Medina Triennial debuts in upstate New York village with $2m budget

The inaugural Medina Triennial opens June 6 through September 7, 2026, in Medina, a village of 6,000 in Western New York. Unlike typical art triennials, it was initiated by the New York State Canal Corporation, a subsidiary of the New York Power Authority, as part of a $300 million tourism drive along the Erie Canal. The triennial has a budget under $2 million, financed by regional foundations and overseas grantmakers including Outset (UK) and the Mondriaan Fund (Netherlands). Curators Kari Conte and Karin Laansoo assembled 39 artists and collectives for the first edition titled "All That Sustains Us," inspired by Mierle Laderman Ukeles' maintenance art. Works are spread across ten sites including parks, a YMCA, a church, and a former high school. Notable commissions include Mary Mattingly's Floating Garden on a barge, Michael Wang's Sugarbush Energy maple-sap drink, Tania Candiani's Two Waters video, and Lina Lapelytė's Faithfully Recording performance. The triennial emphasizes local collaboration, with artists working alongside residents and regional institutions like the Rochester Institute of Technology and Iroquois Job Corps. Mayor Deborah Padoleski expressed excitement about the community's engagement with contemporary art.