Events
Events
The Monument Knows Public Conversation No. 1 at Christ Church Cathedral on Monument Circle in Indianapolis.
Through our four focus areas, Civic Design Institute, Progressive Preservation, Exhibit Columbus, and Monumental Gestures, Landmark Columbus Foundation offers talks, tours, gatherings, and public events that connect communities with design excellence as civic practice.
View our upcoming and previous events below.
The Monument Knows: Public Conversation No. 3
Join Monumental Gestures for the third public conversation of The Monument Knows, a public humanities and civic research project exploring the histories, meanings, and future possibilities of Monument Circle and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis. This event is free and open to the public.
Public Conversation No. 1 asked what a monument is. No. 2 asked how the Monument is used today and what it means to the people who gather there. Public Conversation No. 3 asks what is missing from this monument. Whose histories does the Monument hold, whose does it leave out, and what does it mean to care for a landmark as living heritage rather than as a finished object?
Rasul Mowatt, Department Head and Professor of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management in the College of Natural Resources at North Carolina State University, studies how cities produce public space and how race, memory, and power are written into it. He spent fifteen years on the faculty at Indiana University and serves as Research Director for The Monument Knows.
Tiffany Tolbert, Co-Director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, helps lead the largest national effort to preserve places tied to Black history in the United States. She spent more than a decade at Indiana Landmarks before joining the National Trust and knows the Circle from both sides of that work.
Kyle Long, host and producer of Cultural Manifesto and Echoes of Indiana Avenue at WFYI Public Media, will moderate.
Developed by Monumental Gestures in partnership with Merritt Chase, The Monument Knows invites residents to engage with one of Indianapolis's most iconic public spaces through conversation, research, and storytelling. The project asks a simple but deep question: What does the monument know?
This event is the third in a four-part public conversation series. Thanks to a grant from the Mellon Foundation, we offer it without cost to you. Learn more at askthemonument.org. Register: The Monument Knows: Public Conversation No. 3 Tickets, Monday, November 2 • 5 PM - 6 PM | Eventbrite
Prove It Summit Keynote: Maurice Cox and Courtney Spearman
Join two national design leaders whose work reaches from some of America’s largest cities to its smallest towns and Tribal communities for a conversation about the places we build, the people they serve, and what it takes to create lasting value.
The program begins with a welcome from Mayor Mary Ferdon and Tracy Haddad, Board Chair of Landmark Columbus Foundation, with remarks from U.S. Senator Todd Young. Courtney Spearman and Maurice Cox will deliver keynote presentations, followed by a conversation moderated by Daniel Luis Martinez.
The Monument Knows: Public Conversation No. 2
Join Monumental Gestures for the second public conversation of The Monument Knows, a public humanities and civic research project exploring the histories, meanings, and future possibilities of Monument Circle and the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis.
Public Conversation No. 1 asked what a monument is, and what kind of monument the Soldiers & Sailors Monument is. This upcoming event, Public Conversation No. 2, will ask how the Monument is used today and what it means to the people who gather there. The Circle is the city's visual icon. It is also a site of reverence, protest, and celebration, and the daily backdrop for the people who work, live, and serve downtown.
Taylor Schaffer, President and CEO of Downtown Indy Alliance, will speak to the ways the Monument anchors civic life and provides a stage for many different audiences and events, from Circle of Lights to SPARK on the Circle to the daily rhythm of downtown.
Blaine Zimmerman, Chief Talent and Marketing Officer at Indy Chamber, U.S. Army veteran, and infantry officer in the Indiana National Guard, will speak to the Monument's role in the lives of veterans and active service members today.
Sampson Levingston, creator and host of Through2Eyes Indiana Walk and Talk, will moderate.
Following the conversation, Sampson will lead a walking tour of the Circle. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended, as the tour will take place outdoors on paved surfaces.
Developed by Monumental Gestures in partnership with Merritt Chase, The Monument Knows invites residents to engage with one of Indianapolis's most iconic public spaces through conversation, research, and storytelling. The project asks a simple but deep question: What does the monument know?
This event is the second in a four-part public conversation series. Thanks to a grant from the Mellon Foundation, we offer it without cost to you. Learn more at askthemonument.org.
Getting there. → The Indy Chamber offices are on the 22nd floor of Salesforce Tower. Enter at 111 Monument Circle. Volunteers will be in the lobby to direct you through the turnstiles to the elevators. Please arrive by 4:50 p.m. so the program can start on time.
Progressive Preservation Talks Schools Edition: Mt. Healthy Elementary
This Progressive Preservation Talk with Glenda Winders will feature information about the historic Southside Elementary School, which was designed by Eliot Noyes and completed in 1969. In a public discussion, Winders, a Columbus-based writer, will share her work researching the school and archives.
The Monument Knows Public Conversation No. 1 with Salamishah Tillet and Jordan Ryan
Join Monumental Gestures for the first public conversation of The Monument Knows, a new public humanities and civic research project exploring the histories, meanings, and future possibilities of Monument Circle and the Soldiers & Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis.
2026 High Five Day
Join us for this fun, free public event that celebrates the publication of Landmark Columbus Foundation's 2025 Annual Report: BEEN THERE, DOING THIS and the release of the corresponding limited-edition pin.
Progressive Preservation Talks: Goins Hotel Edition
A Progressive Preservation Talk presenting research on the historic Goins Hotel by Cameryn Kent and Paulette Roberts
In celebration of Black Heritage Month, Landmark Columbus Foundation presents a special edition of its Progressive Preservation Talks series focused on the historic Goins Hotel. This program will feature research and insights from Cameryn Kent and Paulette Roberts, highlighting the site’s layered history and its role within Columbus’ Black Heritage Trail—a self-guided walking tour that traces the history of Black land ownership, businesses, and cultural life in Columbus from the late 1800s through the early 20th century.
Progressive Preservation Talks Schools Edition: Southside Elementary
This Progressive Preservation Talk with Glenda Winders will feature information about the historic Southside Elementary School, which was designed by Eliot Noyes and completed in 1969. In a public discussion, Winders, a Columbus-based writer, will share her work researching the school and archives.
Progressive Preservation Talks Books Edition: What a Building Does
Join authors Phillip Cox and Niall Cronin to explore their new publication What a Building Does: The Hoosier Modernisms of Evans Woollen, published by the Indiana University Press.
Miller Prize Conversation: AD—WO
A conversation with Emanuel Admassu and Jen Wood (AD—WO) and Billie Tsien (TWBT Architects), featuring poet Mánon Voice
Miller Prize Conversation: Studio Cooke John
A conversation with Nina Cooke John (Studio Cooke John) and Julia van den Hout (Art Omi), featuring poet Rosalie Moffett
YES Design—AND Research: 2025 University Design Research Fellowship Colloquium
Two days of dialogue uniting the six current UDRFellows, past Fellows, and guest experts to explore how design research activates public spaces and strengthens communities.
Miller Prize Conversation: Studio Barnes
A conversation with Germane Barnes (Studio Barnes) and Joseph Zeal-Henry (City of Boston), featuring poet Mitchell Douglas
Progressive Preservation Talks Schools Edition: Smith Elementary
This Progressive Preservation Talk with Glenda Winders will feature information about the historic Smith Elementary School, which was designed by John M. Johansen and completed in 1969. His son, Christen Johansen, designed the expansion and renovation in 1997. In a public discussion, Winders, a Columbus-based writer, will share her work researching the school and archives.
Progressive Preservation Talks: Bartholomew County Jail
Featuring Curt DeClue will feature information about the historic Bartholomew County Jail which was designed by Don M Hisaka and completed in 1990. In a public discussion, DeClue, a Columbus-native, will share his work researching the jail and archives.
Progressive Preservation Books Edition: Eventually Everything Connects with Cranbrook Art Museum
Join Curators Andrew Satake Blauvelt (Director, Cranbrook Art Museum) and Bridget Bartal (MillerKnoll Curatorial Fellow, Cranbrook Art Museum) to explore the groundbreaking publication Eventually Everything Connects: Mid-Century Modern Design in the US, a 464-page catalog published by Phaidon to accompany Cranbrook Art Museum's exhibition of the same name.
Miller Prize Conversation: Adaptive Operations
A conversation with Charlie Vinz (Adaptive Operations) and Shannon Stratton (Oxbow Arts), featuring poet Eugene Gloria
Rock The Block: Live in Color
Rock the Block: Live in Color features dance performances under the iconic InterOculus installation and culminates in downtown’s largest dance party.
Exhibit Columbus Next Generation Day
Next Generation Day is a full-day celebration of creativity and inclusion. It starts with youth-led performances and hands-on design activities and ends with the city’s biggest block party.