Lecture: Matt Shaw, "American Modern: Architecture, Community, Columbus, Indiana"
Monday, November, 18, 5:30pm
1100 A+DS

Matt Shaw presents his book “American Modern: Architecture, Community, Columbus, Indiana.” Featuring photographs of Iwan Baan and designed by Studio Lin, his book is the first in-depth history of Columbus, Indiana, demonstrating the unique convergence of civic, industrial, and social forces that produced the pre-eminent laboratory of architectural modernism in the USA. It presents a rich showcase of outstanding, generation-spanning architects and is published with the Landmark Columbus Foundation.

The midwestern city of Columbus, Indiana, is more than a mecca of modern architecture; it is an example of how design can help foster a remarkable community. The dozens of buildings and projects by legendary architects—from mid-century titans such as Eero Saarinen and I. M. Pei to contemporary practitioners Deborah Berke and IwamotoScott—remain integral to its urban fabric. The book explores Columbus’s optimistic program of bold new architecture and landscapes, initiated by the legendary industrialist J. Irwin Miller and local leaders, and the generations-long quest to develop the ideal American city through design excellence.

The lecture will be followed by a conversation with Clinical Associate Professor Grant Gibson.