Landmark Columbus

Landmark Columbus
Motto "Caring for and celebrating Columbus' design heritage."
Formation 2015
Type Non-profit organization
Headquarters Columbus, Indiana, USA
Parent organization
Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County
Affiliations Docomomo - US
Website www.landmarkcolumbus.org

Landmark Columbus is an organization in Columbus, Indiana that is dedicated to caring for and celebrating the world-renowned design heritage of Columbus, Indiana, a city which has seven of the forty National Historic Landmarks in Indiana. It was started as a program of Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County in 2015[1] and has been recognized for making a positive impact in the community.[2] In 2016 it became a "Friends Organization" of Docomomo US[3] and remains a partner of the Indiana Modern committee of Indiana Landmarks.

History

The effort to start Landmark Columbus began in 2013 when the Columbus Redevelopment Commission began looking at new ways[4] to research and examine the current state for the design heritage in the Columbus Arts District.[5] The start of this project came at a time when some of the modern works of architecture had begun to age and show signs of transition.[6]

The effort officially launched as "Landmark Columbus" in 2015 as a program of Heritage Fund, and began producing events in the community.[7][8][9] The effort has been seen as a way to preserve the design legacy of the town without relying on traditional historic preservation ordinances.[10]

Programs and advocacy projects

Landmark Columbus' 2015 Columbus Conversation in the chapel at First Christian Church

Landmark Columbus produces a number of ongoing programs and projects in an effort to care for the design heritage, most of which are created by an Advocacy and Education Committee.[11] The organization is active in the community in various ways,[12] including nominating the Irwin Conference Center [13] for a Docomomo US National Citation of Merit for the 2014 of the this National Historic Landmark building designed by Eero Saarinen that was restored through an adaptive reuse project by Cummins Inc. [14] Columbus historians, David Sechrest and Ricky Berkey, have been involved with the organization from the beginning, helping to create projects around both the early and modern history of the community.[15]

Columbus Conversations

Columbus Conversation is a symposium that happens every year in Columbus to address a pressing need in the community related to Columbus' design heritage. The series that began in 2014 and featured Theodore Prudon's keynote presentation "Modern Architecture as Heritage,"[16] and included lectures by Marsh Davis form Indiana Landmarks, Louis Joyner a Columbus-based architect, Richard McCoy, and a conversation moderated by Harry McCawley. [17]

The 2015 Columbus Conversation featured a panel discussion of Jeff Baker, last president of Preserve to Enjoy, Inc., Tricia Gilson from the Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives, Flora Chou, board member of Docomomo US, and Theodore Prudon, board president of Docomomo US.[18] This moderate discussion defined ways that Landmark Columbus could raise awareness about caring for the areas design heritage and begin growing a constituency that actively helps in the cause.[19]

Chaotic Tuesdays

A "Chaotic Tuesday" inside The Commons

In celebration of Jean Tinguely's masterwork, Chaos 1 located inside The Commons, Landmark Columbus started "Chaotic Tuesdays" as a free community event in which everyone could see the kinetic artwork operate during the evening.[20] The idea for the event came from the director of Museum Tinguely, Roland Wetzel, when he visited in 2014.[21] The event happens on the fourth Tuesday of every month and has grown to be a partnership between The Commons, and Columbus -- Ivy Tech's Visual Communication Program. Professors from Ivy Tech bring drawing materials for the community and provide lessons on how to draw the artwork, which Tinguely himself did many times; his drawings of Chaos 1 are in collections around the world.

The Most Chaotic Tuesday

In 2016 the Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives hosted "The Most Chaotic Tuesday" as a once-a-year special event in which historic films were screened, drawings from "Chaotic Tuesdays" were shown, and an exhibition of materials from the Archives were displayed. This fundraising event for the Archives also produced a limited-edition print that was created during the evening and later made for sale.[22]

Landscape architecture clean ups

2015 North Christian Church Landscape Clean Up

Landmark Columbus has organized a number of community efforts to help clean up and maintain the landscape at North Christian Church, which was designed by Dan Kiley and is one of seven National Historic Landmarks in the city. Clean ups have addressed issues caused by storms and ongoing maintenance, including the dormant pruning of the many Magnolias that surround the church. [23]

Yearly bicycle rides

Landmark Columbus started a yearly bicycle tour in the month of May that coincides with National Preservation Month and National Bike Month.

Landmark Lego Challenge

In May 2016 Landmark Columbus a first-of-its-kind competition that invites participants to build one of the seven National Historic Landmarks out of Lego bricks.[26] This project was launched in partnership with the Indianapolis Museum of Art, kids commons, the Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives, and other organizations.[27]

Docomomo US Tour Day

Various partners began participating in "Tour Day" starting in 2013 to draw regional interest in visiting Columbus and seeing the modern architecture.

Documentation and surveys

In 2013 and 14, all of the public art in Bartholomew County was surveyed, photographed, and placed in the database of the Public Art Archive.[31] The list of public art in Bartholomew County, Indiana includes more than 100 artworks in a diverse group of places. Also at this time, all of the resources in the Columbus Arts District and all of the modern buildings were surveyed, photographed, and published in the database of CultureNOW.[32][33] Other research projects have included investigations for public artworks that are now missing.[34]

Ongoing series of talks

Landmark Columbus occasionally hosts experts of architecture, art, and community.

Public art walking tours

With the rich history of public art throughout the community,[39] walking tours are frequent, however there is a special walking tour that happens every October in partnership with Reach Healthy Communities.[40][41]

Exhibit Columbus

2016 announcement event for Exhibit Columbus on the Library Plaza of the Bartholomew County Public Library.
Main article: Exhibit Columbus

On 5 May 2016 Landmark Columbus announced Exhibit Columbus as an "annual exploration of architecture, art, design, community" that will alternate programming between symposium and exhibition years.[42] The inaugural symposium, “Foundations and Futures,” will take place 29 September - 1 October, 2016 and the inaugural exhibition will open in August 2017 and feature more than 15 temporary installations of architecture and art[43] that are designed to re-energize a global dialogue around design in Columbus.[44]

References

  1. Sisson, Patrick (4 February 2016). "Columbus, Indiana, a Modernist Mecca, Updates Historic Preservation Efforts". Curbed. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  2. Reports, Staff (18 November 2015). "Group makes big impact with city's heritage". The Republic. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  3. "A New Year and a New Organization in Columbus, Indiana | docomomo united states". docomomo-us.org. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  4. "Columbus taps conservator to preserve architecture". www.wdrb.com. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  5. McCoy, Richard (2014). "The Columbus Challenge" (PDF). Objects Speciality Group Postprints. 21: 363–377. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  6. "Notes on Columbus, Indiana | docomomo united states". www.docomomo-us.org. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  7. McClure, Julie. "MONUMENTAL TASK". The Republic.
  8. "Columbus Update: Civic Inspiration at the Right Scale | docomomo united states". docomomo-us.org. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  9. Karaim, Reed (1 June 2016). "Is Columbus's Modernist Legacy at Risk?". Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  10. Ross, Michael Franklin (19 August 2016). "Saving the Columbus Occupational Health Association". Archpaper.com. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  11. McClure, Julie. "MONUMENTAL TASK". The Republic.
  12. "Winter Magic, Spring Phoenix, and Columbus All Year". WFYI Public Media. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  13. "A Modern landmark finds a new use". Hidden Gems Indiana.
  14. "Citation of Merit - Cummins Irwin Conference Center & Office Buildings | docomomo united states". docomomo-us.org. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  15. McClure, Julie. "MONUMENTAL TASK". The Republic.
  16. "2014 Columbus Conversation". YouTube. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  17. Elig, Jenny (13 May 2014). "Preserving architecture taking center stage". The Republic.
  18. "2015 Columbus Conversation by Landmark Columbus". YouTube. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  19. McClure, Julie. "Landmark group invites residents for a chat about historic preservation". The Republic. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  20. Blair, Brian. "Returning to a state of 'Chaos'". The Republic. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  21. "Talking Chaos with Roland Wetzel". YouTube. Landmark Columbus. 15 May 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  22. Blair, Brian. "Most Chaotic Tuesday highlights man behind the kinetic sculpture". The Republic.
  23. Blair, Brian. "Helping 'a beacon' shine on". The Republic.
  24. Clark, John. "Health advocates plan local bike month activities". 1010 WCSI. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  25. "May is Bike Month - City of Columbus Indiana". www.columbus.in.gov. City of Columbus. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  26. Blair, Brian. "Get a leg up on LEGO building competition during opening event today". The Republic. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  27. Reports, Staff. "Lego challenge builds on city's architectural foundations". The Republic. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  28. "TOUR DAY 2013: INDIANA | docomomo united states". www.docomomo-us.org. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  29. "Tour Day 2014: INDIANA | docomomo united states". www.docomomo-us.org. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  30. "Saarinen, Pei, and the Plaza that Connected Them | docomomo united states". docomomo-us.org. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  31. "Columbus in the Public Art Archive". www.publicartarchive.org. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  32. "Columbus in CultureNOW - MuseumWithoutWalls". www.culturenow.org. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  33. "CultureNOW - Newsletters". www.culturenow.org. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  34. Elig, Jenny. "In search of city's lost art". The Republic.
  35. Covington, Olivia. "'Columbus is not a Museum' topic of presentation". The Republic.
  36. "Columbus is not a Museum featuring Michelangelo Sabatino". YouTube. 20 February 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  37. Staff Reports. "Exhibit Columbus leaders bring in speaker from Grand Rapids". The Republic. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  38. Blair, Brian. "Exhibit Columbus has eye on the prize". The Republic. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  39. Sims, Chris. "8 Must-See Columbus Artworks — Besides the Famed Architecture". Limestone Post Magazine. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  40. Reports, Staff. "Art walking tour connects residents to city, exercise". The Republic. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  41. Reports, Staff. "Walking tour traces steps to public art". The Republic. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  42. "Landmark Columbus launches ambitious program: Exhibit Columbus | docomomo united states". www.docomomo-us.org. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  43. Grossman, Dan (27 July 2016). "Building Columbus, and some of the country's best architecture". NUVO. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
  44. Shaw, Matt (5 May 2016). "Columbus, Indiana announces biennial design exhibition to begin in fall 2017". Archpaper.com | Serving up news and inside reports to a niche community interested in the built urban environment. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
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