Fuller Futures | Art and Artifacts

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black and white photo of Bucky fuller giving his arena lecture

Fuller Futures | Art and Artifacts

April 21 - August 28, 2026

A Convergence of Sustainability, Innovation, and the Legacy of Buckminster Fuller at SIU Carbondale.

In the late 1950s and 60s, under visionary leadership, Buckminster Fuller joined SIU Carbondale as a professor of design. Here, he constructed the geodesic dome home (the only dome he ever lived in) and introduced the World Game. He authored prolific works, obtained the most patents in his life during this period, and refined his Design Science philosophy, all while rooted in Carbondale. Influences and traces of Fuller’s work exist worldwide. This was a moment when SIU stood at the frontier of innovation. Today is a similar moment. We are an R1 research university and a proud institution of access and transformation. The spirit of visionary inquiry and sustainable design has not left us. Fuller Futures is the time to carry that forward.

Why Fuller Futures Now?

Sustainability is one of the five pillars of SIU Carbondale. Alongside our faculty and students, we are committed to shaping solutions for the world’s most pressing challenges. Fuller’s ethos — to make the world work for 100% of humanity — guides us forward. Fuller Futures is more than a festival it is
a living, vibrant platform where art, academia, design, science, and innovation converge in service of sustainable futures.

Curated and organized by Mike Chervinko, Elizabeth Donoghue, and T Lance with help from Matthew Gorzalski, this exhibit looks at both Fuller's life as well as those inspired by Fuller and his time in Carbondale.

Many of the artifacts in this exhibit were generously donated to the Fuller Dome Home Museum by Bucky’s daughter, Allegra, the estate of Buckminster Fuller, Bucky’s longtime friend, Mickey Mitchell, and Bucky’s working partner, Thomas T.K. Zung, FAIA, Architect.