guide to Galleries in Columbus Indiana

411 is a community arts gallery and cultural space for exhibitions, events, and collaborations with Columbus’ arts and cultural organizations. A project of the downtown Arts & Entertainment District, the space is managed by the Columbus Area Arts Council and supported by the Efroymson Family Fund, the Columbus Area Visitors Center, and the community.

American Modern Architecture Community exhibit in Gallery 506 will remain up through August of 2024 – in anticipation of his new book launching next summer in collaboration with writer Matt Shaw.

Donors who contribute $1,000 to this project will receive a print of their choosing, a copy of the book – when published – and donor names will be added to the book. For more information call Guest Services or visit the gift shop.

The photos are not for sale, but there are three different silk screen images of the book cover for sale at $250.

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ABOUT THE SHOW

American Modern Architecture Community
Columbus, Indiana

This book is the first comprehensive look at how architecture, design, and art have been used to foster the growth of one of America’s most important cities, Columbus, Indiana. With a wealth of never-before-seen archival material and nearly 100 first-hand interviews,

American Modern shows for the first time the remarkable story of how local industrialists, most notably the Irwin-Sweeney-Miller family, brought in world-class modern architects to create “the best community of its size in the country.”

Works from Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, Venturi Scott Brown Associates, John Johansen, Dan Kiley, and many others, demonstrate that Columbus is a living monument to the progressive ideals of postwar America and President Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society program of social change for all. The book draws out lessons about how civic leadership and public-private partnerships in the Columbus area played a unique roIe—and can be an example for cities worldwide.

Landmark Columbus Foundation is proud to present this defnitive book, which was inspired by the 2021 Bicentennial Celebrations of Columbus and Bartholomew County. Funding for this project has come from the generous support of Heritage Fund, Lilly Endowment Inc, Johnson Ventures, and the Columbus Area Visitors Center, who also support the production of this exhibition.

The Monacelli Press will publish this book in the spring of 2024.

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Author Matt Shaw – a Columbus native – is a writer, editor, and educator. The former executive editor of The Architect’s Newspaper, his writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Guardian, Architectural Review, Domus, and Artforum.

The book features newly commissioned photography from Iwan Baan, a photographer whose work focuses on the intersection of architecture and the social fabric and has been published in books and periodicals internationally.

American Modern was designed by Studio Lin, a New York-based graphic design practice established in 2012 by Alex Lin. The studio focuses on long-term collaborations where graphic design can have a meaningful impact locally and internationally.

The gallery is available for viewing during regular Visitor Center hours.

The historic 1864 Storey Residence portion of the Columbus Area Visitors Center is home to an art gallery featuring works of local and regional artists as well as artwork related to the Columbus architectural and design themes.

A permanent Dale Chihuly installation is featured just outside the gallery doors.

The beautiful, open spaces of the Columbus Learning Center provide an inviting setting to display all forms of art created by Indiana artists. New exhibits are offered each semester. The galleries also display permanent pieces, including Dale Chihuly’s “Sun Garden Panels in Suspended Circle.”

The Miller M.Arch Gallery in Columbus’s newly renovated Republic Building, home to the Eskenazi School’s J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program, hosts several shows over the course of each academic year.

Visitors should enter through the southeast entrance on the parking lot side (this entrance is ADA accessible and has “Entrance” written above it.) Check the Visitors Center calendar for the most recent schedule. Note there are some weeks between exhibitions where the gallery may be vacant.

Closed on New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Friday after Thanksgiving, and the week of Christmas (Dec 23) through the 2nd of January.