Columbus native Scott Woods is back on the Ohio State University campus, this time as the artistic director of a free, community‑focused event titled Southern Oracles: A Celebration of the South Side. Presented in Weigel Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 1, the show brings together more than a dozen local musicians, dancers, rappers and composers to honor the neighborhoods, families and industrial roots that shaped the city’s South Side.
From expelled student to cultural ambassador
Woods grew up with a deep affection for OSU and the surrounding neighborhoods, a feeling he says was sparked by his older brother’s band gigs in campus dives during the late 1970s and early 1980s. After being expelled from the university after just two quarters, Woods has made a point of returning whenever he can. “Because I was expelled, any chance I get to go back and show and prove, I’m going to take,” he told Matter News. The event gives him a chance to share his love of the South Side with his mother, who never saw him graduate.
A living portrait of the South Side
Woods describes the South Side as “Columbus’ truth,” a place where historic landmarks and multigenerational families still exist despite decades of change. He points to long‑standing institutions such as Buckeye Steel, the family‑run Plank’s restaurant and Sills Ballpark, where he played as a child and which remains a community gathering spot.
While storefronts have shifted—some piano shops are now mattress retailers—the “bones” of the neighborhood remain. Woods warns that once those bones disappear, the area will become unrecognizable.
Artists translate place into sound
Each performer was asked to create a composition inspired by a specific South Side site, past or present. Drummer Mark Lomax will open the evening with a solo evoking the rhythm of a baseball at Sills Ballpark, then return later with a trio piece that reflects the industrial legacy of the area. Cellist and composer Sam Johnson drew on memories of a roadside market in upstate South Carolina to craft a sarabande for the now‑closed Mae’s Market, describing the piece as “grounded but floating” like fresh peaches and pickled vegetables.
Other participants include funk‑soul group Liquid Crystal Project, dancer Donald Isom, harpist Trista Hill, producers J. Rawls and DJ Prime, and emcees from the collectives Trek Manifest, Jai Carey and Psyonic. Though the artists know one another, each work was created independently, forming a tapestry that Woods likens to a “thread in a tapestry you can’t yet see the whole thing.”
Community roots and future plans
Woods has a history of producing shows that explore Columbus’ cultural history, such as “The New Black Eastside Songbook” and “7 Villages,” both staged in 2024. He calls Southern Oracles the capstone of those efforts, a project that both honors the South Side’s past and points toward its future.
Following the Columbus performance, Woods plans to bring a stripped‑down version of the show to New York’s Brooklyn Academy of Music Next Wave festival in late October, further sharing the story of his hometown with a broader audience.
Why the South Side matters
For many residents, the South Side represents continuity amid rapid development on the university’s western edge. Woods emphasizes that the neighborhood’s historic sites and long‑standing families provide a tangible link to what Columbus once was—and, he believes, what it can become again.
The event is free and open to the public, underscoring the community‑first spirit that drives local arts initiatives in Columbus.
Original reporting: Matter News (Columbus) — read the source article.
