This permanent installation by artist Tavares Strachan invites visitors to step through an unmarked door into a fully realized reggae bar—complete with handcrafted cocktails, locally roasted coffee, and light bites. Inspired by the neighborhood rum bars of Strachan’s youth in the Bahamas, Bar Room links Columbus with the Caribbean, celebrating Afro-Caribbean music and the living legacies of the African diaspora in Central Ohio.
In a heavily collaborative effort with the artists’ studio, the 2022 gallery installation was transformed into a functional rum bar. Utilizing elements from the initial installation and updating and adding to them to create a functional space with the same authentic gestalt.
