Fay Jones School Faculty Named Exhibit Columbus University Design Research Fellows

James Leng

Jessica Colangelo and Charles Sharpless, faculty in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, have been selected by Exhibit Columbus as 2022-23 University Design Research Fellows.

Exhibit Columbus has selected two Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design faculty members for its newest cohort of University Design Research Fellows. Jessica Colangelo, assistant professor of architecture, and Charles Sharpless, assistant professor of interior architecture and design, are among the seven 2022-23 University Design Research Fellows. The pair also are co-founders of the architecture practice Somewhere Studio.

Exhibit Columbus is a program of Landmark Columbus Foundation and an exploration of community, architecture, art and design that activates the modern legacy of Columbus, Indiana. It creates a cycle of programming that uses this context to convene conversations around innovative ideas and commissions site-responsive installations in a free, public exhibition.

"Exhibit Columbus will build upon Charles and Jessica's growing body of community engaged work, continued use of recycled materials and drawing attention to underused spaces," said Carl Matthews, professor and head of the Department of Interior Architecture and Design.

"Jessica and Charles' selection as Research Fellows contributing to Exhibit Columbus provides clear recognition of the resonance their installation work has established," said John Folan, professor and head of the Department of Architecture. "This honor provides the opportunity to expand a body of work in an internationally celebrated design context."

Individuals and teams were selected for these fellowships through a national, open call competition for full-time university professors whose work is deeply rooted in design research. Professors were asked to respond to recommendations from the 2021 downtown activation study developed by James Lima Planning and Development (JLP+D) that looked at ways to activate the historic core of downtown Columbus. JLP+D's work is supported by the City of Columbus and a National Endowment for the Arts' Our Town grant.

The other fellows hail from universities across the country, including The Ohio State University, in Columbus; Iowa State University College of Design, in Ames; the University of Virginia School of Architecture in Charlottesville; Syracuse University School of Architecture, in Syracuse, New York; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana; and the University of Illinois, in Urbana-Champaign.

"We are thrilled to be selected as Fellows in the fourth cycle of this exciting design program," Sharpless said. "There are a lot of parallels between Columbus and Northwest Arkansas, particularly in the commitment that each place has demonstrated toward engaging forward-thinking architecture and design practices for public and civic projects."

The theme for this fourth cycle of Exhibit Columbus, Public by Design, builds on the legacy of Columbus, Indiana, to explore how collaborations between communities and designers can revitalize and reimagine historic downtowns as equitable, beautiful, healthy and joyful places, according to the Exhibit Columbus website. Public by Design serves as a platform for many communities to become energized about the values of inclusivity, care and generosity. This cycle celebrates creative methods of collaboration that communities and designers can use to grow a sense of belonging and connection in public spaces.

In their response to the activation study for downtown Columbus, Colangelo and Sharpless described how they desired to bring forth their ongoing research interests in public space design projects that explore the themes of space activation and material reutilization.

Space activation provides an opportunity for active community engagement through the programming for the project. Material reutilization demonstrates the novel uses of building construction by-products or "waste" material in a project's fabrication, assembly and re-use.

In their work, they hope to spark awareness, imagination and new ways of considering the often-abstract lifecycles of material consumption and disposal that form the relationship between humans and the natural and built environments.

Colangelo and Sharpless view this project as being within the near term "Arts and Design Amplification" software opportunity that is proposed in the study — and responding to an expressed need for more informal gathering and a sense of exploration, by designing interstitial spaces such as alleyways and non-programmed public spaces.

Often sited in underutilized public spaces, their work seeks to inspire a sense of curiosity and intrigue through its active elements, use of color and material narrative, they said. Sensitivity to site and context plays an important role in their design process, and they watch for opportunities to frame views, take advantage of solar orientations and accommodate pedestrian flows.

"We're excited to take part in discourse around the activation of underutilized urban spaces with educators and practitioners from across the country over the course of a year with Columbus' important architectural legacy as a backdrop," Colangelo said. "The theme Public by Design resonates with our past design research projects, which seek to overlay playful programming and experimental material strategies into engaging structures in the public realm."

Such projects include the swings in Salvage Swings (2019), bus stop seating and a community pantry in The Shelter Project (2021) and mobile artist workshops in The Print Cart for Crystal Bridges to You Mobile Art Lab (2022). In addition, their projects Salvage Swings (2019) and Mix and Match (2022) both utilize construction by-products, such as dimensional lumber and cross-laminated timber panels, in their assembly.

Colangelo and Sharpless are participating in panel discussions as part of the Exhibit Columbus "Public by Design" symposium on Oct. 21-22. They also will present their installation design proposal at a public event in Columbus in February. Their temporary installation for Exhibit Columbus will open to the public in August 2023 and will remain on display through that fall.