at Buring Man, Ramona/Christine got ahold of me, thinking I was from the driver, apparently the article had been passed around/forwarded so that important section was cut out. Point being, she was so sweet, telling me to call anytime, even middle of the night (..... Just another small token of her kindness…She was around “since the beginning” of our movement, is in Harrod’s WILD WHEELS from the ’80’s, quite a woman! R.I.P.
Kelly Lyles"
in memory 2024
CARLTON SMITH
HOLLY PARKERSON
HOLLY PARKERSON
Carlton Smith learned to play the drums at 6 years old and throughout his life his excitement and joy were infectious to those watching and hearing him play. He worked in many local bands of various kinds including: Irie, 24-7, Spys, Tator, Stonebyrd, The Swimmers, Howlin' Maggie, Twilight Singers, The Crawfgords, Gathering Starts,
and was most well known for his work
with Royal Crescent (RC) Mob.
HOLLY PARKERSON
HOLLY PARKERSON
HOLLY PARKERSON
Holly Parkinson was along time event Volunteer and friend. She lived in the neighborhood for decades, first in a home she owned on 19th (Carpenter) then she rented from a friend on Oak for over a decade after which moving to Bryden and Ohio where she lived the remaining part of her life. She loved this Community and had strong ties to both family and friends.
Her beauty and strength of spirit are her legacy.
STEVE DICK
DOUGIE SIMPSON
DOUGIE SIMPSON
Steve Dick was a long time Hot Times and ComFest Volunteer, He worked behind the scenes helping to set up and tear out the events and was a valued Team member.
DOUGIE SIMPSON
DOUGIE SIMPSON
DOUGIE SIMPSON
Artist, musician, father, friend, brother, companion and uniquely beautiful soul Douglas Avery Simpson impacted countless hearts with a profoundly peaceful rhythm that will continue to emanate far beyond the 65 years in which he graced this earth. Douglas’s outstanding inclination to the arts would reveal itself as early as the age of 5 in the form of visual works such as portraits & landscapes that far exceeded his years. would become so admirably known.
He later relocated to Columbus, Ohio where he would attend The Ohio State University and The Columbus College of Art & Design earning a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. Douglas would then go on to become a renowned reggae vocalist, songwriter, producer and performer sonically captivating an innumerable amount people alongside his many brothers/sisters in rhythm from Faith Band, The Flex Crew, KMA, The Ark band and more throughout his wonderful career that spanned 40+ years.