Art + Environment Summit 2026

Can't we give ourselves one more chance?
Why can't we give love that one more chance?
This is our last dance.
This is ourselves.
Under pressure.

— As sung by David Bowie and Freddie Mercury

How do we consider the future of life on this planet in a present that appears increasingly unstable and fleeting? How do we move into a time horizon that sustains all life forms, is regenerative, and protects future generations? The pressure of our current moment seems ubiquitous: pressure on the environment, pressure on life forms of all kinds, pressure on nations and cultures, pressure on infrastructure and economies, and pressure on space and time.

The 2026 Art +Environment Summit is presented alongside the major museum-wide exhibition, Into the Time Horizon, and convenes prominent artists, writers, Indigenous leaders, designers, and interdisciplinary thinkers for a three-day gathering in Reno, Nevada. 

Over the course of the gathering, we will envision sustainable and resilient horizons together. Using Museum-commissioned proposals generated by artists, scientists, and visionaries of all kinds as our basis, we will explore many interrelated spheres of interest: the vitality of animal and arboreal life; the preservation of natural ecologies; the impacts of the Anthropocene; and honoring the Indigenous wisdoms that have, for millennia, protected and lived in concert with the Earth.

Participants Kim Stanley Robinson, Rose B. Simpson, Cannupa Hanska Luger, and Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) will present special commissions from the Into the Time Horizon catalogue called “Proposals for the Future,” which feature their top ten solutions for building a sustainable, resilient, and regenerative future. Their ideas help foster greater understanding of how artistic creativity, ecology, and Indigenous knowledge generate new paths forward during a time of accelerating environmental crisis.

In addition, Jeffrey Gibson will lead a conversation on Indigenous Futures and the environment alongside artists Jack Malotte, Judith Lowry, and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun. Johanna Burton will moderate a discussion with artists Andrea Bowers, Carolina Caycedo, and Clarissa Tossin on eco-feminist legacies. LaToya Ruby Frazier will join Makeda Best in conversation about her work; Katie Paterson will conduct her performance To Burn, Forest, Fire; Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner will read her poetry;

Maia Nuku will speak about Indigenous Australian artists; and Dr. Bernie Krauss will present his “biophonic” soundscapes. Furthermore, Haley Mellin, Kai Anderson, Stacey Montooth, Oscar Tuazon and Delaine Spilsbury will be in conversation about land conservation. Jonathan Keats, Brittney Nicole Cox and Rebeca Lendl will discuss Centuries of the Bristlecone. Finally, Margaret Levi, professor emeritus of political science at Stanford University, will offer concluding remarks.

The Summit will also be activated by performance, dance, and music by Ginger Dunnill, Madison Olandt, Eric-Paul Riege, and Laura Ortman.

Presenters: Kai Anderson, Makeda Best, Andrea Bowers, Johanna Burton, Carolina Caycedo, Sudeep Chandra, Brittany Nicole Cox, Apsara DiQuinzio, Ginger Dunnill, Herman Fillmore, William L. Fox, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Jeffrey Gibson, Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner, Jonathon Keats, Dr. Bernie Krause, Rebecca Lendl, Margaret Levi, Judith Lowry, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Jack Malotte, Haley Mellin, Stacey Montooth, Maia Nuku, Madison Olandt, Laura Ortman, Katie Paterson, Eric-Paul Riege, Colin M. Robertson, Kim Stanley Robertson, Rose B. Simpson, Delaine Spilsbury, Clarissa Tossin, Oscar Tuazon, Ann M. Wolfe, and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun. 

For the complete program and to reserve tickets please visit https://www.nevadaart.org/2026summit/

The early bird ticket pricing is available through January 25, 2026.