Mike Wolanin | The Republic People gather for a panel discussion with the Exhibit Columbus Miller Prize recipients during the Exhibit Columbus Symposium at The Commons in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Oct. 21, 2022.
If they build it, you will come.
Designers are set to construct 13 temporary installations throughout Columbus near notable, permanent architecture in a three-month architectural extravaganza known as Exhibit Columbus opening Aug. 26 under the theme “Public By Design.” The free exhibition has attracted as many as an estimated 40,000 people in the past, not counting global online views.
Their creations, expected to include everything from the whimsical to the weighty, will grow from the ideas explored in the fall Exhibit Columbus symposium, collaborations with community partners, and the creative imagination of the participants, according to organizers.
And the public’s first taste of that creativity of the coming installations surfaces Feb. 25 at The Commons, 300 Washington St. in downtown Columbus.
The 2023 Exhibit Columbus Design Presentations will be held all day beginning at 8 a.m. with coffee and pastries from nearby Lucabe Coffee Co.
Throughout the day-long event, attendees will see short presentations by each of the Exhibit Columbus participants and then have the opportunity to provide feedback before they are constructed for the exhibition. Attendees have the option to purchase a ticket for a buffet-style lunch offered by Fresh Take Kitchen, another locally-owned, downtown business.
“This part of Exhibit Columbus is a rare opportunity to see some of the most creative and talented architects, artists, and designers working today as they showcase their ideas and explain how they connect to Columbus and beyond,” said Richard McCoy, executive director of Landmark Columbus Foundation, the organization responsible for Exhibit Columbus. “With our curators, we are building a very special moment that builds off of our theme, Public by Design, to create meaningful connections between people and the public spaces they share.”
The day will unfold over the course of four sessions, starting with Communications Designer Chris Grimley of Signals (of Boston, Massachusetts), who will provide an early look at the exhibition map and discuss how visitors to the 2023 Exhibition will be able to explore installations along a featured route. Attendees will then explore the 12 other sites and hear what will be created at each one.
Exhibit Columbus will have multiple ways for attendees to provide feedback on the concepts being presented.
The six Exhibit Columbus curatorial partners, who created the theme for this cycle and led the selection of each participant, will provide feedback as well.
“We are excited about this special event as we reveal all of the design concepts connected to this cycle, Public by Design,” said the curatorial partners in a news release. “Each participant visited Columbus for the 2022 symposium, and now we get to see what they are proposing to create and how they arrived at their idea. Public engagement is really key to this year’s theme.”
The day will also feature the special guest Matthew Graham, the seventh Indiana State Poet Laureate, reading a poem from his collection, “The Geography of Home,” published in 2018 from Galileo Press.
