Public by Design Curatorial Statement
Public by Design creates meaningful connections between people and the public spaces they share. The theme of the fourth cycle of Exhibit Columbus, Public by Design, built on the legacy of Columbus, Indiana to explore how collaborations between communities and designers could revitalize and reimagine historic downtowns as equitable, beautiful, and joyful places. Public by Design served as a platform for many vibrant communities to become connected around the values of inclusivity, care, and generosity. This cycle celebrated creative methods of collaboration that communities and designers could use to grow a sense of belonging and connection in public spaces.
These ideas extended through every aspect of this cycle of Exhibit Columbus, from shaping the curatorial team and process, to selecting participants, and creating the format and goals of every event. Starting with the 2022 Symposium, the voices, memories, and dreams of the many communities of Columbus were amplified and celebrated in the design process. We believed this collaborative effort and the process of co-creation would resonate far beyond the city limits of Columbus.
The 2023 Exhibition featured temporary installations throughout downtown, whose impacts were lasting and profound. They grew from the ideas explored in the Symposium, collaborations with community partners, and the creative imagination of the participants. The installations served as prototypes for permanent change in the urban core of this city and examples for other communities to consider.
Public by Design represented an opportunity for each of us to play new and transformative roles in shaping a public life that was more connected to public places and public institutions.
2022–23
Curatorial Team
We built this cycle with our community first. On board, we had four Community Curators who were directors at vital local organizations, six Curatorial Partners who are nationally-recognized professionals who built communities through design, and Curatorial Advisors who provided their unique areas of expertise, from human rights to economic development. Take a look at our robust Curatorial Team to learn more about the people who created this cycle together.
Curatorial Partners
To advance and shape this cycle of Exhibit Columbus, six Curatorial Partners form the core of the curatorial team. The Partners have extraordinary backgrounds and represent a tremendous depth of experience in architecture, art, and design. Each has worked with diverse sets of communities to bring meaningful work to life.
Paola Aguirre
Urban Designer, BORDERLESS
Paola Aguirre is the founder of BORDERLESS, an urban design and research practice based in Chicago and Texas. She has trained as an architect and urban designer and has worked with governments, universities, and design offices both in Mexico and the United States. She has previously worked at the University of Chicago's Place Lab, City Design Practice at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in Chicago, New York University's Office of Strategic Assessment, Planning & Design, and the Municipal Institute of Planning of Chihuahua. She is a graduate of Harvard Graduate School of Design and Instituto Superior de Arquitectura y Diseño de Chihuahua.
Chris Merritt
Landscape Architect, Merritt Chase
Chris Merritt is a Landscape Architect and Founding Principal of Merritt Chase, a firm based in Indianapolis and Pittsburgh whose work focuses on the design of culturally significant public spaces in complex social, ecological, and infrastructural contexts. Chris has received recognition for his work with awards from the Urban Land Institute, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the American Institute of Architects, and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. He is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Design and Purdue University.
Lauren M. Pacheco
Civic and Cultural Artist, Steel Studio Foundation
Lauren Pacheco is a civic practice artist and cultural worker with more than fifteen years of arts administration, curation, and project management experience. Her background is grounded in social practice and public engagement with a personal mandate to responsibly and respectfully invest in targeted communities. Many of her projects explore connections betweenin space, people, and social impact. She is a graduate of Northwestern University, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and University of Illinois Chicago.
Bryony Roberts
Designer, Writer, Educator, Bryony Roberts Studio
Bryony Roberts leads the design and research practice Bryony Roberts Studio. She combines experience in studio art, architecture, and historic preservation to create projects that activate public spaces and historical sites around the world. For over ten years, Bryony has been designing site-specific projects that bring deep engagement with existing buildings and communities and find expression through experimental material craft. She teaches architecture at the Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation and is a graduate of Princeton School of Architecture and Yale University.
Raymund Ryan
Curator at Large, The Heinz Architectural Center at Carnegie Museum of Art
Raymund Ryan is the Curator at Large at the Heinz Architectural Center, Carnegie Museum of Art. He has served twice as Commissioner for Ireland’s pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale, curated numerous architecture exhibitions, and worked for architect Kevin Roche. In addition to authoring a number of works, he has been a nominator or advisor for many publications, exhibitions, and award programs across the United States and Europe. He is a graduate of Yale University and University College Dublin.
Holly Warren
Assistant Director for the Arts, Economic and Sustainable Development Department
City of Bloomington
Holly Warren is the Assistant Director for the Arts for the City of Bloomington where she represents the City to other organizations in matters related to arts and culture and oversees and coordinates public art projects, cultural activities, and community events. She also supports community artists and cultural organizations within the community. Holly has previously worked for the University of Chicago Logan Center for the Arts, Northwestern University’s Block Museum of Art, and at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago.
J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize Community Curators
The Curatorial Partners and Miller Prize Recipients worked closely with the directors of four key downtown Columbus organizations as a way to focus on social infrastructure in the heart of the community. The leaders of these organizations served as the Community Curators for the J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize and helped the Curatorial Partners shape the outcomes of the Miller Prize.
Jason Hatton
Executive Director, Bartholomew County Public Library
Jason Hatton is the Executive Director of Bartholomew County Public Library, where he has worked for the past sixteen years. Jason previously worked at the LaPorte County Public Library. In addition to his current role, Jason has also served on the Board of Directors for the Bartholomew County Historical Society, the United Way of Bartholomew County, and the Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives. Jason is a graduate of Indiana University Bloomington and Bethel College.
Dave Hayward
Executive Director of Public Works City of Columbus
Dave Hayward is the Executive Director of Public Works for the City of Columbus as well as the City Engineer. He is a professional civil engineer with over 40 years of experience and has served as Columbus City Engineer under four different mayors. He has also served as Bartholomew County Highway Engineer and held consulting roles. Dave was a long-time member of the Columbus Parks Foundation, serving as president for eight years. He was integral in the creation of Columbus' bicycle and pedestrian vision. He is a graduate of Iowa State University.
Mark Jones
Director, Parks and Recreation Department City of Columbus
Mark Jones is the Director of Parks and Recreation Department for the City of Columbus. He has been with the Department for twenty-five years where he leads an inspired team whose vision is to build a community where everyone belongs. In 2019, he was awarded the American Council of Engineering Companies of Indiana Engineering Excellence Award for the restoration and relocation of a 107 year-old steel truss bridge onto a key part of the Columbus People Trail. He is a graduate of Franklin College.
Dan Mustard
Executive Director, Mill Race Center
Dan Mustard is the Executive Director of Mill Race Center, a community center for active adults located in the downtown Mill Race Park. He has worked for a guitar manufacturer, and was a professional musician for many years. Dan transitioned from the music industry into disabilities services, where he served as an Employment Specialist for Stone Belt and later Director of Operations for Gateway Services. He serves as the Secretary of the Indiana Commission on Aging. Dan is a graduate of Asbury University.
Curatorial Advisors
The Curatorial Advisors were responsible for providing high-level advice to all of Exhibit Columbus, ensuring in particular that all participants were well-informed about the context and legacy of the Columbus area.
Ball State University
Indiana Communities Institute
The Indiana Communities Institute (ICI) brings together many of Ball State’s top research and outreach activities to assist Indiana communities as they strive to improve life experiences for residents, businesses, and visitors, including: Center for Business and Economic Research, Rural Policy Research Institute, Bowen Center for Public Affairs, and College of Architecture and Planning.
Indiana University
Center for Cultural Affairs
The mission of the Center for Cultural Affairs at the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs is to advance the understanding of the place of arts and culture in public life. The center will facilitate a network of scholars and practitioners interested in advancing cultural affairs research, produce high-quality and relevant research on arts and cultural policy and management issues, and serve as a resource to the arts and cultural sector.
James Lima
President and Founder
James Lima Planning + Development
James Lima is the founder of James Lima Planning + Development, a real estate and economic planning advisory firm. He has been actively engaged in complex matters of real estate, economic development, and public policy since 1986, with extensive private and public sector experience in the planning and revitalization of urban places at a variety of scales. He is a member of the Design Trust for Public Spaces Design Trust Council and serves on the boards of the American LGBTQ+ Museum. James did his undergraduate and graduate studies at Columbia University.
Yuxiang Luo
Director, James Lima Planning + Development
Yuxiang Luo is Director at JLP+D, where he guides urban and economic development strategies for public, private, and non-profit clients across North America. Yuxiang is committed to making cities and regions more competitive through economics, policy, and design. At JLP+D, Yuxiang has worked on projects spanning 20 cities and counting, including the regional economic opportunities analysis and workforce development strategy for Long Island; economic and funding advisory for open space and infrastructure projects, and real estate and district-scale planning.
Aida Ramirez
Director, Human Rights Commission
Aida Ramirez is the Director of the Columbus Human Rights Commision, which she joined in 2013. The Commission leads Columbus in building and maintaining an inclusive community. Previously Aida worked with the Marion County Circuit Court to increase access to justice in the Marion County Small Claims Courts. She is a graduate of Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law and Purdue University.