In just a little more than a couple of weeks, the public will get a sneak peek at some of the world’s leading architects’ and designers’ visions for the biennial Exhibit Columbus program.
Although to be honest, that’s not entirely true. Because in this installment of Exhibit Columbus, the public has been involved from the get-go, offering input on the artistic installations that will be placed at such landmarks as the Bartholomew County Public Library, The Commons, Mill Race Center and Mill Race Park.
“Public By Design” is the name and the method for this year’s series of installations. The Republic’s Brian Blair has been covering Exhibit Columbus and reported last week that those collaborating on the works are getting ready to present their visions to the public on Feb. 25 at the Exhibit Columbus Design Presentations at The Commons.
The presentation will be a first look at the actual installations that will debut six months thereafter, in late August. They will remain in place until November.
One of the designers, New York City architect Vishaan Chakrabarti of PAU Studio, said he aims to strike a careful balance in his firm’s presentation, highlighting a surprise or two, but as Blair wrote, “he also wants the more than 100 local residents who offered ideas and input for his work to easily notice the fruit of some of their suggestions.
“I really hope so,” Chakrabati said. “People talked about a place to hang out. And they talked about the importance of lighting at night. And they talked about celebrating the downtown and creating more reasons for people to go there as a destination.
“So I hope people will recognize all that.”
Here’s a further preview from Chakrabati: “… We’re hopeful that we can do something that pays respect to the extraordinary history and quality of your downtown and the diversity of the community — and creates reasons for people to come hang out downtown.
“So, we do have some high aspirations that are built from what we heard from the community.”
Chakrabarti’s studio is one of the exhibition’s four Miller Prize winners forming the base of the exhibition. The others are Mexico City-based architecture studio Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO; PORT, which has studios in Philadelphia and Chicago; and Studio Zewde, a public art practice based in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.
Each of these honorees has an $80,000 grant to develop their vision — plus a lot of support from the community.
Exhibit Columbus continues to draw such distinguished and talented visionaries to this city due largely to the work of the Landmark Columbus Foundation.
Come August, when the Exhibit Columbus installations are unveiled, it’s likely that, as has been the case in past events, tens of thousands of visitors will come to see these works that will garner national and international attention.
Significantly, the public — from elementary and high school students to people from all walks of life — will have played a larger part than ever in developing works for this unique and exciting program.
To register for the free the Exhibit Columbus Design Presentations on Feb. 25 at The Commons, or to learn more about Exhibit Columbus, visit exhibitcolumbus.org.
