Restoration / Regeneration

the New Media Caucus Symposium

March 6-8, 2026

Arizona State University

Welcome!

The New Media Caucus invites you to join us for the 2026 Symposium: Restoration / Regeneration, a three-day in-person gathering exploring the transformative potential of new media art and scholarship during times of planetary and social crisis.

Hosted at the Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center at Arizona State University in Mesa, Arizona, the symposium brings together international artists, designers, theorists, educators, and students to explore how new media practices can contribute to healing, revitalization, and reimagination.

Call for Submissions

Deadline: Monday, October 13th, 2025

We welcome proposals for:

  • Paper presentations (15-20 minutes)
  • Panel discussions (60-90 minutes)
  • Interactive installations and performances
  • Workshops and demonstrations
  • Poster presentations

Q: Does my proposal or exhibition submission need to fit the Restoration/Regeneration theme of the symposium?
A: Not at all! We hope to represent the diverse research and creative interests of our NMC members through a variety of topics.

Q: Do I need to be present at the symposium if my proposal is accepted?
A: Panels, presentations, and workshops will be offered in-person only. But exhibition submissions may not require your attendance depending on the format. (Video/sound works for the DAK exterior wall will be shared with us digitally, for example)

Exhibition Submissions

Presentations, Panels, Workshops, Demonstration Submissions

Our 2026 Theme

Restoration / Regeneration calls upon us to rethink how systems—biological, cultural, digital, ecological, and embodied—can be renewed and re-envisioned.

Topics of exploration include (but are not limited to):

  • restoration of indigenous rights & rituals
  • solutions-focused restorative justice
  • restorative somatic practice
  • regenerative bio-processes
  • reimagined and fluid physical bodies and identities
  • eco-regenerative practices and architectures
  • regenerative technologies and the concept of digital restoration

This theme emerges from a collective desire to move beyond extraction, toward care and renewal—in our environments, our bodies, our histories, and our tools.

Registration

Registration Opens: October 15th, 2025
Early Bird Deadline: November 31st, 2025
Registration Closes: February 16th, 2026

Our Keynote Speaker

We are thrilled to announce our keynote speaker, Paula Gaetano Adi, Professor of Experimental and Foundation Studies at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)!

Paula Gaetano Adi is an Argentine interdisciplinary artist working in robotics, video, and performance. Gaetano Adi’s robot Alexitimia was awarded the first prize in the international competition VIDA, Art & Artificial Life, and the first prize LIMBØ by the Museum of Modern Art of Buenos Aires. Her Mestizo Robotics long-term project has been distinguished with Fundación Telefónica’s Award for Ibero-American artists, and she was awarded with the Creative Capital Award in 2023 for her project Guanaquerx. Winner of the 2025 Ars Electronica Golden Nica in the category Artificial Life & Intelligence, she is also a former fellow at Argentina’s National Endowment for the Arts, the Center for Research in Engineering, Media and Performance at UCLA, and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s EMPAC. She currently lives between San Juan, Argentina, and Providence, RI, where she is Professor of Experimental & Foundation Studies and Computation, Technology, and Culture at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

Event Location

Arizona State University
Media and Immersive Experience (MIX) Center External link
Location
50 N Centennial Way
Mesa, AZ 85201

About New Media Caucus

The New Media Caucus (NMC) is an international non-profit association advancing the understanding and evolution of new media art. Our interdisciplinary membership spans artists, scholars, educators, designers, and students. We support a wide range of creative and critical practices through conferences, publications, and community-driven initiatives.

Learn more at newmediacaucus.org

Save the Date!

March 6, 2026

Join us in Mesa, Arizona, at the ASU MIX Center to imagine new forms of restoration and to regenerate the future together!

⏳ Countdown to the Symposium!
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Days
New Media Memory
Time: 216s
Pairs: 0/8
Need to burn off some nervous energy while waiting for start of the symposium?

Travel & Lodging

Symposium will be held at the Arizona State University MIX Center located at 50 N Centennial Way, Mesa, AZ 85201

The MIX Center is accessible via Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and is served by Valley Metro light rail from downtown Phoenix.

Accommodations
Discounted hotel blocks will be available for symposium attendees at nearby hotels in Mesa. A full list of options and rates will be published soon.

Sponsors

Symposium Steering Committee & Volunteers

A sincere thank you to the symposium steering committee and volunteers for your hard work and dedication in organizing this event!

Rob Ray

Dan Fine

Alex Lee

Diana Rojas

JLS Gangwisch

Nick Bontrager

Kat Mustatea

Kim Lyle

Mona Kasra

Robert Derr

Sal Moreno

Tacie Jones

Taylor Hokanson