CODAsummit 2021 was marked by an in-person conference in Scottsdale, AZ which coincided with the dramatic light/art/water event titled Canal Convergence. While there was a COVID-friendly digital component for those not in attendance, the turnout was relatively staggering—a volume of renowned artists, museum directors and some of the heaviest global art fabrication companies all making the trek to the Arizona desert.

For those not familiar with CODAworx—simply put, it is an organization with a purpose of bringing together the needed elements to create public art on a massive scale. CODAworx touts itselves as “the hub of the commissioned art economy.” It is a singular place where those commissioning art can link to creatives, fabricators, engineers and most any others needed to actualize a project. A thrilling announcement at the conference was that CODAworx is nearing the $2 billion mark for commissioned public works; Yes, billion with a B.

The conference wasted no time diving into controversial issues around both COVID and problems with the traditional art institution model. Christy MacLear (inaugural CEO of SUPERBLUE, Rauschenberg Foundation, etc.) moderated a panel with artist and museum professionals that addressed The Reimagined Museum. The theme that continued to surface during this panel was how COVID regulations forced the archaic museum model to finally adapt, with new ideas, contemporary programming systems and nontraditional methods for engaging the public. Jeremy Strick (Director, Nasher Sculpture Center) spoke about the series of the “Nasher Windows” exhibitions that were presented to remain relevant during a time of nonpublic gathering. It’s worth noting that nearly all changes made in programing during COVID were highly successful and will be remaining in some context moving forward.

CODAworx organized presenters in a grounding dualistic approach, with conceptual art conversations were followed by tangible presentations such as the talk by Daniel Tobin, co-founder of fabrication powerhouse UAP. Daniel addressed the current need for manufacturing on a global scale—UAP has a facility in Australia, China and New York—but also the menagerie of difficulties that come from manufacturing public art on that scale.

The Reimagined Museum panel. Photo credit: M.O.D Media Productions

The final component of CODAworx is the actual creative, the artist. Plenty of interesting presentations focused on the use of solar panels, robots or some tech in the artwork, but the standout artist was one with a far more traditional process. Los Angeles painter Ryan Sarfati, aka Yanoe, found his artistic footing while straddling large-format mural production with an AR twist. Yanoe takes both his moniker and learned skillsets from a prolific youth of graffiti painting in LA. He now applies them to world record setting murals as a part of a two-artist team—Oh Yanoe, LLC. The Majestic is a 15,000 square-foot mural in Tulsa, OK, which was finished in 2021 and is officially the world’s largest AR mural. This is not the first time Oh Yanoe has held the record, just the most recent. Their murals integrate community focused imagery and are inherently bright, stunning and dramatic to the naked eye. If the viewer chooses to employ the AR component it all starts to get real. Portions of the mural morph, hummingbirds fly off the wall, flowers grow and engulf the building. This is something new, and something great that builds on traditions we embrace.

Art and technology have been integrally related throughout the trajectory of human history with our current day and age being no exceptions. CODAsummit 2021 exemplified how many of our world’s foremost creatives are pushing the boundaries, working on global issues, and adding beauty into this world through the integration and use of technology in public art.