For the next couple of months Columbus has two special touring exhibits that I want to view. I’m in a planning mode working out the details for another road trip to Columbus Ohio.

Art enthusiasts will have the opportunity to view special collections of Andy Warhol’s and Norman Rockwell’s art work.

It is going to be a full day of exploring art museums, viewing special exhibits and browsing collections.

Warhol is the guy who in the 1960’s began a series of paintings of iconic American products such as Campbell’s Soup Cans from the Campbell Soup Company and Coca-Cola bottlers as well as paintings of celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Troy Donahue, and Elizabeth Taylor.

Whether you’re a fan of his or not this is an opportunity to explore a comprehensive exhibit of his life and works as they are displayed at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus Ohio. Titled “Andy Warhol: Other Voices, Other Rooms,” this presentation defines how he embraced consumer culture, explores sexual identity and his challenge of society through his painting, drawings, videos, prints and films.

The center is on the campus of Ohio State University located at 1871 N. High. Contact 614.292-3535 or www.wexarts.org for admission details.

Just down the road at the Ohio History Center is the largest touring exhibit of Norman Rockwell’s work. He is the New England painter and illustrator that bought American history to life with his Americana paintings that graced the covers of the Saturday Evening Post for four decades.

The folks at the center are saying that this show will bring the magazine covers to life with life sized recreations of Rockwell’s most famous scenes, dozens of hands on displays and all 322 of his original covers. The Ohio Historical Center is located just off of I-71 on 17th Avenue (exit 111) about 4 miles north of downtown Columbus in Franklin County. They can be reached at 800.686.6124 or www.ohiohistory.org.

I’m also planning to stop and tour the Columbus Museum of Art (CMOA) and the Ohio Statehouse. The CMOA houses an outstanding collection of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American and European modern art.

This collection includes major works by Monet, Matisse, Picasso, Renoir, Hopper and O’Keeffe and other spectacular examples of Impressionism, German Expressionism, and Cubism. They are located at 480 East Broad Street, Columbus, OH 43215, 614.221.6801 and www.columbumuseum.org.

Next stop is the Ohio Statehouse. The timing of this visit coincides with the national movement to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln which occurred on February 12, 1809. Even two centuries after Lincoln’s birth the Ohio Statehouse continues to educate its visitors on the three historic visits by this great leader. The Ohio Statehouse Lincoln Bicentennial commission plans to have displays and exhibits that commemorate his life and legacy will be a bright beacon to completing our nation’s “unfinished work.” This place is more than a monument to our past; it’s where history happens. The building serves as both a place of learning and the state’s working seat of government. Visitors to the Statehouse can experience Ohio’s rich history and witness the making of history through the modern lawmaking process. And maybe one of our local legislators will stop by and say hello. For more information or to schedule at tour visit http://www.statehouse.state.oh.us or call 614.728.2695

If you’d like to view these exhibits and don’t want to drive then join me on Friday February 13th, 2009. Ohio University Southern is loading up its mobile classroom and departing for Columbus to view the Warhol and Rockwell exhibits, Columbus Museum of Art and the Ohio Statehouse. For more information contact Travel World at 740.533.4630, 800.210.3350 or www.4travelworld.com.

Next stop is the Ohio Statehouse. The timing of this visit coincides with the national movement to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln which occurred on Feb. 12, 1809.

Even two centuries after Lincoln’s birth the Ohio Statehouse continues to educate its visitors on the three historic visits by this great leader.

The Ohio Statehouse Lincoln Bicentennial commission plans to have displays and exhibits that commemorate his life and legacy will be a bright beacon to completing our nation’s “unfinished work.”

This place is more than a monument to our past; it’s where history happens. The building serves as both a place of learning and the state’s working seat of government. Visitors to the Statehouse can experience Ohio’s rich history and witness the making of history through the modern lawmaking process. And maybe one of our local legislators will stop by and say hello.

For more information or to schedule at tour visit www.statehouse.state.oh.us or call 614.728.2695

If you’d like to view these exhibits and don’t want to drive then join me on Friday Feb. 13.

Ohio University Southern is loading up its mobile classroom and departing for Columbus to view the Warhol and Rockwell exhibits, Columbus Museum of Art and the Ohio Statehouse.

For more information contact Travel World at 740.533.4630, 800.210.3350 or www.4travelworld.com.