10/09/2026
Welcome In! The nation’s largest public art and light festival, BLINK 👁️, is officially underway.
For the next four days, Xavier University artists are showcasing a light-based sculpture installation that symbolically invites guest to “break bread” with their neighbors.
Entitled “Welcome In,” the installation features backlit, silhouetted illustrations depicting celebratory milestones such as birthdays, date nights, anniversaries, and holidays, reminding viewers that human connection is ultimately at the core of what makes life worth living. Aligned with Xavier’s Jesuit values of cultivating community, the artists hope their work will encourage conversation among those who pass through.
“Our students are contributing to the largest public art festival in the nation at the level of professional, practicing artists,” said Caressa Layne Miles, Director and project lead. “The most significant aspect of this project has been guiding this team toward a polished installation that reflects values so crucial today: connection and community. ‘Welcome In’ demonstrates that Xavier University is a vital contributor to the cultural vibrancy of our community — even at a student level.”
Xavier University alumni Ian McIlvain (’26) and Libby Albus (’26) conceived the concept last year as seniors. Over the past year, McIlvain and Albus have continued to work alongside current Xavier students and faculty to fabricate and build the physical structures.
“Welcome In” will be on display throughout BLINK festival weekend, Oct. 8–11. The installation will be located in Over-the-Rhine at the intersection of 15th and Vine streets, positioned between Pepp & Delores and Sacred Beast Diner OTR.