Exhibit Columbus 2023 To Open This Saturday, August 26
The fourth Exhibit Columbus exhibition, Public by Design, opens with 13 new works of art and architecture designed to invigorate, entertain, and challenge, while expanding the legacy of one of America’s most celebrated cities.
Columbus, Indiana — This Saturday, August 26, the 2023 Exhibit Columbus Exhibition, Public by Design, will open to the public.
The Exhibit Columbus community has been working together for over a year to create what will be a ground-breaking exhibition that showcases how art and architecture can help build a sense of belonging while revitalizing and reimagining historic downtowns as equitable, beautiful, and joyful places.
This is the only exhibition of its kind that engages in an international dialogue connected to the biennial exhibition structure while exploring the challenges that cities around the globe are facing today. The process of creating this cycle de-centers the idea that art and architecture are created by singular entities or curators; this exhibition highlights the fact that the best work is built with a broad belief in the collective power of community work and engagement.
“This exhibition is about revitalization and imagination with a commitment to equity, beauty, and joy while creating new forms of public space,” said the six Curatorial Partners.
This community-focused event opens as downtowns are rebounding from a post-pandemic reality to attract and retain visitors and businesses. Opening Weekend will activate downtown Columbus with thirteen installations of architecture, art, landscapes, and graphic identity and wayfinding. This weekend is the only opportunity to see the exhibition alongside the entire Public by Design team, including six Curatorial Partners, four J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize Recipients, seven University Design Research Fellows, High School Design Team, and Communication Designer, as well as residents of Columbus and visitors from around the world.
The public opening day is Saturday, August 26, and begins with an Exhibition Tour, followed by Curatorial Conversations, and concludes with Rock the Block, a block party and dance show at the center of downtown at the intersection of 4th Street and Washington Street. All day, there will be activities at installations to gather for a moment of connection, relaxation, or entertainment—like a saxophone set at Side Effects, game day at Ground Rules, and more. Thanks to state-wide and national support, there is no entrance fee for the exhibition or any of the opening day activities.
“This exhibition shows how working together in the public realm with art and architecture allows us to achieve a purpose much greater than we can alone,” said Richard McCoy the Executive Director of Landmark Columbus Foundation, the nonprofit organization that created Exhibit Columbus. “Our Curatorial Team has taken a unique approach to get here, one that combines deep connections within our community with international expertise to shepherd this exhibition into existence.”
2023 Opening Weekend Events
Saturday, August 26
Free, open to the public
Public by Design: The Exhibition Tour
9:30 am – 11:30 am, tour begins at Hotel Indigo
Curatorial Conversations
2 pm – 3:30 pm, at First Christian Church
Rock the Block: Party and Dance Show
7 pm – 10 pm, at 4th Street and Washington Street
Installation Activations
Imagine the Library’s Future! with the Bartholomew County Public Library
10:00 am – 12:00 pm, 536 5th St.
Designed by the public, RESPONDER, Sylvan Scrapple
Free snow cones and book storytime with Sno Biz and Viewpoint Books
11:30 am – 12:30 pm, 637 7th St.
Machi
Pop-up performance by the band Treasured, with the High School Alumni Group
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm, 333 Washington St.
A Carousel for Columbus
Two hours of Bocce Ball at the installation with snacks and drinks, with the High School Alumni Group
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm, 500 Jackson St.
Ground Rules
Public sound show event with Deborah Garcia
9:30 pm – 9:45 pm, 536 5th St.
RESPONDER
Movies in the Park presents “Super Mario Bros," with the Columbus Park and Recreation Department
9:45 pm – 11:30 pm, 50 Carl Miske Dr.
Echoes of the Hill
Exhibit Columbus Participants
Awarded to renowned national and international design practices who share J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller’s commitment to the transformative power of designing with public spaces, four J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize Recipientswere commissioned to activate the public spaces of popular downtown Columbus sites and create the most highly anticipated installations of the exhibition.
J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize Recipients
Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO
Mexico City
Installation: Designed by the public
Site: Library Plaza at Bartholomew County Public Library
Community Curator: Jason Hatton
Practice for Architecture and Urbanism (PAU)
New York City
Installation: Interoculus
Site: The Commons
Community Curator: Dave Hayward
PORT
Philadelphia and Chicago
Installation: THE PLOT PROJECT
Site: Mill Race Center
Community Curator: Dan Mustard
Studio Zewde
Harlem
Installation: Echoes of the Hill
Site: Mill Race Park
Community Curator: Mark Jones
University Design Research Fellows
Awarded to leading professors of architecture, landscape architecture, and design from North American universities, seven University Design Research Fellows were selected to respond to recommendations from the 2021 Downtown Activation Study developed by James Lima Planning and Development (JLP+D) that looked at ways to activate the historic core of downtown Columbus. JLP+D’s work is supported by the City of Columbus and a National Endowment for the Arts “Our Town Grant”.
Joseph Altshuler and Zack Morrison
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Architecture
Urbana-Champaign and Chicago, IL
Installation: A Carousel for Columbus
Site: Ovation Plaza
Esteban Garcia Bravo and Maria Clara Morales
Purdue University Department of Computer Graphics Technology
West Lafayette, IN
Installation: PRISMA
Site: Cummins Parking Garage, West
Jessica Colangelo and Charles Sharpless
University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design Fayetteville, AR
Installation: Ground Rules
Site: Cummins Office Building Headquarters
Deborah Garcia
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Architecture
Cambridge, MA
Installation: RESPONDER
Site: Bartholomew County Public Library
Molly Hunker and Greg Corso
Syracuse University School of Architecture
Syracuse, NY
Installation: Side Effects
Site: The Commons
Katie MacDonald and Kyle Schumann
University of Virginia School of Architecture
Charlottesville, VA
Installation: Sylvan Scrapple
Site: Columbus Area Visitors Center
Halina Steiner, Tameka Baba, Forbes Lipschitz, Shelby Doyle
The Ohio State University Austin E. Knowlton School of Architecture and Iowa State University School of Design
Columbus, OH and Ames, IA
Installation: PIPE UP!
Site: Hotel Indigo
High School Design Team
High School Students:
Oliver Bush, Trinity Carter, Haniel Cruz, Anushka Damle, Mariana DeLuca, Alexander DePaul, Isabel Garduno, Derik Gratz, Owen Hebert, Eli Kirkland, Brooke Leslie, Eddy Lin, Sam Loheide, Nettie Meeks, Max Nash, Judah Nickoll, Bryce Olson, Ashley Perez, Gloria Phillips, Grishma Pitkar, Joycee Redman, Cameron Rusin, Beatriz Santana, Trent Tyree, Vaughan Williams
Installation: Machi
Site: Cummins Parking Garage, East
Communication Design
Chris Grimley
Signals
Boston, MA
Curatorial Partners
Paola Aguirre
Urban Designer, BORDERLESS
Chris Merritt
Landscape Architect, Merritt Chase
Lauren M. Pacheco
Civic and Cultural Artist, Steel Studio Foundation
Bryony Roberts
Designer, Writer, Educator, Bryony Roberts Studio
Raymund Ryan
Curator at Large, The Heinz Architectural Center at Carnegie Museum of Art
Holly Warren
Assistant Director for the Arts, Economic and Sustainable Development Department, City of Bloomington
The Exhibition will be on display until November 26, 2023, with additional projects and events occurring throughout, including Miller Prize Conversations with each recipient and special guest, Next Generation Day, an event for youth and families, and Activations in Space: the 2023 University Design Research Fellowship Colloquium, created in partnership with Ball State University and Indiana University to highlight the work of UDRFellows.
Visit exhibitcolumbus.org for the ongoing schedule of projects and events.
Media Contact
Jamie Goldsborough
jamie@landmarkcolumbus.org
About Exhibit Columbus
Exhibit Columbus is a program of Landmark Columbus Foundation and an exploration of community, architecture, art, and design that activates the modern legacy of Columbus, Indiana. It creates a cycle of programming that uses this context to convene conversations around innovative ideas and commissions site-responsive installations in a free, public exhibition. exhibitcolumbus.org
