2018 National Symposium: Design, Community, and Progressive Preservation

FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, February 27, at 12:00 p.m.

Docomomo US and Exhibit Columbus Announce 2018 National Symposium – Design, Community, and Progressive Preservation

The 2018 National Symposium, Design, Community, and Progressive Preservation, will take place September 26–29 and feature four days of engaging programming, exclusive tours, evening keynote conversations with visionary leaders, and the American Institute of Architects’ Trade Show showcasing an array of new and innovative building products and services.

Docomomo US is collaborating with Exhibit Columbus to create the theme of this year’s symposium, which will explore how investing in the value of good design can make communities better for everyone and how new approaches to preservation are positively incorporating our modern heritage into the future of cities.

“Design and community are central to what makes Columbus a remarkable place to live and visit. We are thrilled to be exploring these topics while also showcasing preservation projects that are growing new communities that care about modern heritage,” said Richard McCoy, Director of Landmark Columbus. “Working with these excellent partners allows us to expand this conversation nationally, regionally, and locally.”

The symposium will begin with a kick-off keynote conversation produced in partnership with the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, and then sessions will continue for three days inside many of the iconic buildings throughout Columbus. Finalists in the 2018 J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize Competition will be introduced during the symposium, and participate in sessions. The symposium will also feature exclusive tours – including the Miller House and Garden – and offer rare glimpses inside some of the modern masterpieces of the city.   

“Modern design has been and continues to be an integral part of Columbus’ community,” said Theodore Prudon, President of Docomomo US. “In its ability to move the modernity of its past forward into a modernity for its future, it offers Docomomo US an example of how design can play a role in preservation and achieve results that can be best called progressive.”

Keynote speakers and registration details will be announced in late spring. 

 

About the Organizations

 

Docomomo US
 

Docomomo US is dedicated to the preservation of modern architecture, landscape and design. Through advocacy, education and documentation, we provide leadership and knowledge by demonstrating the importance of modern design principles including the social context, technical merits, aesthetics and settings of these important pieces of American history. Founded in the United States in 1995, Docomomo US is a non-profit organization led by a national Board of Directors and staff that represents a union of regional chapters that share its members’ knowledge of and enthusiasm for modern architecture and design. The Docomomo US National Symposium is the primary event in the United States for those interested in the preservation of modern architecture.

Exhibit Columbus

Exhibit Columbus is an annual exploration of art, architecture, design, and community that alternates between symposium and exhibition programming each year, and features  the J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize Competition. Exhibit Columbus is the flagship event of Landmark Columbus, a program of Heritage Fund — the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County. Landmark Columbus’ mission is to care for the design heritage of Columbus while using it as an example to inspire this and other communities to invest in the traditions and values that use design to make cities better for everyone. For more information visit exhibitcolumbus.org.

American Institute of Architects

Indiana and Kentucky Chapters

 

The Indiana and Kentucky Chapters of the American Institute of Architects represent nearly 1,500 architects, providing programs in advocacy, knowledge and public outreach that empower architects to build a better world. Together, AIA members carry a powerful voice for the values they uphold in their practices each and every day. As natural facilitators and problem-solvers, architects stand ready to develop new policies that create a better, stronger, and more equitable and sustainable society. Through a culture of values-based advocacy, AIA members are committed to engaging in the policy-making process and to focus the power of design on solving the challenges facing our great nation. For more information on these chapters visit aiaindiana.org and aia.org/kentucky.

Newfields

 

Newfields, a 152-acre cultural campus, is home to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, among the ten largest and oldest general art museums in the nation; the Lilly House, a National Historic Landmark; The Garden, featuring 40 acres of contemporary and historic gardens, a working greenhouse and an orchard; and The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art & Nature Park: 100 Acres, one of the largest art and nature parks in the country. The campus also extends outside of Indianapolis with Miller House and Garden in Columbus, Ind.—one of the nation’s most highly regarded examples of mid-century Modernist architecture. For more information visit www.discovernewfields.org.