COLUMBUS/MUNCIE, Ind. – Landmark Columbus Foundation has announced the reinstallation and dedication of Designed by the public, an artwork created by Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO, at the Ivy Tech campus in Muncie. It is now on view on the east plaza of Ivy Tech’s John and Janice Fisher Building, where it will continue to invite people to design their own public spaces.
Designed by the public is a participatory work that provides a “library of objects”—furniture, tools, art supplies, and sports equipment—for visitors to use, borrow, and play with. The work was conceived to explore how public space can become a platform for collective and social exchange. The installation encourages people to build their own ideas, embrace the unexpected, and literally design new spaces.
It was created for the Exhibit Columbus 2023 Exhibition and transformed the Bartholomew County Library Plaza in downtown Columbus. It was one of four J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize Installations in the 2023 exhibition. The reinstallation of this artwork was made possible through a collaborative partnership with Ivy Tech Community College and MuncieArts and Culture Council.
A ribbon‑cutting ceremony at Ivy Tech was held on October 2 to welcome the installation to its new home.
