Alexander Girard — Reverberations Forever
Timepieces Nº1 and Nº2 have been selected to be included in the exhibition “Alexander Girard — Reverberations Forever” which opens this week in the hidden architectural gem of Columbus, Indiana. If you’re not familiar with the legacy of Columbus (or Girard) we have some serious unpacking to do.
Saarinen church image via Metropolis
Columbus, Indiana is a town of less than 50,000 people 40 miles south of Indianapolis—yet The American Institute of Architects ranked it 6th in the nation for architectural innovation and design. (right behind Chicago, New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.) A small midwestern community with over 90 buildings and pieces of public art by internationally-noted architects and artists—it’s truly a “diamond in the rough” as you pass through Indiana. I stopped through town on a roadtrip in 2023 and was floored by the density of the collection of design—all within walking distance of the small downtown. A few of my snapshots from the all-too-brief visit:
Joseph Irwin Miller, the chairman of the Columbus-based diesel engine company Cummins, had a deep interest in design going back to his days at Yale. After taking over the family business in the 1940s he wanted to elevate Columbus’ urban design. So in 1954, he inaugurated the Cummins Foundation, which offered to pay the architect fee for any public project if the architect chosen could be found on his list of pre-approved modernists—folks like Eliel and Eero Saarinen, I.M. Pei, Harry Weese, Robert Venturi and Kevin Roche. Because of Miller and Cummins, Columbus punches ridiculously above its weight in architectural gems.
Image via the International Museum of Folk Art to which the Girards donated their entire 100,000+ piece collection in 1978.
Alexander Girard was an incredibly prolific and revered architect, interior designer, furniture designer, industrial designer, and graphic designer—widely known for his iconic work while leading textile design at Herman Miller, where he created fabrics for the designs of George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames. Girard’s risky, and iconic designs were inspired merged modernism with his deep love of international folk art.
Photo via Vitra
Alexander and his wife Susan Girard became good personal friends with the Millers—a deep personal and professional relationship that is most evident in Alexander’s interiors work for their Eero Saarinen-designed home. His 1952 “conversation pit” helped to popularize this iconic 60s interior feature.
A biannual design expo called Exhibit Columbus was founded in 2016 as a forward-facing program—curating fresh design discourse and exhibitions in Columbus while referencing its backdrop of midcentury masterpieces. The latest cycle of Exhibit Columbus—themed “Yes And”—invites contributors to explore the legacy of Columbus, Indiana, by adding to the multiple and overlapping lives of buildings and spaces. Originating in improv theater, “Yes And” is a technique for affirming and building upon an idea to create a shared narrative. It is a participatory call to work from existing material to shape positive change.
As a part of Exhibit Columbus, “Alexander Girard, Reverberations — Forever” celebrates the timeless influence of Girard, whose work is woven tightly throughout Columbus, Indiana. Girard’s ability to blend art, architecture, and whimsy into everyday life and the colors, forms, and patterns he created hold a freshness that continues to inspire generations of artists and designers globally.
Curated by Rick Valicenti (@contemporaneous_notes) and Suzie Shin (@shin_suzie), friends of the Columbus design community (@artsincolumbus) for over a decade, "Alexander Girard, Reverberations — Forever” brings together a diverse group of artists and designers whose works reflect Girard’s spirit. In a unique gesture of community involvement, Columbus and Chicago residents were invited to lend original works by Girard from their collections, allowing direct connections between now and the Midwest’s artistic heritage. The exhibition displays conscious or unconscious reverberations of Girard’s work as it continues to spark optimism in the broader landscape of art and design. Girard’s legacy echoes for generations to come.
For the exhibition, the curators chose to include Timepieces Nº1 and Nº2 from my Timeless/Endless project. My work was selected to “reverberate” with Alexander Girard’s vestibule ceiling at 432 Washington Street in Columbus.
Photo by Jonathan Nesci
