Friends of CIAA
Our Vision
We inspire a legacy of creative exploration and growth to improve our community and the world.
Our Mission
The Friends of CIAA support the mission of the Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives. We advise and advocate for CIAA through strategic, organizational, and financial support. We empower continued design excellence through thoughtful engagement and advancing preservation.
Nonprofit Status
The Friends of CIAA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Its U.S. federal tax ID number is 20-1798142.
2026 Board of Directors
Rachel Bourne, President
Jeff Bergman, Vice President
Emily Dill, Treasurer
Carrie Fulp, Secretary
Brett Boezeman
Jenni Dill-McGill
Maddie Paul
Randy Royer
Friends of CIAA History
In 2005, community activist and former City Council member Lynn Bigley established the organization to ensure the long-term care of CIAA collections that, although located in BCPL’s Cleo Rogers Memorial Library, lacked professional staff and an operating budget. Through her advocacy, Bigley established an endowment that would allow the collection to expand and be accessible to the public.
To ensure the continued growth of and access to the collection, the CIAA Board transferred all collection materials to the Bartholomew County Public Library in 2018. Changing its name to the Friends of CIAA, the Board continues the work started by Lynn Bigley.
To honor her advocacy, the Friends of CIAA Board awards the Lynn Bigley Volunteer Award to individuals who contribute their time and expertise to CIAA. Past recipients are Rhonda Bolner (2012), Jim Nickoll (2013), Don Nissen (2015), Eleanor Rust (2016), and Steve Risting (2017).
The Work of the Friends
The Friends of CIAA supports the Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives in many forms including funding projects and initiatives.
Believing that design excellence improves both our community and the world, the Friends work to bring the archives out of the vault and into the community by supporting exhibits and public programs. One such project was funding the exhibit “Anchor, Move, Connect,” at the 411 Gallery in 2019 to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the installation of Henry Moore’s Large Arch on the library plaza. CIAA then turned that physical exhibit into an online exhibit so that it could reach an even wider audience.
Maintaining design records for future generations to use is an active process requiring specialized materials, equipment, staffing, and services. Needs range from purchasing archival folders to house architectural drawings to contracting with conservators to piece back together one-of-a-kind documents. An ongoing project funded by the Friends is photographing newly acquired materials that would otherwise be unavailable for use because they are too fragile or too large.
Providing access to collection materials, whether in analog or digital format, is fundamental to the work of all archives. To ensure access to materials today and in the future, the Friends fund professional staff who process collections, create and manage metadata, and who provide reference services.
If you would like to help the Friends of CIAA support the work of CIAA, please consider making a donation.