CODAsummit: Art, Technology and Place
September 29 – October 1, 2026
Santa Fe, NM
2026 Agenda
CODAsummit 2026 kicks off Tuesday, September 29 with public art tours and an opening reception, then moves into two full days of programming September 30 – October 1. Expect keynote addresses from leading artists and public art directors, panel discussions on fabrication, funding, and consultancy, roundtables on commissioning and emerging technology, and dedicated tracks for artist showcases and creative industry presentations, plus the CODAawards Celebration and evening networking events. Here’s the full day-by-day schedule:
Tuesday, September 29
1:00 – 4:00 pm
Registration
Mezzanine, La Fonda
3:00 -5:00 pm
Public Art Tours
5:00 – 7:00 pm
Opening Night Reception
Zane Bennett Contemporary Art
Sponsored by SNA Displays
Wednesday, September 30
8:15 am – noon
Registration
9:00 – 9:15 am
Welcome Remarks
Toni Sikes – CEO, CODAworx
Meredith Doborski – Public Art Program Director, New Mexico Arts
9:15 – 10:00 am
Barbara Tober Opening Keynote
Virgil Ortiz – Artist working in clay, couture, film, and digital media
Introduced by Ilene Shaw
10:00 -11:00 am
Here, There and Everywhere: Transforming Spaces with Public Art
Meredith Doborski – Public Art Director, New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs (Moderator)
Andrée Bober – Founding Director + Curator of Landmarks, UT Austin Public Art Program
Jeremy Crandell – Project Manager, Burning Man’s Man Pavilion
Lakeisha Edwards – Executive Director, UrbanArt Commission, Memphis
Annette Ridenour – President, Aesthetics, Inc.
11:00 – 11:15 am
Open Networking
11:15 – 11:45 am
Creative Revolutionaries Keynote: Big Art Loop: Infrastructure of Imagination
Shannon Riley – Co-Founding Partner, Big Art Loop
Meredith Winner – Co-Founding Partner, Big Art Loop
Introduced by Paul England, Senior Director of Design Solutions, SNA Displays
11:45 am
Depart for La Fonda
12:00 – 1:30 pm
CODAawards Celebration!
Jeremy Crandell – MASTER OF CEREMONIES – Project Manager, Burning Man’s Man Pavilion
Ilene Shaw – Co-Founder, CODAawards, Executive Director, NYCxDESIGN
1:30 – 2:00 pm
Presentation: Creating Public Art in China
Shan Shan Sheng – East West Art Studio
Yuling Wang – General Manager, Blue Dragon Art
1:30 – 2:00 pm
Presentation: Temporary Public Art: The Enduring Power of the Ephemeral
Vincent Roy – Co-Executive Director + Artistic Director, EXMURO
1:30 – 2:00 pm
Coherence Opening: An Architect and Public Artist in Conversation
Michael Wang – Artist
Alex Webb – Architect, Associate Professor of Emergent Technology, UNM
2:00 – 2:15 pm
Open Networking
2:15 – 3:15 pm
Creative Industry Presentations TRACK 1
20-minute presentations with top companies in the public art industry that collaborate with artists to create successful artwork installations. Six presentations, two tracks running simultaneously.
IMX3
Winsor Fireform
Ignition Arts
2:15 – 3:15 pm
Creative Industry Presentations TRACK 2
20-minute presentations with top companies in the public art industry that collaborate with artists to create successful artwork installations. Six presentations, two tracks running simultaneously.
Epson
Monumental Labs
RBHU
2:15 – 3:15 pm
Roundtable: Recommended Practices for Commissioners
Anton Morton – Principal, Kasum MANIFOLD
Scott MacDonald – Public Art Specialist, City of Bellevue, WA
Kelly Marks – Public Art Project Manager, Raleigh, NC
Kimberly Towne – Special Projects Manager, City of Suwanee, GA
3:15 – 4:15 pm
Creative Industry Presentations TRACK 1
20-minute presentations with top companies in the public art industry that collaborate with artists to create successful artwork installations. Six presentations, two tracks running simultaneously.
Transversal
Johnson Atelier
Tieton Mosaic
3:15 – 4:15 pm
Creative Industry Presentations TRACK 2
20-minute presentations with top companies in the public art industry that collaborate with artists to create successful artwork installations. Six presentations, two tracks running simultaneously.
900 North
Jiangxi Toqine Metal Crafts
EDNM: Creative Industries Division
3:15 – 4:15 pm
Presentation: Coherence: Light and Consciousness
Claudia Costa – Founder, Principal Artist and Creative Director of Fierce-Art
Ivan Depeña – Principal + Artist, Ivan Toth Depeña Studio
3:15 – 4:15 pm
Roundtable: Emerging Technologies in Public Art
Anaisa Franco – Owner + Artist, Anaisa Franco Studio
Marc Aptakin – President, MAD
Sander Henriksen – Creative Director, Heavy
Andrew Sova – Principal, Winsor Fireform
4:15 – 5:00 pm
Panel: Best Practices for Working with a Fabricator from People Who’ve Learned the Hard Way
Joe Riche – Executive Director + Owner, Demiurge (Moderator)
Calli Beck – Owner, Stark Raven Fabrication
Brian McCutcheon – President, Ignition Arts
Sean Orlando – Founder + Artistic Director, Engineered Artworks
4:15 – 5:00 pm
Presentation: Ecological Poetics in Infrastructure
Ryan Edwards – Principal, MASARY Studios
Danielle Roney – Founder + Artist, Danielle Roney Studio
4:15 – 5:00 pm
Presentation: Coherence: Light and Consciousness
Morgan Barnard – Meow Wolf
Andrea Polli – UNM Professor of Fine Arts/Associate Professor of Engineering
4:15 – 5:00 pm
Roundtable: Bridging the Gap between Vision and Budget in Large-Scale Public Art
London Clark – Director of Marketing, Tile Artisans Digital Imaging
Gail Folwell – Owner + Sculptor, Folwell Studios LLC
Matthew Geller – Artist, Matthew Geller
Joe O’Connell – Founder + Artist, Creative Machines
5:30 – 7:00 pm
Networking Cocktail Party
Cocktail Sponsorship: Tanner Flynn – CEO, Parasoleil
Located at VLADEM Contemporary Museum, 404 Montezuma Avenue
Thursday, October 1
9:00 – 9:45 am
Keynote Address: Unfinished by Design
Trent Baker – Project Director, Public Art, Eventscape
Yvonne Monestier – Public Art Program Manager, Waterfront Toronto
9:45 – 10:45 am
Spotlight: The Artist as Entrepreneur
Tanner Flynn – CEO, Parasoleil (Moderator)
Suzanne Brennan Firstenberg – Artist
Nikolas Soren Goodich – Founder + Director, The Luminous Community Center
Marjorie Guyon – Chief Creative Officer, I Was Here Project
J Muzacz – Owner, The Mosaic Workshop
10:45 – 11:00 am
Open Networking
11:00 am – noon
Artist Showcases TRACK 1
15-minute presentations by artists who work with technology in new and innovative ways. Sixteen presentations, with tracks running simultaneously.
GGI – General Glass International
Giles Miller
Anaisa Franco
Estefania Cardoso: Oculta Studio
11:00 am – noon
Artist Showcases TRACK 2
Anaitte Vaccaro
Adam Frelin: Warm Front LLC
Brad Devins: Owley
Scott Constable: WOWHAUS
11:00 am – noon
Artist Showcases TRACK 3
Holly Danger
Courtney Minor: The CMD Studio
Hugo Laliberté: Ottomata
Emily Eisenhart
11:00 – noon
Roundtable: AI to Installation: Turning Digital Concepts into Buildable Public Art
Brett Barney – President + CEO, American Fine Arts Foundry
Gazelle Dasti – Artist, Engineer & Public Sculpture Technologist
David Martin – Senior Project Manager, Atthowe Fine Art Services
Selinda Martinez – Principal, RBHU
12:00 – 1:15 pm
Box Lunch
1:15 – 2:00 pm
Open Networking
1:45 – 2:30 pm
How We Did It: The Best of Collaborations
Debra Stewardson – Director, Hology (Moderator)
Marc Aptakin – President, MAD
Daniel Popper – Artist
1:45 – 2:30 pm
How We Did It: Public Art Census: Mapping and Evaluating the Public Art Landscape
Sherri Brueggemann – Former Manager, City of Albuquerque Public Art
Danicia Monét Malone – Founder, Rokh Research & Design Studio
1:45 – 2:30 pm
How We Did It: IP Issues for Artists
David Carstens – Partner, Carstens Allen & Gourley, LLP
Introduced by Brad Oldham – Oldham Sculpture
1:45 – 2:30 pm
Coherence Closing Conversation
Morgan Barnard – Meow Wolf
Claudia Costa – Partner + Creative Director, Fierce-ART
Ivan Depeña – Principal + Artist, Ivan Toth Depeña Studio
Andrea Polli – UNM Art/Engineering
Michael Wang – Artist
Alex Webb – Architect, Associate Professor of Emergent Technology, UNM
2:30 – 3:15 pm
Panel: The Expanding Role of Public Art Consultants and Funders
Peter Hite – Artist (Moderator)
Brooke Anderson – Executive Director, VIA Art Fund
John Grant – Creative Design & Project Manager, Public Art Services
Jennifer Brener Seay – Founder + CEO + Art Consultant, Art + Artisans Consulting Inc.
3:15 – 3:45 pm
Closing Keynote Address: In Pursuit of Collective Effervescence
Marie Belzil – Creative Director, Moment Factory
3:45 – 4:00 pm
Closing Remarks
Early Bird: Save on Registration when you register by June 30!
September 29 – October 1, 2026 | Santa Fe, NM