Seating for Civic Engagement is a timely and important public art project for the District of Columbia. This unlikely structure makes the case for art's role in a democracy. In both concept and form, it affirms pluralism—the idea that people can live together amid difference—as a fundamental strength of public life.

Seating for Civic Engagement, is a physical seating structure designed to facilitate democratic engagement and civic dialogue among a divided and simultaneously interconnected people. In an era of heightened social isolation and political polarization, this radial arrangement of tiered seats, organized around an open, keyhole-shaped wedge, creates an intimate space for open-ended conversation. Despite its small scale, it is capacious enough to hold a group of 21 people, accommodating both the bodies and the many voices and perspectives that a group of that size inevitably brings into a shared space.

Proposed for a publicly accessible site at the AU Museum and designed as a framework for both structured programming and informal use, this project comes out of an exploration of structural and spatial forms that facilitate models of participatory democracy—such as citizen assemblies, a form of self-governance.

Seating for Civic Engagement is a project of Democracy as Form—Lindsey May, Ben Luzzatto, Evan Roche, and Sarah Rogers Morris—a group committed to creating spaces for a plural people to gather, act and speak freely, and participate in civic life.

Join us at the ANC 3E Meeting
Tuesday, July 21, 2026 - 7:30 PM

This project will be presented to Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3E for community review. Neighbors and stakeholders are invited to attend, ask questions, and share feedback.
Register/join: anc3e.org/meeting/2026-07-21-meeting

Image: Model of Seating for Civic Engagement, which will ultimately be rendered in durable milled wood components and bracers. Dimensions: Approx. 15 ft wide × 5 ft tall. Developed by Ben Luzzatto and Evan Roche.