Bucky Fuller Dome Home

08/31/2026

We’re continuing our Board Member Spotlight series, introducing you to some of the people who bring their talents, interests, and time to the Fuller Dome Home.

Cary O’Dell is a graduate of SIUC and a member of the Fuller Dome Home board. He is the co-author, with Thad Heckman, of Bucky’s Dome, as well as seven other books. Cary works for the Library of Congress and lives in Culpeper, Virginia.

Distance doesn’t keep him from being a very hands-on member of our team. When Cary makes it back to Carbondale, you can pretty much count on finding him at the Dome, cleaning, organizing, tackling a project, or carefully thinking through what belongs in the house and what still needs to be done. He has a way of picking up things that might otherwise get left behind and moving them forward. We’re incredibly grateful for the care he brings to this place.

And Cary has another Fuller project underway. He is currently preparing R. Buckminster Fuller in Carbondale: Past / Present / Future for publication in 2027. The coffee-table-style book will be self-published, and we have a feeling it’s going to be one Fuller and Dome enthusiasts will want on their shelves, a future collector’s item in the making.

We have a pretty remarkable group of people around our board table, and we’re looking forward to sharing more of them with you.

08/24/2026

Friday was a beautiful closing reception for Fuller Futures: Art & Artifacts. And, fittingly, it doesn’t feel quite finished yet.

Thank you to everyone who came out. We know there was a lot happening around Carbondale Friday night, and we really felt the support from those who spent part of their evening with us. There were good conversations, new connections, and a chance to look together at where this work has been and where it might go next.

A huge thank you to the Sharp Museum for being such wonderful partners throughout this exhibition. Thanks also to our speakers Elizabeth Donoghue, George Jackson and Ben Lowder, and to Mike Chervinko for hosting and adding so much to the conversation. And thank you to Wild Burgers for the music and helping make it a celebration.

The exhibition remains up through Friday, August 28, so there is still time to see it.

And we have one last invitation.

The bamboo dome built by students with Kurt Przybilla during Fuller Futures has become our Wish Dome. Inside the museum you’ll find a small station where you can write a wish, then take it outside and tie it to the dome. You can also stop by the University Honors Program, Room 180 on the first floor of Morris Library, where paper and Sharpies are waiting for you.

Your wish can be personal. A wish for someone you love. For Carbondale. For the world. For the future. Whatever you want to put out there.

The Wish Dome was part of the original Fuller Futures vision that we didn’t quite get to during the festival. Having it happen now, as the exhibition comes to a close, feels pretty perfect.

So before Friday, come see the show, add a wish, and help us close this chapter by looking toward the next one.

SIU SharpMuseum WishDome

08/22/2026

We would like to share a rare sighting. Our longest standing board member Judy, doing a TV interview. This almost never happens but yesterday it did. Judy is relentless in her work for the dome home nonprofit. She gives tours, cleans, sells merchandise and has absolutely no lack of things to say about why this work is so important. But getting her in front of a TV camera is a hard ask. It must have been something in the air. She did lovely. Check out the link to the story in the comments.

08/21/2026

We are looking forward to seeing you later today, at 4 PM!!

An exhibit highlighting Buckminster Fuller's time at SIU is nearing the end of its run at the Sharp Museum, with a closing celebration planned Friday.

08/16/2026

We are getting excited about Friday. Don’t miss the great presentations from 4-51:15 in the auditorium and then some music from Wild Burgers (a Pet Mosquito adjacent project) while we enjoy the exhibit and each others company. And we will keep the party going with an after gathering at Oakland Station!

CARBONDALE — Fifty-five years after Buckminster Fuller left Carbondale, his legacy continues not just in the items and home he left behind, but the people his work has inspired beyond

08/13/2026

Train-goers (and any other interested party), stop by the "Bucky Shrine" in the SIMMS building to see the new display we put up in the cases there. While the display is mostly Bucky related items, it also includes things from Carbondale's past, along with artifacts from the Southern Illinois, as a whole. There's still some items to add to the display area on the right, and some items need labels, but you can get an early bird view at the moment! Please share!!

08/10/2026

Save the date!!

Friends, we are hosting a closing event for our Fuller Futures/Art and Artifacts exhibit at Sharp Museum August 21st. Please see the attached flyer for the itinerary, and we can't wait to see you then! Also, during the reception we will have music by Wild Burgers (a Pet Mosquito adjacent project).
Be sure to join us afterwards at the Oakland Station (formerly Stillwoods) too. Till then!!

08/07/2026

Behind every nonprofit is a group of volunteers who bring their own passions, talents, and expertise to the table. Over the next couple of months, we’d love to introduce you to some of the remarkable people who make up the Fuller Dome Home board.

We’re starting with our Vice President and archivist, Mike Chervinko.

Mike is an accomplished photographer, author, and independent researcher whose work explores the archaeology, archaeoastronomy, and ancient landscapes of Southern Illinois and the Eastern Woodlands.

His newest book, Cosmology in Action: Decoding Sacred Ancient Landscapes in Southern Illinois and Eastern Missouri, continues that work, and today he’ll be talking about the research behind it on Community in Focus (Channel 3) at 4:30 p.m. If you can’t catch it live, be sure to look for it online afterward.

Here at the Dome Home, Mike serves as Vice President, our archivist, and was one of the driving forces behind the current Fuller Futures: Art & Artifacts exhibition at the Sharp Museum. He brings incredible energy, insight, curiosity, and generosity to our executive team, and we’re grateful to have him helping shape the future of the Fuller Dome Home.

One of the things we love most about Buckminster Fuller is how many different paths lead people to his work. Architects, artists, engineers, photographers, historians, archaeologists, educators, writers, the entry points are wonderfully diverse. Mike is a perfect example of that.

Please join us in congratulating Mike on his new book, and tune in this afternoon if you’d like to hear more about his fascinating research.

Stay tuned, we’re excited to introduce you to more of the incredible volunteers who make our board such a special team.

08/03/2026

Here is a little bit of proof that geodesics can be used for just about any application. In 1993, astronaut Buzz Aldrin filed a patent for plans for a more economical modular space station. The secret to its success–a geodesic design that he borrowed from his friend, Bucky.

07/31/2026

A closing reception for the Fuller Futures Art & Artifacts show is being planned for Friday, August 21st at Sharp Museum. You’ll have a chance to see the show (that includes this wonderful artifact) and hear about the pieces as well as future directions and happenings pertaining to Fuller locally. Flyer and official announcement coming soon. Save the date and join us for this special event.

📖✨ One of the hidden treasures in our Fuller Futures exhibition is this extraordinary book—signed by Albert Einstein himself.

This rare edition was printed in a very limited run, making it a remarkable piece of history. Its unique design, with pages that appear singed by fire, gives it an unforgettable presence.

The story behind the signature is just as fascinating. After publishers questioned Buckminster Fuller's interpretation of Einstein's work, Bucky refused to give up. He had the manuscript sent directly to Dr. Albert Einstein. Months later, the two met in person, where Einstein told Fuller he would personally write the publisher to approve the book. Even more surprising, Einstein remarked:

"Young man, you amaze me. I cannot conceive anything I have done having the slightest practical application."

It's a powerful reminder that new ideas often begin with someone willing to challenge convention and believe in possibilities others can't yet imagine.

With only about six weeks left to experience Fuller Futures in the South Hall Study Gallery, now is the perfect time to visit. As Graduate Assistant Jerri puts it, "It will definitely be hard to watch this exhibit come down."