Mike Wolanin | The Republic Richard McCoy, executive director of Landmark Columbus, welcomes guests to the Exhibit Columbus opening celebration at The Commons in Columbus, Ind., Friday, Aug. 25, 2023.
Landmark Columbus Foundation has announced a new Indianapolis-based arts project, Monumental Gestures. Monumental Gestures’ mission is to transform public spaces through ambitious art experiences that invite conversation, amplify voices, and celebrate histories.
Combining expertise from the disciplines of art, design, architecture, and landscape design, Monumental Gestures mobilizes individuals who share an interest in the future of public art in Indianapolis. Curator and educator Sarah Urist Green began the project as an outgrowth from attending the Mitch Daniel Leadership Fellowship, and then Landmark Columbus Foundation received a planning grant from the Herbert Simon Family Foundation to help build the team in late 2023.
“I want to know what would happen if we put Super Bowl energy into something truly public and permanent, not just for sports tourists and convention-goers, but for Indianapolis residents,” said Sarah Green, the Artistic Director of Monumental Gestures. “Our vision is to create art experiences that are welcoming to visitors and deeply rooted in the daily life of the community.”
The Monumental Gestures team engaged in a series of focus sessions in late 2023 to explore the core values, feasibility, and potential structure of Monumental Gestures. The collaborative effort also examines the history of the many kinds of monuments and developments that have shaped Indianapolis.
The Monumental Gestures Team is:
• Sarah Urist Green, artistic director
• Richard McCoy, managing director
• Merritt Chase, design director
• Chris Merritt, co-founder + principal
• Danica Liongson, landscape designer
• ROKH, cultural equity director
• Rasul A. Mowatt, research director
• Jordan Ryan, cultural researcher
Monumental Gestures’ work operates within Landmark Columbus Foundation’s program arm, Columbus Design Institute, which has worked around the state of Indiana. Projects include hosting the 2019 Mayors Institute on City Design, creating a process to select the bridge designer for 16 Tech, creating a master plan for the art and business community of New Harmony, and other projects in Bloomington, Indianapolis, and Columbus.
More generally, Landmark Columbus Foundation is dedicated to caring for, celebrating, and advancing the cultural heritage of Columbus, Indiana, and like-minded communities.
“Working with Sarah Urist Green and the Monumental Gestures team is a terrific way to show how our organization is leveraging the legacy and values of Columbus into this important, new effort,” said Richard McCoy, the managing director of Monumental Gestures and the executive director of Landmark Columbus Foundation. “As cities compete for creative talent, meaningful new art experiences have become essential for attracting and retaining these individuals.
“Indianapolis has the opportunity to establish itself as a leader in this space.”
As a non-profit entity, Monumental Gestures will work collaboratively with the City of Indianapolis, public and private institutions, and developers to identify potential sites and partners to construct new art experiences, often building upon developments already in the pipeline. Through strategic partnerships, Monumental Gestures endeavors to shape the city’s monuments of the future.
Monumental Gestures was launched with two major projects that connect to significant new developments in the heart of Indianapolis.
Monumental Gestures will run a visioning exercise to generate a framework plan to guide the development of Visit Indy’s concept of creating world-class art experiences as part of its Destination Vision Plan for White River.
The team will host a two-day private meeting in downtown Indianapolis with an invited group of stakeholders. The meetings will explore the ideas behind the Destination Vision Plan, conduct a field visit along the White River to explore potential sites, and strategize how best to engage the multiple communities and partners that could be connected to the project.
Before the meeting, research and data will be assembled to inform participants of the significant planning and research already conducted on the White River and define each potential site’s design challenges and opportunities.In support of a more dynamic and equitable cultural landscape, Monumental Gestures will work together to create transformative art experiences with the scale and ambition that will benefit Indianapolis.
The team worked to identify a core set of values and initial goals. The values are:
• Seeking ambitious projects that imagine better futures;
• Moving with the desire to understand and center the
dynamics of people and place;
• Intentional in participation and partnerships.
The goals are:
- Advocate for free art experiences in public spaces
- Be accessible to a wide range of audiences
- Endeavor to reflect histories told and untold
- Promote spaces of belonging
- Bring people together.
