Landmark Columbus Foundation Announces 2025 Exhibit Columbus Events: Yes And

PressExhibit Columbus
Written By Jamie Goldsborough

Columbus, Indiana — Landmark Columbus Foundation (LCF) has announced the full calendar of events for the 2025 cycle of Exhibit Columbus, themed Yes And. This year’s cycle launched on August 16, 2025, transforming downtown Columbus into a lively outdoor gallery of thirteen site-responsive installations. Coming up for the program will be a season of conversations, tours, performances, and celebrations that extend through the fall.

Thanks to the generous support of several foundations and individuals, all of these events are offered free of charge; registration is recommended to secure a spot, as many are expected to sell out.

“If you are interested in exploring the power that art and architecture have in shaping communities, Columbus, Indiana, is the place to be this fall,” said Richard McCoy, Executive Director of Landmark Columbus Foundation, the organization that produces Exhibit Columbus. “The 2025 Exhibition, Yes And, shows that when communities, cities, designers, and institutions collaborate, we can celebrate cultural heritage while shaping bold visions for the future.”

Building on the city’s world-renowned design legacy, the exhibition's theme, Yes And, borrows its name from improvisational theater. It affirms what exists while imagining what else is possible. The exhibition and its companion events invite civic leaders, designers, artists, students, and community members to reimagine public spaces as sites of collaboration and belonging.

2025 Exhibit Columbus Event Highlights

Exhibit Columbus Exhibition
August 16–November 30

Twelve outdoor installations animate downtown Columbus, turning streets, courtyards, and plazas into spaces of exploration and joy. Opening Weekend featured a rooftop happy hour, tours led by participants, installation activations, and the Avenue of Architects Celebration, which drew hundreds for food trucks, live performances, and design-driven festivities.

Next Generation Day and Rock the Block
September 6

Next Generation Day will kick off a full-day celebration of creativity and inclusion. In partnership with the Bartholomew County Public Library and the Council for Youth Development, the event starts with youth-led performances and hands-on design activities, and the evening ends with the city’s biggest block party. Rock the Block features dance performances under the iconic InterOculus installation, culminating in downtown’s largest dance party. These events are supported by Patronicity and Efroymson Family Fund.

J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize Conversations
September–October

A series of conversations pairing the four 2025 Miller Prize Recipients with national experts, introduced by Indiana poets. This program is supported by The Mark and Wendy Elwood Foundation and is produced in partnership with the Indiana University J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program and Indiana Humanities.

  • September 10, Crump Theatre: Charlie Vinz (Adaptive Operations) with Shannon Stratton (Oxbow Arts), featuring poet Eugene Gloria

  • October 1, J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program: Germane Barnes (Studio Barnes) with Joseph Zeal-Henry (City of Boston), featuring poet Mitchell L. H Douglas

  • October 15, First Christian Church: Nina Cooke John (Studio Cooke John) with Julia van den Hout (Art Omi), featuring poet Rosalie Moffett

  • October 29, J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program: Emanuel Admassu and Jen Wood (AD—WO) with Billie Tsien (TWBT Architects), featuring poet Manòn Voice

YES Design—AND Research
University Design Research Fellowship Colloquium
October 9–10

Two days of dialogue uniting the current and past UDRFellows and guest experts to explore how design research activates public spaces and strengthens communities. This event is supported by The Allen Whitehill Clowes Charitable Foundation and is produced in partnership with the Indiana University J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program.

Progressive Preservation Series
September–November

Talks and book discussions exploring Columbus’ modern heritage and beyond.

  • Building Talks: Bartholomew County Jail (Sept. 16), Smith Elementary (Sept. 23), Southside Elementary (Nov. 20)

  • Book Discussions: Eventually Everything Connects: Mid-Century Modern Design in the US (Sept. 10), What a Building Does: The Hoosier Modernisms of Evans Woollen (Nov. 4)

Downtown Exhibitions

Local galleries and institutions present shows, including:

Community Festivals & Partner Events

Exhibit Columbus programming coincides with regional festivals, including the Columbus Pride Festival (Sept. 6), Fiesta Latina (Sept. 12), Scottish Festival(Sept. 13–14), Hot Rods & Rock ’n’ Roll (Sept. 20), Ethnic Expo (Oct. 10–11), and many more, reinforcing Columbus’ identity as a hub of cultural and civic life.

Photography for Press

For more information, including maps, programming, and event registration, visit exhibitcolumbus.org. For press: Here is a link to download photography. Photo 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

Jamie Goldsborough
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Exhibit Columbus Opens Yes And Exhibition to Enthusiastic Crowds, Showcasing 13 Bold New Installations