The US design-build festival has a strong editorial premise: structures produced this September are intended to become material and spatial foundations for reuse, alteration, and performance in 2027 and 2028. The live construction process offers distinctive access opportunities.
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, New York, United States
About this story
The Bethel Woods Art & Architecture Festival is beginning Acts of Construction, a three-year curatorial initiative focused on architecture as an evolving resource. The 2026 edition examines staging: how construction can support unknown future uses and how buildings can be designed for planned disassembly, component reuse, and subsequent activation. Participants will construct large-scale installations at the historic Woodstock festival site.
Status and timeline
Act One: Staging runs September 9–13, 2026. Act Two: Choreography is planned for 2027, followed by Act Three: Performance in 2028.
Design highlights
Design for disassembly; adaptable construction; reuse of components across successive years; architecture as a stage and public resource; interdisciplinary collaboration among architects, artists, students, fabricators, and performers.
Important dates
· Festival begins · Details
· Festival ends · Details
