Design in Service of Humanity (1 of 4): Placemaking

Design in Service of Humanity (1 of 4): Placemaking

How can play, public art, and human-centered design transform spaces into places of connection and impact? In this episode of The State of Inquiry: Design in Service of Humanity, Jon Racek and Daniel Luis Martinez explore how design can move beyond objects to shape communities, public spaces, and systems of collaboration. Racek reflects on human-centered design, play, and social impact work that connects classrooms with communities around the world. Martinez examines how architecture and public art can transform overlooked sites into meaningful civic thresholds. Together, they consider how designers balance creativity with responsibility, and how built environments can foster connection, empathy, and long-term impact. Jon Racek is Program Director of Comprehensive Design and a Teaching Professor at Indiana University’s Eskenazi School, where he redesigned the degree as a multidisciplinary, human-centered program. He founded and directs the ServeDesign Center, including the Rural Placemaking Studio, which has partnered with communities in 19 Indiana counties on 30 projects, with more underway. His work extends globally through Play360, a nonprofit that has built 300+ playgrounds in 20 countries and trained over 80 local “Playmakers.” He was a 2022 U.S. Fulbright Scholar in Sri Lanka and in 2025 received IU’s Thomas Ehrlich Award for civically engaged teaching and in 2026, IU’s the W. George Pinnell Award for Outstanding Service.  Daniel Luis Martinez is a registered architect, educator, artist and co-founder of the design studio LAA Office, which explores the intersection of landscape, art, and architecture. His research and creative work investigate the potential of public art to generate alternative forms of placemaking. Daniel is Associate Professor and Director of Indiana University’s J. Irwin Miller Architecture Program in the Eskenazi School, and also currently serves as commissioner of Region 9 for the Indiana Arts Commission. His recent work has been featured at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture in Chicago, the 2025 O, Miami Poetry Festival, and the 2023 Chicago Architecture Biennial. Yaël Ksander is director of communications and marketing for the Indiana University Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design. Previously, she served as director of communications and the mayor's spokesperson for the City of Bloomington, Indiana. Yaël is a regular host, producer, and narrator at Indiana Public Media and serves on the board of the Lotus Education and Arts Foundation.

America 250 6 of 6: Beyond 1776

Host Leslie Lenkowsky is joined by historian Konstantin Dierks and honors students Rohan Pai and Maddie Stock to reflect on the American Revolution as more than a moment in the past. The conversation explores how ideas, conflicts, and systems that emerged in the Revolutionary era continued to shape the nation long after independence was declared. Drawing on Dierks’s work in early America and the Atlantic world, the episode considers the Revolution as an ongoing process rather than a finished event. It examines how communication, power, and global connections defined the period, and how those same forces continue to influence how the Revolution is understood today. As a closing conversation in the series, it asks what we carry forward from 1776 and how those legacies still shape American life. Konstantin Dierks is an associate professor of history at Indiana University Bloomington specializing in early America and the Atlantic world. His work examines how communication, power, and global connections shaped the Revolutionary era and the founding of the United States. He teaches courses on 1776 and the Declaration of Independence that explore the Revolution as a complex moment of war, political change, and social upheaval. Leslie Lenkowsky is professor emeritus of public affairs and philanthropic studies at Indiana University Bloomington and a leading scholar of civil society, philanthropy, and public policy. He previously served as CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, appointed by President George W. Bush, and was a founding board member of the agency under President Bill Clinton. Lenkowsky has held senior roles in government, research, and higher education, and has written widely on civic engagement and the role of nonprofits in American life.

America 250 5 of 6: The Revolution on Exhibit

Host Leslie Lenkowsky explores how history moves from archive to exhibit. Joined by Erika Dowell from the Lilly Library, Mindy Besaw from the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, and Heather Calloway from University Collections at Indiana University, the conversation looks at how institutions shape historical narratives through objects, design, and interpretation, and what is gained and lost in the process. The discussion draws on examples like the Lilly Library’s rare Declaration of Independence broadside, one of just 26 known copies and the only one in the Midwest, to show how revolutionary ideas were first shared and how they continue to be interpreted today. Erika Dowell is executive associate director of the Lilly Library at Indiana University Bloomington and curator of modern manuscripts, focusing on connecting people to history through original documents. With Museum Exhibition Specialist Jenny Mack, she recently curated an exhibition on the Declaration of Independence exploring how revolutionary ideas spread through print and manuscript culture. Mindy N. Besaw is the Wilma E. Kelley Director of the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art at Indiana University Bloomington. With more than 20 years of experience, her work focuses on exhibitions that tell broader, more inclusive stories about American history and identity, including major projects at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Dr. Heather K. Calloway is Executive Director of University Collections at Indiana University Bloomington, leading the stewardship and use of IU’s collections for teaching, research, and public engagement. Her work explores how people connect with history through objects and emerging technologies; she founded IU’s Center for Fraternal Collections & Research and previously led museum initiatives in Washington, D.C. Leslie Lenkowsky is professor emeritus of public affairs and philanthropic studies at Indiana University Bloomington and a leading scholar of civil society, philanthropy, and public policy. He previously served as CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, appointed by President George W. Bush, and was a founding board member of the agency under President Bill Clinton. Lenkowsky has held senior roles in government, research, and higher education, and has written widely on civic engagement and the role of nonprofits in American life.

America 250 4 of 6: Espionage

Host Leslie Lenkowsky talks with Gene Coyle, a retired CIA field operations officer and former Indiana University professor, about the role of espionage in both the American Revolution and modern intelligence work. Drawing on his own 30-year career, Coyle explores how figures like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin used intelligence to shift the course of the war, and how those same principles carry through to today’s world of spying. The conversation connects early American history with the realities of modern intelligence—where information, trust, and risk can change everything. Gene Coyle is a retired CIA field operations officer and former professor of practice at Indiana University Bloomington. Over a 30-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency, he served both in the United States and abroad, recruiting foreign sources and conducting intelligence operations during and after the Cold War. He is a recipient of the CIA's Intelligence Medal of Merit for an operation he conducted in Moscow during the era of the Soviet Union. Following his government service, Coyle spent more than a decade teaching courses on espionage and national security at IU. He is also an author of a dozen spy novels inspired by his experiences in the field. Leslie Lenkowsky is professor emeritus of public affairs and philanthropic studies at Indiana University Bloomington and a leading scholar of civil society, philanthropy, and public policy. He previously served as CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, appointed by President George W. Bush, and was a founding board member of the agency under President Bill Clinton. Lenkowsky has held senior roles in government, research, and higher education, and has written widely on civic engagement and the role of nonprofits in American life.

America 250 3 of 6: Indiana’s Patriots

In this episode, host Leslie Lenkowsky is joined by John Summerlot and James Capshew to examine Indiana’s connections to the Revolutionary era. The conversation traces how early American history continues to inform the development of institutions, from military traditions to higher education, and how those legacies remain visible today. John Summerlot is Director of Enterprise Risk & Incident Management at the Indiana University Foundation and a longtime student of IU history and its ties to military service. With more than 20 years in higher education, his work spans emergency management, veteran affairs, and institutional history. A former Marine and Army National Guard member, Summerlot often explores how national events, including the Revolutionary War, connect to Indiana and the university’s past. James H. Capshew is the university historian at Indiana University Bloomington, where he studies the history of science, higher education, and American intellectual life. A longtime scholar of IU’s past, his work explores how universities evolve alongside broader national movements and ideas. He brings a wide-angle view of how early American history, including the Revolutionary era, continues to shape institutions and culture today. Leslie Lenkowsky is professor emeritus of public affairs and philanthropic studies at Indiana University Bloomington and a leading scholar of civil society, philanthropy, and public policy. He previously served as CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, appointed by President George W. Bush, and was a founding board member of the agency under President Bill Clinton. Lenkowsky has held senior roles in government, research, and higher education, and has written widely on civic engagement and the role of nonprofits in American life.