The 2026 Wakpa Triennial: A Moment to Pause

The Wakpá Triennial returns for its second installment in the fall of 2026, guided by the theme “A Moment to Pause.” This multi-site network of public space projects and installations invites artists and audiences to slow down and reconnect with the land, water, and communities that hold them. Co-curated by Dakota artist Angela Two Stars and shaped by an Indigenous Advisory Group, the festival honors the Mississippi River as a living cultural landscape and a sacred site.

Opening weekend features a monumental undertaking where fifty local artists will gather at the E 2nd Street wall to wheat-paste unique 4′ × 4′ posters directly onto the architectural canvas. This open-air gallery stretches from the Sibley Underpass to the Jackson Underpass, transforming the riverfront into a festive environment with live music and community engagement. These wheat-pasted works are intentionally ephemeral, designed to weather and fade over the course of the month to mirror the fleeting nature of the present moment.

Beyond the opening festivities, the Triennial includes a month of activation. On September 19 at Raspberry Island, the festival hosts a public reading of 187 poems from the Sidewalk Poetry contest, followed by a traditional Indigenous papermaking workshop. The 2026 Wakpa Triennial centers local artists and community participation, claiming public space as a place for beauty, reflection, and collective meaning-making during a significant moment in the national cultural conversation.

Events take place at the E 2nd Street Wall and Raspberry Island, Saint Paul, MN. More to be announced.