Four Installations to Remain in Columbus Beyond Exhibition, Public by Design
Sustaining the Momentum of Exhibit Columbus as a Community-Wide Celebration
Columbus, Indiana — As preparations are being made to launch the fifth Exhibit Columbus exhibition in mid-August, organizers are reviewing the impact of the last exhibition. Each installation in Exhibit Columbus is designed to activate downtown Columbus, connect with a community partner, and spark conversations about the intersection of community, architecture, art, and design. Four installations from the 2023 exhibition, Public by Design—THE PLOT PROJECT, Ground Rules, InterOculus, and A Carousel for Columbus—are transitioning from “temporary” to “here to stay,” highlighting that the impact of Public by Design continues to shape everyday life in Columbus. Additionally, the two-year cycle is documented and archived in the exhibition catalog, Public by Design, which shows how the cycle of events evolved as a dialogue—one that invited participation at every level and left a lasting impact on Columbus’ public spaces and community relationships.
When PORT Urbanism unveiled The PLOT Project in Mill Race Park, its sweeping arc of twelve re-wilding plots and four colorful pavilions quickly demonstrated its potential as a lasting park amenity. The design team collaborated with Columbus Parks and Recreation and Mill Race Center staff to relocate one of the pavilions to a permanent location, ensuring the installation remains an ongoing fixture at the park. Accompanying the pavilions is interpretive signage, which provides educational content about the plants, natural processes, and rewilding experiments. A grant from Duke Energy Foundation supported the relocation of this pavilion.
In the heart of downtown, Ground Rules—an installation by 2022–23 University Design Research Fellows Jessica Colangelo and Charles Sharpless of the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design—was designed to encourage interaction and adaptability. First conceived as a modular boardwalk of salvaged lumber sited beneath the western colonnade of the Cummins Corporate Office Building, the installation invited passersby to pause, gather, and play. Today, it lives just a few blocks away, reassembledover a former motorcycle parking bay on Fourth Street. Now functioning as a pop-up stage and informal seating area, Ground Rules continues to shape downtown as a flexible social space. A December 2023 city council vote affirmed its long-term stay, recognizing the installation as a model of practical, human-scaled tactical urbanism.
At the intersection of Fourth and Washington, InterOculus by 2022–23 J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize Recipient Practice for Architecture and Urbanism continues to define the downtown skyline. The 38-foot-wide, tensile-fabric canopy has transformed the intersection into an “urban living room” embraced by residents. City officials confirmed its long-term stay in late 2023, and Landmark Columbus Foundation is coordinating ongoing maintenance to ensure the installation remains a distinctive presence in the city’s public realm.
The installation A Carousel for Columbus by 2022–23 University Design Research Fellows Joseph Altshuler and Zack Morrison (Could Be Design) is entering a new chapter as A Carousel for Companionship. The rotating platform, featuring abstracted profiles of iconic Columbus architecture, is being relocated to NexusPark, the city’s new wellness campus. Through a partnership between Columbus Parks and Recreation, the Columbus Area Arts Council, and Altshuler and Morrison, the installation will be a focal point for community programs, performances, and everyday play. City Council minutes from fall 2024 first noted the move, describing the carousel as a centerpiece for NexusPark’s community programs. The refreshed installation is scheduled to open in late summer 2025.
“What began as temporary urban design experiments has become part of everyday living in Columbus,” said Jamie Goldsborough, Creative Director of Landmark Columbus Foundation. “The continued presence of each installation underscores the role of design in shaping meaningful public experiences, and LCF’s commitment to stewarding public spaces that spark joy, invite connection, and cultivate belonging.”
Leveraging Landmark Columbus Foundation’s research-based approach to reimagine downtown through the Exhibit Columbus program, a first-of-its-kind publication was released to encapsulate two years of work. The Public by Design book highlights the power of design excellence and public participation to spark meaningful change. It serves as both an inspiring story and a practical guide, providing city leaders, urban planners, designers, and community organizers with actionable insights to launch similar initiatives in their communities. Through firsthand voices and a detailed chronicle of a two-year process, Public by Design illustrates how public art and architecture can define civic life and build lasting connections between people and place.
LCF extends its gratitude to the City of Columbus, Columbus Parks and Recreation, NexusPark, Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation, Columbus Area Arts Council, Cummins Inc., Tracy L. Haddad Foundation, Johnson Ventures, Mark & Wendy Elwood Foundation, Ovation Technology Group, and the many volunteers and donors who made these legacies possible.
→ For press, visit this link to download photography of the installations THE PLOT PROJECT, Ground Rules, InterOculus, and A Carousel for Columbus, and photography of Public by Design. Photography credits are: Hadley Fruits for Landmark Columbus Foundation.
Media Contact
Jamie Goldsborough
jamie@landmarkcolumbus.org
About Exhibit Columbus
Exhibit Columbus is a program of Landmark Columbus Foundation and an exploration of community, architecture, art, 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. exhibitcolumbus.org
