In The Round 2025–26 Speaker Series

Social Good Award Winner

Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, Ohio, USA

Started in 2022, the In the Round (ITR) Speaker Series at Bowling Green State University seeks to render visible the artistry, stories and presence of contemporary Native American and Indigenous artists. Showcasing creatives across fine art, design, music, creative writing, film and theatre, the series enriches learning, experiences and perspectives on campus and in local communities. The 2025–26 ITR season featured Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer, acclaimed author of Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. Dr. Kimmerer’s Potawatomi heritage inspired the 2025–26 ITR branding.

Research into pre-1900s Potawatomi bandolier bag motifs informed a visual approach that used these traditional patterns as containers for photographs of native Northwest Ohio plants, taken on walks in the Wood County Park District, Bowling Green City Parks and Metroparks Toledo. Branding assets for the year included speaker posters, digital slides, event posters, social media graphics, web and email headers, bookmarks, seasonal event flyers, postcard magnets, colouring pages, native plant seed packets, a special-edition enamel pin and stickers. These efforts attracted and engaged over 1,500 campus and community members to Dr. Kimmerer’s talks and the season’s 15 related program events.