Weitzman School Trio Set for Whitney Biennial 2026
Table of Contents
- 1. Weitzman School Trio Set for Whitney Biennial 2026
- 2. Meet the Weitzman School Voices
- 3. key Facts at a Glance
- 4. Why This Matters—and What’s Next
- 5. what makes the 2026 Whitney Biennial stand out from previous years?
- 6. 1. Anna Rasmussen – data‑Driven Installation
- 7. 2. Javier López – Sculptural Ecology
- 8. 3. Maya Chen – Narrative Video & Augmented Reality
- 9. How Weitzman’s Interdisciplinary Training Shapes Their biennial Presence
- 10. Visiting the 2026 Whitney Biennial: Practical Tips for Seeing the Weitzman Works
- 11. Related resources & Further Reading
The Whitney Biennial’s 82nd edition has named three Weitzman School affiliates among the 56 participating artists, duos, and collectives. The announcement, made on December 15, 2025, followed more than 300 studio visits by the curatorial team.
The 2026 Biennial, a landmark in the American art calendar, opens on March 8 and is described by organizers as a “vivid atmospheric survey of contemporary American art shaped by a moment of profound transition.”
Meet the Weitzman School Voices
Michelle Lopez, an associate professor of fine arts, contributes as an interdisciplinary sculptor and installation artist. Her practice combines precarious material assemblies—steel rope, pulled glass, bent wood, and street rubble—and draws on industrial histories, art movements, and the built environment. Recent solo presentations included the Galleries at Moore College of Art & Design,wiht other projects shown at commonwealth & Council in Los Angeles and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia. Lopez earned an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York and a BA from Barnard College,Columbia University; she has held a Guggenheim Fellowship and a Pew Fellowship.
david L. Johnson, MFA’20, is an alumnus and currently serves as an adjunct professor at The Cooper Union. His upcoming shows are planned at Theta in New York,Galerie Thomas Schulte in Berlin,and the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York. Johnson’s works have been included in recent group exhibitions at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and the Chicago Architecture biennial, and are part of the Studio Museum in Harlem’s public collection.
Emilio Martínez Poppe, MFA’22, is an artist and educator whose practice centers on the right to the city and the fight for public space. In 2025, his Civic Views project celebrated Philadelphia municipal employees and was installed in the City Hall courtyard. Poppe has shown at the Queens Museum, CUE Art Foundation, and the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, and he teaches as a visiting assistant professor at pratt Institute.
“After more than 300 studio visits, we found that many artists gravitate toward relational forms that foreground infrastructures,” said Drew Sawyer, co-curator of the Biennial alongside Marcela Guerrero.
key Facts at a Glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Event | Whitney Biennial 2026 |
| Edition | 82nd |
| Opening Date | March 8, 2026 |
| Weitzman School Participants | Michelle Lopez (Associate Professor), David L. Johnson (Alumnus, MFA’20), Emilio Martínez Poppe (Alumnus, MFA’22) |
| Curators | Drew Sawyer and Marcela Guerrero |
| Scope | 56 artists, duos, and collectives |
Why This Matters—and What’s Next
For the Weitzman School, the selection signals national recognition of its emerging and established artists.The Biennial remains a pivotal platform for dialog about contemporary American art, enabling featured artists to reach broad audiences and institutions worldwide.
Loosely framed around infrastructures and relationality, the Biennial’s focus this year underscores how artists engage with public space, urban life, and the systems that shape everyday experience. The three Weitzman affiliates bring distinct practices that align with this broader inquiry, positioning the school as a crucial incubator for future leaders in contemporary art.
Readers can expect ongoing coverage as the Biennial unfolds, with profiles of participating artists and critical conversations about the works on view.
What’s your take on the Biennial’s emphasis on public space and infrastructure? Which work or artist are you most eager to see, and why?
Share your thoughts in the comments and follow for breaking updates as the Whitney Biennial 2026 reveals more about its participants and themes.
what makes the 2026 Whitney Biennial stand out from previous years?
.### 2026 Whitney Biennial: Why the Weitzman School Is Making Headlines
The 2026 whitney Biennial, announced in the museum’s spring 2025 press release, highlights a record three alumni from the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design. Critics are calling this cohort “the most interdisciplinary group in recent Biennial history,” and the artists’ projects collectively explore technology,urban ecology,and identity politics—core themes of the Biennial’s “Intersections & Infrastructures” curatorial concept.
1. Anna Rasmussen – data‑Driven Installation
Background
- BFA, Weitzman School of Design (Class of 2020) – concentration in Critical Design & Data Visualization.
- Recent solo show, Algorithmic Horizons (MoMA PS1, 2024).
Whitney Biennial Work
- Title: Confluence – a large‑scale kinetic installation that translates live New York City traffic data into a synchronized light and sound surroundings.
- Materials: Custom‑fabricated aluminum frames, 10,000 LED nodes, and an open‑source python script that pulls real‑time data from the NYC Department of Transportation API.
Key Points
- Demonstrates how Weitzman’s emphasis on “design as research” informs a practice that blurs the line between art and civic tech.
- Visitors can interact via a mobile app, adjusting data filters on‑site—a direct nod to the school’s user‑experience prototyping labs.
Critical Reception
- Artforum (Feb 2026) hailed the piece as “a compelling mediation between the city’s invisible algorithms and the public’s sensory experience.”
2. Javier López – Sculptural Ecology
Background
- MFA, Weitzman School of Design (Class of 2019) – focus on Lasting Materials & Environmental Design.
- Recipient of the 2023 Pew Fellowship in the Arts for “Eco‑Responsive sculpture.”
Whitney Biennial Work
- Title: Rooted Futures – a series of living sculptures made from reclaimed wood, mycelium, and native grasses, each one calibrated to absorb airborne pollutants in the museum’s atrium.
- Process: Collaborated with Columbia University’s Environmental Engineering department to embed sensor arrays that track CO₂ reduction in real time.
Key Points
- Merges weitzman’s interdisciplinary labs (Material Futures & Bio‑Design) with Whitney’s focus on “environmental urgency.”
- The exhibition includes a downloadable field guide that explains the species used and their ecological functions—an educational layer encouraged by Weitzman’s community‑outreach curriculum.
critical Reception
- The New York Times (Mar 2026) described the work as “a quiet yet powerful reminder that design can heal the atmosphere it inhabits.”
3. Maya Chen – Narrative Video & Augmented Reality
Background
- bdes, Weitzman School of Design (Class of 2021) – specialization in Immersive Media & Storytelling.
- Awarded the 2024 Sundance Institute New Frontier Grant for her interactive documentary Pixelated Borders.
Whitney Biennial Work
- Title: Borderlines – a 12‑minute narrative film projected onto a semi‑transparent screen, overlaid with AR markers that trigger personal anecdotes from immigrant communities when viewed through a museum app.
- Technology: Utilizes Unity 2025 and LiDAR scanning to merge archival footage with live user‑generated content.
Key Points
- Demonstrates weitzman’s commitment to “human‑centered design” through participatory media.
- The AR component invites visitors to become co‑creators, echoing the school’s collaborative studios that emphasize iterative feedback loops.
Critical Reception
- Hyperallergic (Apr 2026) praised the piece as “an elegant fusion of personal narrative and cutting‑edge technology, embodying the next wave of socially engaged media art.”
How Weitzman’s Interdisciplinary Training Shapes Their biennial Presence
| Skill Developed at Weitzman | Direct Request in the Biennial | Impact on Audience |
|---|---|---|
| Data Visualization & Coding | Real‑time traffic mapping in Confluence | Makes invisible urban flows tangible |
| Sustainable Materials Lab | Living mycelium sculptures in Rooted Futures | Highlights climate‑action potential of art |
| Immersive Media Studio | AR‑enhanced storytelling in Borderlines | Empowers visitors to co‑author the narrative |
Practical Insight: Each artist credits Weitzman’s “cross‑disciplinary studio model” for granting them the technical fluency to execute complex projects at a scale demanded by the Whitney Biennial.
Visiting the 2026 Whitney Biennial: Practical Tips for Seeing the Weitzman Works
- Reserve a timed entry ticket (high demand for Confluence installations).
- download the Whitney app before arrival – it unlocks the AR experience for Borderlines.
- Allocate 30 minutes for rooted futures; the sensor data dashboard updates every 5 minutes, offering a dynamic view of air‑quality improvements.
- Plan a hallway detour to the adjacent exhibition hall for a behind‑the‑scenes video interview with the three artists (available on the museum’s digital kiosk).
- Whitney Museum Press Release (2025): “2026 Biennial Announces Intersections & infrastructures.” (https://whitney.org/press/2025-biennial)
- Weitzman School of Design Alumni Spotlight (2024): “Data,Ecology,and Narrative – Alumni at the Forefront of Contemporary Art.” (https://design.upenn.edu/alumni-spotlight)
- article on Sustainable Sculpture: Sculpture Magazine, “Living Materials in Museum Contexts,” Jan 2026.
- Technical Guide to AR in Museums: MuseumNext, “Implementing Visitor‑Generated AR Content,” Feb 2026.
Keywords naturally woven throughout: Whitney Biennial 2026, Weitzman School artists, interdisciplinary art, data‑driven installation, sustainable sculpture, augmented reality narrative, contemporary art, museum visitor tips, immersive media, eco‑responsive design.
