BY DESTINEE WILLIAMS | PHOTOS BY CIRRUS GOLD CREATIVE CO.

Marriage is an art. The wedding is the canvas. Through the years, you will fill the canvas with textures and colors more beautiful than anything your heart has ever beheld. The Gallery at Heritage Art Center, located immediately adjacent to the Uptown entertainment district, offers everything for your special day. They can curate your special date or let you run with your creative approach.

The Gallery at Heritage Art Center owner and Creative Director, Karen Ouzts, always dreamed of a place where creatives could come together to make and share their art. She sat down with SVM to talk about the creation of the Heritage Art Center and its many services.

How did The Gallery at Heritage Art Center go from dream to reality? The Gallery at Heritage Art center is a work of art within itself and was created from a real-life love story. I was a former art teacher and wasn’t in a place to create my dream. I imagined a space like no other, which would mean expenses I couldn’t handle. A space was presented to me, but securing it would require me to walk away from my career so that I could use my retirement funds for the project.

One night, I was praying, unaware that my husband heard me. He put his hand on her shoulder and said, “I’ll build your dream.” With that, he left his career to begin building one of the most gorgeous venues in Columbus. My husband spent every night for over three and a half years turning my dream into a reality, remodeling nearly 10,000 square feet of buildings and clearing over an acre of green space.

What do you think makes the venue itself special and creative? The Venue is a culmination of the best of my husband and me. I wanted to preserve the historical integrity of the space while showing off my eye for design. The Gallery, which can accommodate 150 guests, has all the romanticism of industrial chic. It has nearly 20 ft high wooden barrel ceilings and exposed brick walls, with the interior walls being dramatic charcoal, trimmed in vivid white moldings and doors. Additionally, The Gallery has a century-old iron-white spiral staircase that begs to be filled with candles or greenery.

The Gallery, which can accommodate 150 guests, has all the romanticism of industrial chic. It has nearly 20 ft high wooden barrel ceilings and exposed brick walls, with the interior walls being dramatic charcoal, trimmed in vivid white moldings and doors.

In addition to The Gallery at Heritage, the main gallery, we also offer an on-site bridal suite, The Art Room at Heritage. The Art Room, which accommodates 30 people, has the same dramatic ceilings and exposed brick, but the interior walls are white, which looks heavenly when filled with natural light.

What are some services that The Gallery at Heritage Art Center offers? Here at The Gallery at Heritage Art Center, we allow guests to use their own vendors or they can select from a list of preferred vendors. The Heritage Art center is an Art Gallery. The art in the space can be removed or curated for the event depending on the client’s preference, creating an art show just for their special day. We also have staff that can organize the couple’s big day, keeping everything stress free and simple.

We also have The Courtyard at Heritage, an acre of green space that can be used for onsite parking or transformed for intimate outdoor festivities.

How long can I lease the space? The Heritage Art Center leases space daily, weekly, or for full weekends.

What exclusives does Heritage Art Center have? Not only do we have the best vendors in the business, but we have also teamed up with JG Art Haus. JG Art Haus will be designing sets for feature films here in Columbus, Ga., and can create a custom set for guests inside the venue. Their services for weddings are exclusive to Heritage, but they are not affiliated with Heritage Art Center. Guests would need to contact JG Art Haus using the information provided by The Heritage Art Center.

How can interested parties find out more information? Guests can meet vendors and tour the space at our Bridal Expo on May 20th from 12-4 p.m. or visit our website at www.Heritage-Art-Center.com to schedule a tour and learn more about packaging and pricing. SVM

THE GALLERY at Heritage Art Center

The Gallery, which can accommodate 150 guests, has all the romanticism of industrial chic. It has nearly 20 ft high wooden barrel ceilings and exposed brick walls, with the interior walls being dramatic charcoal, trimmed in vivid white moldings and doors.