COLUMBUS, Ind. — It seems logical that a noteworthy celebration of pop-up architecture will once again spring to life from — what else? — an expansive bit of pop-up architecture of its own Aug. 20 in Mill Race Park.
Therein lies a sly way to announce that the traditional Exhibit Columbus Preview Party is on under a big-top-style tent that will accommodate more than 700 people.
The event will kick off the 13-installation exhibition “New Middles” running through November throughout the city and expected to attract thousands from the region, the nation, and even the globe. In 2019, an estimated 30,000 people viewed or interacted with the temporary works.
Exhibit Columbus is an every other year exploration of architecture, art, design and community that highlights the city’s heralded Modernist structures that once ranked it sixth nationally for number of buildings designed by top architects.
Exhibit Columbus Director Anne Surak acknowledged that she’d like to see an even larger crowd than in 2017 and 2019 — years in which attendees numbered 700.
A few months ago, before the COVID-19 vaccines began, organizers weren’t even sure they could reasonably host such a kickoff gathering. But that has changed.
“I guess we’d always ideally want to say bigger and the best yet,” Surak said. “Or at least at the same scale that it has been. Because this now seems like the perfect time to gather again.”
For the complete story, see Saturday’s Republic.
