Friday Sessions
Nov 7, 2025, 2–3:30 PM
Medina Triennial Hub
2–3:30 PM
Panel: Reimagining the Erie Canal for Its Third Century
This conversation with Gabrielle Barone, Rebecca Hughes, and Dave Mellen— moderated by Shannon Mattern—reflects on the Erie Canal as it enters its third century as a living system that has shaped landscapes and economies across New York State. Together, the speakers will explore how the Canal might be reimagined not only as a feat of engineering, but as a cultural organism that is fluid, adaptive, and continuously remade through collective stewardship.
Within the context of the Medina Triennial, this conversation will consider how infrastructure can become a site of renewal rather than decay. It will also ask: What might it mean to care for a waterway as one cares for a work of art or a community?