Southwestern University Announces Landmark Public Art Commission to Shape the Identity of Southwestern University 560

Georgetown, TX, July 1, 2026 - Southwestern University is taking another major step in bringing Southwestern University 560 (SU 560) to life with the launch of a landmark public art initiative that will define the identity of its transformative 560-acre mixed-use district. The University will commission a signature gateway artwork that welcomes visitors, anchors the district's future Art Park, and establishes an iconic symbol for one of the nation's most ambitious university-led mixed-use developments.

Designed as an extension of Southwestern's campus, SU 560 will become a vibrant mixed-use destination where education, culture, and community intersect. The landmark artwork will serve as its front door, welcoming visitors while expressing Southwestern's liberal arts and sciences mission and creating an enduring sense of place rooted in the Texas Hill Country. The effort will be guided by a newly assembled team of nationally and internationally recognized leaders in curating, cultural strategy, philanthropy, design, business, and higher education.

Anchoring the entrance to the future Art Park, the artwork will honor the history and cultural heritage of Central Texas, acknowledge the Native peoples who first lived on this land, reflect the beauty of the Texas Hill Country, and embody Southwestern's liberal arts and sciences mission.

"SU 560 is envisioned as a place where culture is something you can walk into, taste, hear, and feel. Here, art is a priority, dining is exciting, and every shop invites discovery. A boutique hotel offers a place to stay, and a music venue brings sound and energy to life," Southwestern President Laura Skandera Trombley said. "Rooted in Southwestern University's long legacy of education and culture, SU 560 is a place that honors where we've been while creating space for what's next. A landmark artwork will provide the front door to this vision. It welcomes every visitor, tells our story, and creates a lasting sense of place that will define SU 560 for generations to come."

Curator Miki Garcia, director of the Arizona State University Art Museum, will lead the search for artists whose work aligns with Southwestern's vision, guiding the University through the selection and commissioning process.

The University has also engaged internationally recognized cultural strategist András Szántó, whose work has helped shape the cultural vision of leading museums, universities, foundations, and arts organizations around the world. Szántó helped develop the Art Park's vision and commissioning strategy, positioning the artwork as a defining cultural landmark within SU 560.

The newly formed SU 560 Public Art Council brings together leaders from the arts, philanthropy, higher education, business, and design to help shape the commission.

• Joanne Leonhardt Cassullo, longtime Whitney Museum of American Art trustee and nationally recognized arts philanthropist
• Ron Geibel, Southwestern Professor of Art and accomplished sculptor with decades of experience mentoring emerging artists
• Kyle Hawley, artist, entrepreneur, founder of Austin-based Letterpress PLAY, and President of 26 Keys Productions
• Tom Healy, acclaimed poet, curator of public programs at The Bass Museum in Miami Beach, former chair of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, and recipient of New York City's Mayor's Award for Arts and Culture
• Brian Jackson, Google executive and Southwestern University trustee whose career spans global technology, media, and international affairs
• Dinah Ritchie, Southwestern Vice President for Integrated Communications and Chief Marketing Officer
• Elle Reede, a recent Southwestern graduate and practicing artist representing the next generation of creative voices
• Laura Skandera Trombley, President of Southwestern University
• Drew Carman, principal landscape architect with RVi Planning + Landscape Architecture, serving as technical advisor to integrate the artwork into the broader landscape

Together, Garcia, Szántó, and the SU 560 Public Art Council will guide the selection process for a landmark artwork that reflects Southwestern University's vision and will define the identity of SU 560 for generations to come.