Columbus area residents will have an opportunity this week to learn more about the sole Miller Prize architect who was unable to attend the Sept. 29 Exhibit Columbus Symposium.
Frida Escobedo of Mexico City, one of five winners of the J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize for architecture, will speak about her background and career during her first public presentation in Columbus. That’s scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday in the Red Room of the Bartholomew County Public Library, 536 Fifth St.
Escobedo’s studio will create an installation for the library plaza during the 2019 Exhibit Columbus exhibition, which will open Aug. 24.
Richard McCoy, among the Exhibit Columbus founders, calls Escobedo a rising international star in architecture.
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Special guest Daniel Ostroff, a film producer and a scholar on the work of designers Charles and Ray Eames, will present on “Eames + Morality” prior to the program with Escobedo. Ostroff is the author of “Modern Classic,” “Eames + Valastro,” and “Collecting Eames.” The Los Angeles resident was consulting curator for Eames Words and curator of “Collecting Eames: The JF Chen Collection,” both for The Getty Museum’s Pacific Standard Time Consortium.
Charles Eames collaborated with Eero Saarinen on the furnishings of First Christian Church, McCoy said. His work is evident throughout Columbus, from the Miller House to the Columbus Area Visitors Center.
In fact, Eames’ Aluminum Group furniture was born from a request for a specially designed chair from J. Irwin Miller, the late Cummins executive who helped build Columbus’ legacy with notable design.
As an agent for writers, directors and producers, Ostroff was involved in packaging Academy Award-winning feature films “Dances With Wolves,” “The Right Stuff,” “Road to Perdition” and “A River Runs Through It.”
Following presentations by Ostroff and Escobedo, Chris Merritt will lead a moderated discussion with guests. Merritt is a landscape architect and founding principal of Merritt Chase, with offices in Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, and currently serves on the Curatorial Advisory Committee for Exhibit Columbus.
“Think of this program as a kind of mini symposium,” McCoy said.
All five Miller Prize Winners will return to Columbus for their general presentations and plans during a Jan. 19 public meeting at The Commons. There, they will outline and illustrate their planned installations.
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What: Exhibit Columbus J. Irwin and Xenia Miller Prize winning architect Freda Escobedo of Mexico City, Mexico, speaking about her experience and background. Plus, Daniel Ostroff, a leading scholar on the design work of Charles and Ray Eames.
When: 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Where: Red Room of the Bartholomew County Public Library, 536 Fifth St. in downtown Columbus.
Information: exhibitcolumbus.org.
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