The Medina Triennial is a site-responsive contemporary art exhibition that activates the landscapes and histories of Medina and Western New York. Every three years, it brings together artists from around the globe to create new work that fosters critical dialogue and public engagement.
The inaugural 2026 edition, titled All That Sustains Us, features more than 100 artworks across 10+ sites and is curated by Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo. The curatorial framework of the Triennial sits at the intersection of art, ecology, architecture, and rural contexts and considers maintenance not only as a physical act of upkeep, but also as a social, political, and environmental process shaped by fragility and resilience. The Triennial brings together artistic practices that examine how civic and ecological systems are structured by labor, regulation, extraction, and repair. At its core, the Triennial asks: What essential efforts and commitments are required to sustain life in our fractured world?
Located in Medina, along the historic Erie Canal in Western New York, the Triennial draws on the town’s layered histories. With a population of 6,000, Medina embodies the convergence of industry, agriculture, immigration, and civic life, reflected in its preserved 19th-century architecture and engaged community. Though modest in scale, the town is rich in cultural and ecological significance, situated between Buffalo and Rochester, and surrounded by farmland, wetlands, and canal infrastructure.
The Medina Triennial Fieldwork Residency provides artists with living and working space in Medina, along with support to develop new commissions and public programs for the Triennial. Through connections with scientists, architects, farmers, and small business owners from across Western New York, the residency fosters research and dialogue. 2025–26 residents include Mary Mattingly, who is developing Floating Garden (2026), a barge-based living artwork on the Erie Canal; James Beckett, who is working on the “digital quarrying” of Medina sandstone; Selva Aparicio, whose residency is in collaboration with the Medina Railroad Museum; and Michael Wang, who is researching maple sap production in the region.
The Medina Triennial Hub launched in Fall 2025 as a space for collaboration and community engagement leading up to the 2026 Triennial. Its storefront serves as both a public programming site and the home of the Triennial’s residency program, and combines workspace, program areas, a free art library, and adaptable gathering spaces.
The Triennial was initiated with major support provided by the New York Power Authority and the New York State Canal Corporation, as part of a broader effort to revitalize the Erie Canal. It builds on alliances with art institutions and universities in Western New York and beyond. These partnerships will shape the inaugural Triennial and will continue into the second edition in 2029.
Source: medinatriennial.org