About
Who we are
Landmark Columbus Foundation is a public resource and thought leader for Progressive Preservation in Bartholomew County; an advocate and educator for and about cultural heritage; and a source of inspiration to advance good design for public benefit.
Our Mission
Landmark Columbus Foundation cares for, celebrates, and advances the cultural heritage of Columbus, Indiana.
Our Programs
To fulfill its mission, Landmark Columbus Foundation directs two locally-engaged and globally-connected programs that are interwoven in their impact and networks.
Exhibit Columbus is an exploration of community, art, architecture, and design that activates the modern legacy of Columbus, Indiana. It creates a cycle of programming that uses this context to convene conversations around innovative ideas and commissions site-responsive installations in a free, public exhibition.
Columbus Design Institute is a technical service initiative that promotes the Value of Good Design that built Columbus. It collaborates with partners through its design process to encourage meaningful investments in the sustainable and equitable development of communities.
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Executive Director, Landmark Columbus Foundation
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Owner at Golden Endeavors, LLC.
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Columbus Community Supporter and Volunteer
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Mayor of the City of Columbus
Board of Directors
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President and CEO, Johnson Ventures, Inc.
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Chairman, Elwood Staffing
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President and CEO, Heritage Fund
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Chief Financial Officer, Indiana Youth Services Association and Director of Financial Services, Mission Management Services
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Director of Experiences and Technology, IBM iX
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President, Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Columbus, IN, Inc.
Landmark Columbus Foundation
Land Acknowledgement
Landmark Columbus Foundation acknowledges that this area has been a site of human activity for more than 12,000 years through the ancient cultures of the Adena, Hopewell, and Cahokia, and then by the vibrant cultures of the Delaware, Kickapoo, Miami, and Shawnee Nations. In a state named for Indians, in a city named for Christopher Columbus, we recognize that many people called this region home, centuries before the first Europeans arrived.
Although this land was ceded to the United States of America by the Miami and Delaware Nations through the Treaty of St. Mary’s in 1818, we recognize that the languages, culture, and traditions of these nations continue to this day. At the natural confluence of waterways and rich soil, the Columbus area has long drawn people to gather. As we continue to make Columbus the best city of its size we strive to be good stewards of this land and place.
For more information about land acknowledgements, please visit the Indiana University First Nations Educational and Cultural Center.
Programs
To fulfill its mission, Landmark Columbus Foundation directs two locally-engaged and globally-connected programs that are interwoven in their impact and networks.
Exhibit Columbus is an exploration of community, art, architecture, and design that activates the design legacy of Columbus, Indiana. It creates a cycle of programming that uses this context to convene conversations around innovative ideas and commissions site-responsive installations in a free, public exhibition.
Columbus Design Institute is a technical service initiative that promotes the Value of Good Design that built Columbus. It collaborates with partners through its design process to encourage meaningful investments in the sustainable and equitable development of communities.
Board of Directors
Rick Johnson
Board President
President and CEO, Johnson Ventures, Inc.
Hutch Schumaker
Board Vice President
President, Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Columbus, IN, Inc.
Tracy Souza
Board Secretary
President and CEO, Heritage Fund
Surekha DiOrio
Board Treasurer
Chief Financial Officer, Indiana Youth Services Association and Director of Financial Services, Mission Management Services
Richard McCoy
Executive Director, Landmark Columbus Foundation
Mark Elwood
Chairman and CEO, Elwood Staffing
Tracy Haddad
Owner at Golden Endeavors, LLC.
Betsy Laskey
Columbus Community Supporter and Volunteer
The Honorable James Lienhoop
Mayor of the City of Columbus
Karen Niverson
Executive Director, Columbus Area Visitors Center
Annual Report
Since the organization’s founding, Landmark Columbus Foundation has released two annual reports: 2020 and 2021.
Click here to read and download our Annual Report(s).
Land Acknowledgement
Landmark Columbus Foundation acknowledges that this area has been a site of human activity for more than 12,000 years through the ancient cultures of the Adena, Hopewell, and Cahokia, and then by the vibrant cultures of the Delaware, Kickapoo, Miami, and Shawnee Nations. In a state named for Indians, in a city named for Christopher Columbus, we recognize that many people called this region home, centuries before the first Europeans arrived.
Although this land was ceded to the United States of America by the Miami and Delaware Nations through the Treaty of St. Mary’s in 1818, we recognize that the languages, culture, and traditions of these nations continue to this day. At the natural confluence of waterways and rich soil, the Columbus area has long drawn people to gather. As we continue to make Columbus the best city of its size we strive to be good stewards of this land and place.
For more information about land acknowledgements, please visit the Indiana University First Nations Educational and Cultural Center.
Organization History
Columbus has long demonstrated how the process of working together with shared values and thoughtful designers is an excellent way to build a great community—referred to locally as the Value of Good Design. Investing in this value created Columbus’ remarkable collection of architecture, art, and design, which has become a defining characteristic of our community and the city’s identity.
In 2015, Heritage Fund—The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County launched Landmark Columbus Foundation to ensure the Columbus values and investments in design excellence are well cared for and can remain a source of inspiration for future generations. With the support of many in the community and those around the state and country, this program quickly became a community asset that makes a big difference.
In late 2019 Landmark Columbus Foundation became a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization with the mission to care for, celebrate, and advance the cultural heritage of Columbus, Indiana. With a dedicated board of directors and staff, this organization was created to continue supporting the larger efforts of Heritage Fund through its three programs areas, and their corresponding projects and events. It frequently partners with local and international schools, organizations, and individuals to fulfill its mission.
Columbus, Indiana
Civic Identity
We are Columbus, Indiana: Designed for Living—a town of 50,000 that nurtures the virtues of small in the most ambitious of ways—to be the best city of its size in America.
“At its best, architecture partakes of immortality, giving joy and excitement to the present, and perpetual challenge to the future. When the challenge is of the highest order, it is a most precious legacy to future generations.”
— J. Irwin Miller
