This two-day event brings together state and national experts in creating permanent and temporary quality-of-place amenities with the seven University Design Research Fellows from the 2023 Exhibition.
COLUMBUS, IN — The Center for Cultural Affairs (CCA) has partnered with Landmark Columbus Foundation (LCF) and Ball State University (BSU) Indiana Communities Institute to announce the 2023 University Design Research Fellowship (UDRF) Colloquium, “Activations in Place.” The event will take place in Columbus on the evening of Thursday, November 2, and all day on Friday, November 3. This free two-day event brings together seven awarded Exhibit Columbus University Design Research Fellows and leaders around the country and the state of Indiana to focus on the work from the 2022-2023 exhibition, Public by Design. The event will showcase the Fellows’ work and the expertise of nationally recognized experts. Activations in Place was created so that attendees could:
- Gain practical and valuable knowledge about how quality of place amenities can create benefits for communities;
- Spark new collaborations between universities, municipal leaders, funders, and makers;
- Deepen the understanding of each UDRF installation and its relationship to this cycle of Exhibit Columbus.
The two-day event will feature a number of notable participants, including Ben Stone (National Endowment for the Arts), Réna Bradley (City of Fort Wayne Department of Planning Services), Paul Helmke (Former Mayor of the (City of Fort Wayne, Indiana), Jim Walker (Big Car Collaborative), Scott Fadness (Mayor of the City of Fishers), Sarah Green (Independent Curator and Creator), Denny Spinner (Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs), plus the seven UDRF Fellows.
The UDRF Fellows include: Joseph Altshuler and Zack Morrison (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign School of Architecture-Urbana-Champaign, and Chicago, IL); Esteban Garcia Bravo and Maria Clara Morales (Purdue University Department of Computer Graphics Technology-West Lafayette, IN); Jessica Colangelo and Charles Sharpless (University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design-Fayetteville, AR); and Deborah Garcia (Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Architecture-Cambridge, MA).
“The CCA is excited to be partnering with two noteworthy Indiana organizations – the Landmark Foundation and the Indiana Communities Institute – in the area of community development and arts and design,” said Joanna Woronkowicz, faculty director. “We’re looking forward to engaging both the community and national-level public sector officials and learning from the UDRF Fellows.”
Activations in Place builds on Columbus’ legendary commitment to quality of place through design excellence and education. This year’s University Design Research Fellows represent eight universities in two countries and across seven states.
Activations in Place is made possible by Heritage Fund—The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County with grant support from Lilly Endowment Inc. Archinect and Bustler are the media partners for this program.
To learn more and view the exciting line-up for Activations in Place, please visit the Landmark Columbus Foundation press release.
