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The New Museum’s cultural incubator NEW INC today announced the full schedule for DEMO2026, a three-day art, design, and technology festival featuring industry leaders and NEW INC members running from June 3–5 at the New Museum, with a Track Showcase presentation of NEW INC Member work on view from June 3–10. Through demonstrations, performances, workshops, and talks, this public festival will spotlight innovative projects created by 39 current NEW INC members whose interdisciplinary work spans art, design, technology, science, architecture, and entrepreneurship.
Founded in 2014 as the first museum-born cultural incubator, NEW INC supports a cohort of approximately 120 creative practitioners each year with a value-driven program including professional development, mentorship, and community building opportunities. As part of NEW INC’s work connecting members with industry leaders, “Demo Day” was launched in 2016 to showcase member projects before an invitation-only audience of creative directors, investors, and curators, offering insight into the next generation of interdisciplinary projects. In 2023, DEMO opened to the public with an extended program of performances, keynote talks, exhibitions, and opportunities to interact with NEW INC’s community of mentors and alumni. DEMO2026 will be the first edition of the festival to take place since the New Museum opened its OMA-designed building expansion on the Bowery.
“DEMO2026 is an opportunity for NEW INC members to share their work with the greater artistic community, and we’re glad to be back on the Bowery this year operating out of NEW INC’s purpose-built home in the expanded New Museum,” said Salome Asega, New Museum Deputy Director of Strategy and Innovation and Director of NEW INC. “We are delighted to showcase the work that our members have been pursuing this year across an array of topics—including designing architectural and spatial interventions for public space, leveraging XR tools to create reimagined worlds, finding cooperative models for community building, and making scientific practices part of our daily life.”
“We are thrilled to welcome NEW INC’s expansive community of alumni and industry leaders back to the New Museum for DEMO2026,” said Lisa Phillips, Toby Devan Lewis Director of the New Museum. “DEMO is an embodiment of the New Museum’s commitment to sharing cutting-edge art and ideas with the public, and we look forward to learning from and celebrating with this year’s exceptional cohort of NEW INC members.”
Hosted at the newly reopened New Museum for the first time, DEMO2026 will offer Single Day Tickets beginning at $25 for single day admission, with access to all daytime programming including showcases, track talks, and Studio DEMO. 3 Day Passes will be available for $35, including access to daytime programming for the full run of the festival, and All Access Passes will be available for $100, which include guaranteed entry to both daytime and evening programming for the full run of the festival. Individual evening programs are accessible via After Hours Tickets for $35. All ticket types include admission to the New Museum and the exhibition New Humans: Memories of the Future.
The DEMO2026 keynote speakers are multimedia artist and filmmaker Lawrence Lek, art and cultural historian Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, artist and Ojas sound system founder Devon Turnbull, NTS Radio founder Femi Adeyemi, and artist and engineer Xin Liu. DEMO2026 will also feature Studio DEMO, a platform for arts organizations from around the globe to collaborate on creative programming during the festival, with partner organizations including Rhizome, Serpentine, Geidai Project, YoungArts, and Onassis ONX. DEMO2026 will also feature a Track Showcase, an exhibition of new and evolving work by NEW INC members organized by NEW INC Y6 alumna Mindy Seu on view from June 3–10.
Each day of DEMO2026 will kick off with a Power Lunch, an open-invitation event for NEW INC members and DEMO2026 audience members to participate, starting with a “Fuser Workshop” (June 3), “Office Hours” with NEW INC mentors working across a range of fields (June 4), and a curator-led tour of the New Museum exhibition New Humans: Memories of the Future (June 5).
Following the daytime programming, NEW INC will host evening performances and activations throughout the Museum and a Festival Party (June 5).
For DEMO2026, NEW INC has collaborated with Arena Embroidery on an exclusive collection of merch including hats and a tote available onsite through the DEMO Store. Additional artist-made products from NEW INC community members will be available at the DEMO Store.
The list of keynote speakers and presenting NEW INC members follows below. For the complete festival schedule and more information, please visit demofestival.org.
Art & Code
- Keynote address by Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Lewis
- Mainstage talks by Aurora Mititelu, Lita Vinueza (Sonic Liberation Devices), Morry Kolman (WTTDOTM), Romi Morrison, Shakti Mb (Two Shiny Coins)
Cooperative Studies
- Keynote address by Femi Adeyemi
- Mainstage talks by Be Oakley (Genderfail), Bobby Joe Smith III, Marion & Chester, Mae Djachechi (Divine Times), and Melissa Lyde (Alfreda’s Cinema)
Creative Science
- Keynote speaker to be Xin Liu
- Mainstage talks by Adam Vackar, BEAM, Joshua Dawson, Sabina Hyoju Ahn, and Sirintip
Extended Realities
- Keynote address by Lawrence Lek
- Mainstage talks by Chipo Mapondera (GLOBAL DIGITAL FUTURES), Embaci, Rena Anakwe (SENSORHEUM), Weaver of Worlds, and Yaloo Lim
Social Architecture
- Keynote address by Devon Turnbull
- Mainstage talks by Alma Memorial, Bradley Pitts (PlaCE), Burton Bond, Gabrielle Horton (NATAL), and Ora Ferdman
Showcase Presentations
- NEW INC curated by Mindy Seu with works by Adam Vackar, Aurora Mititelu, Bobby Joe Smith III, Dr. Shadow F. Sosa, Jeremy Kamal Hartley, Yaloo Lim, Kordae Jatafa Henry, Marissa Sean Cruz, Weaver of Worlds, Peter Nichols (Elfsend), Shahira Hammad, Tara Kelton, Tess Oldfield, Umber Majeed, William Elliot (Bio.crafting Studio), and Yuri Lee
- EY Media Lab Commission featuring Ancestral Intelligence Network: Echolocation, a new work by NEW INC alumna Jazsalyn (Y8 and Y9) developed through a residency with EY Intelligent Realities Lab
- Organized in partnership with Melco Group Inc., the Geidai Project showcase features work by members of the Japanese consortium including Tokyo University of the Arts (Geidai), Graduate School of Management, Kyoto University, and Aichi University of the Arts
Details on the full DEMO2026 schedule will be released at the end of April. For more information, please visit demofestival.org.
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