A man carrying a bundle of reeds and a woman in a patterned dress walk up a wooded path behind other people.

Medina Triennial Inc

Enjoy the full program with access to all main activities.

General Admission

For two centuries, the Erie Canal has carried goods and labor through Western New York. Running alongside it, the towpath has served as the canal&rsquo;s working edge&mdash;a place from which the waterway was used, tended, and kept open. This free public program returns to that path on foot. Presented by the Medina Triennial in collaboration with CALL / City as Living Laboratory and artist Mary Miss, the program follows the Erie Canalway Trail from Middleport to Medina. In the spirit of CALL / WALKS, it approaches the canal corridor as a living laboratory. Walking becomes a method for reading the landscape through movement, observation, and conversation. Rather than a conventional tour, the walk unfolds through a series of guided stops and open questions. Participants will consider the canal as a piece of public infrastructure that has depended upon continuous upkeep for two centuries. Along the route, invited artists and specialists will explore the relationships among water, soil, food, architecture, habitat, and the labor required to sustain the corridor. Mary Miss and Olivia Georgia of CALL will lead the walk alongside invited contributors Nick Henshue, a University at Buffalo professor specializing in soil ecology and regional habitats; Ira Sanford Geffner, also a professor at the University at Buffalo, whose work focuses on ecology and natural history; and Zuzanna Drozdz, a landscape designer whose practice treats beauty, nourishment, and ecological integrity as inseparable. The program begins at the Medina Triennial Hub at 10 AM, then travels by shuttle to Middleport. The walk will conclude in Medina near Floating Garden (2026), Mary Mattingly&rsquo;s barge-based commission for the Triennial. Following a free lunch, participants will gather at the Medina Triennial Hub for a public conversation led by Mary Miss and Olivia Georgia, reflecting on the day&rsquo;s observations and inviting participants to contribute their own impressions of the canal corridor. 10:00 AM: Meet at the Medina Triennial Hub, 345 Main Street, for orientation, coffee, and light refreshments.10:15 AM: Provided shuttles depart for Middleport.10:30 AM&ndash;12:45 PM: Towpath walk from Middleport to Medina (approximately 4.7 miles). Bring water and a hat, and wear comfortable shoes. We will walk slowly.12:45&ndash;1:15 PM: Lunch at the Hub, provided by the Medina Triennial.1:15&ndash;2:00 PM: Presentation by Mary Miss and Olivia Georgia, followed by a group discussion with the walk leaders. Zuzanna Drozdz is a Landscape Project Manager with Ecos Cooperative, where she designs private and public spaces for connection and reciprocity with the flora and fauna of WNY. She holds an M.L.A. and a B.S. in Product Design, and has spent nearly a decade on public and institutional landscape projects across the Northeast. She was previously the Research Coordinator for the Hotspot Cities Project, which examined the conflict and potential for symbiosis between urbanization and biodiversity. Sanford Geffner is a Naturalist and Field Ecologist with a B.S. in Outdoor Education and a M.Ed. in Environmental Education. He is the Coordinator for the Environmental Studies/Sustainability Programs in the Department of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo. He is also the Founder/Director of Earth Spirit Educational Services, Inc., a not-for-profit environmental education organization. His interests are focused on field and natural history, holistic health, nature and religion, and environmental history. Olivia Georgia is Executive Director emeritus of City as Living Laboratory, founded by Mary Miss. CALL works with artists, scientists, and residents of urban communities to create sustainable solutions to climate change, equity, and health issues. Georgia served as Executive Director of Meredith Monk&rsquo;s House Foundation, Executive Director of Bronx Museum of the Arts and Maryland Art Place, Director of Visual Arts for the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, and Assistant Director of the Washington Project for the Arts. Georgia has organized over 30 exhibitions and produced numerous performance series. Dr. Nick Henshue has a B.S. in Environmental Education, Master&rsquo;s in Biology, and Ph.D. in Ecology. He currently looks for ways to utilize earthworm ecology together with Restoration and Soil Ecology to improve habitats in Western New York. Additionally, he is the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo. Nick&rsquo;s research interests include restoration and urban ecology, earthworms, science outreach, and helping teachers teach amazing science. Mary Miss is an artist who is founder of City as Living Laboratory (CALL). Her work has reshaped the boundaries between sculpture, architecture, landscape design, and ecology by articulating a vision of the public sphere where it is possible for an artists to have an essential role. She has developed projects as diverse as creating a demonstration wetland in the center of Des Moines, Iowa to envisioning Broadway as the new &lsquo;green&rsquo; corridor of NYC.

For two centuries, the Erie Canal has carried goods and labor through Western New York. Running alongside it, the towpath has served as the canal’s working edge—a place from which the waterway was used, tended, and kept open. This free public program returns to that path on foot. Presented by the Medina Triennial in collaboration with CALL / City as Living Laboratory and artist Mary Miss, the program follows the Erie Canalway Trail from Middleport to Medina. In the spirit of CALL / WALKS, it approaches the canal corridor as a living laboratory. Walking becomes a method for reading the landscape through movement, observation, and conversation. Rather than a conventional tour, the walk unfolds through a series of guided stops and open questions. Participants will consider the canal as a piece of public infrastructure that has depended upon continuous upkeep for two centuries. Along the route, invited artists and specialists will explore the relationships among water, soil, food, architecture, habitat, and the labor required to sustain the corridor. Mary Miss and Olivia Georgia of CALL will lead the walk alongside invited contributors Nick Henshue, a University at Buffalo professor specializing in soil ecology and regional habitats; Ira Sanford Geffner, also a professor at the University at Buffalo, whose work focuses on ecology and natural history; and Zuzanna Drozdz, a landscape designer whose practice treats beauty, nourishment, and ecological integrity as inseparable. The program begins at the Medina Triennial Hub at 10 AM, then travels by shuttle to Middleport. The walk will conclude in Medina near Floating Garden (2026), Mary Mattingly’s barge-based commission for the Triennial. Following a free lunch, participants will gather at the Medina Triennial Hub for a public conversation led by Mary Miss and Olivia Georgia, reflecting on the day’s observations and inviting participants to contribute their own impressions of the canal corridor. 10:00 AM: Meet at the Medina Triennial Hub, 345 Main Street, for orientation, coffee, and light refreshments.10:15 AM: Provided shuttles depart for Middleport.10:30 AM–12:45 PM: Towpath walk from Middleport to Medina (approximately 4.7 miles). Bring water and a hat, and wear comfortable shoes. We will walk slowly.12:45–1:15 PM: Lunch at the Hub, provided by the Medina Triennial.1:15–2:00 PM: Presentation by Mary Miss and Olivia Georgia, followed by a group discussion with the walk leaders. Zuzanna Drozdz is a Landscape Project Manager with Ecos Cooperative, where she designs private and public spaces for connection and reciprocity with the flora and fauna of WNY. She holds an M.L.A. and a B.S. in Product Design, and has spent nearly a decade on public and institutional landscape projects across the Northeast. She was previously the Research Coordinator for the Hotspot Cities Project, which examined the conflict and potential for symbiosis between urbanization and biodiversity. Sanford Geffner is a Naturalist and Field Ecologist with a B.S. in Outdoor Education and a M.Ed. in Environmental Education. He is the Coordinator for the Environmental Studies/Sustainability Programs in the Department of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo. He is also the Founder/Director of Earth Spirit Educational Services, Inc., a not-for-profit environmental education organization. His interests are focused on field and natural history, holistic health, nature and religion, and environmental history. Olivia Georgia is Executive Director emeritus of City as Living Laboratory, founded by Mary Miss. CALL works with artists, scientists, and residents of urban communities to create sustainable solutions to climate change, equity, and health issues. Georgia served as Executive Director of Meredith Monk’s House Foundation, Executive Director of Bronx Museum of the Arts and Maryland Art Place, Director of Visual Arts for the Snug Harbor Cultural Center, and Assistant Director of the Washington Project for the Arts. Georgia has organized over 30 exhibitions and produced numerous performance series. Dr. Nick Henshue has a B.S. in Environmental Education, Master’s in Biology, and Ph.D. in Ecology. He currently looks for ways to utilize earthworm ecology together with Restoration and Soil Ecology to improve habitats in Western New York. Additionally, he is the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Environment and Sustainability at the University at Buffalo. Nick’s research interests include restoration and urban ecology, earthworms, science outreach, and helping teachers teach amazing science. Mary Miss is an artist who is founder of City as Living Laboratory (CALL). Her work has reshaped the boundaries between sculpture, architecture, landscape design, and ecology by articulating a vision of the public sphere where it is possible for an artists to have an essential role. She has developed projects as diverse as creating a demonstration wetland in the center of Des Moines, Iowa to envisioning Broadway as the new ‘green’ corridor of NYC.

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Medina Triennial Inc

Towpath as "Living Laboratory": A Walk from Middleport to Medina

345 N Main St

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General Admission

Free