When CODAworx named this year’s class of Creative Revolutionaries in January, the designation was less a verdict than an invitation: a prompt to look more closely at artists whose work was already reshaping what public art could be and do. Months later, that invitation feels even more urgent. The projects these honorees have brought into the world accumulate meaning quietly, through materials chosen with intention, sites activated with care, and communities drawn into something larger than themselves. This is a look at the work behind the recognition, and at what it means to make art that genuinely changes things:
DIVA
by Jérémy Oury
DIVA is a monumental digital art installation created by French digital artist Jérémy Oury in collaboration with sculptor Thomas Voillaume. The work blends physical sculpture with immersive video mapping to create a "humanoid artifact" that explores the relationship between humanity and the environment. Jérémy Oury uses the white, geometric surface of the sculpture as a canvas for complex 3D video projections. These projections use geometric distortions and illusions to "bring the structure to life," making it appear as though the figure is experiencing emotions or telling a story. When exhibited at night, the combination of light and sound creates a mystical and hallucinatory experience for viewers.
Astral Relics of the Great North Woods
Astral Relics of the Great North Woods is an immersive light and sound art installation created by the Milwaukee-based art collective FuzzPop Workshop. Premiering at Summerfest 2025, the exhibit transforms familiar Wisconsin nature into an "otherworldly" experience. The Experience: Visitors enter a mythical woodland dreamscape featuring five giant, glowing "forest spirits" that stand up to 30 feet tall. At the center of the installation is a "cosmic drum circle" around a sculptural tree stump. Guests can press embedded keypads to trigger rhythms and sound effects, contributing to a generative musical soundscape with over 1 million possible variations. The towering figures are pneumatic (inflatable) sculptures made from roughly 1,000 yards of custom-designed fabric. They are anchored to the ground by 6,000 pounds of concrete. Founder Daniel Murray describes the work as a "cosmic gathering" inspired by the colors of the Northern Lights and the textures of old-growth forests.
Will To Meaning
by Anne Labovitz
Will to Meaning is a monumental, site-specific art installation by Minnesota visual artist Anne Labovitz. Originally commissioned for the Rochester Art Center in 2023, the work is a central piece of her broader project, The Nexus of Well-Being and Art, which explores the connection between creativity and mental health. The enormous sculpture measures 40 x 35 x 5 feet. It is composed of multiple vibrantly painted Tyvek® scrolls that drape from a three-story ceiling. The title and concept are inspired by psychiatrist Viktor Frankl’s theory that the "will to meaning"—the search for a life's purpose—is the primary human motivational force.
Cloud Puncher
by Brad Oldham and Christy Coltrin
Cloud Puncher is a monumental public sculpture in Oklahoma City created by artists Brad Oldham and Christy Coltrin of Brad Oldham Sculpture. Dedicated in September 2024, the piece is a central landmark of the OAK mixed-use development. The sculpture features a double-life-size bronze cowboy on the ground roping a 17-foot-long mirror-polished stainless steel cloud, which appears "caught" on the second-story balcony of the Lively Hotel and is physically embedded into the hotel's pool deck. The entire installation spans over 50 feet long and stands roughly 30 feet tall, weighing nearly 10,000 pounds. The installation includes integrated lighting and speakers that illuminate the space below and allow for community event programming. The artists designed the piece to represent the "determination, grit, and rascally joy" of Oklahoma City's original settlers. Narrative-wise, the cowboy is roping an "errant" cloud to return it to the nearby Cloud Trees installation across the park.
Monument
Monument is a large-scale sculptural lending library designed by Brian McCutcheon for The Public Collection, a public art and literacy project in Indianapolis. The piece serves both as a work of contemporary art and a functional "book share station," where anyone can borrow books for free without a library card. The sculpture features a prominent 1894 quote by Mark Twain: "A public library is the most enduring of memorials, the trustiest monument for the preservation of an event or a name or an affection...". Inspired by classical Greek architecture, the piece spans roughly 80 feet long and stands 14 feet high. Constructed by Ignition Arts using a mix of fiberglass, resin, steel, aluminum, and polycarbonate, the sculpture was originally painted a vibrant green for its debut, and was repainted a brilliant orange for its 2023 permanent reinstallation.
The Hive
Uploaded by Wolfgang Buttress
The Hive is an award-winning, multi-sensory art installation by British artist Wolfgang Buttress. Standing 17 meters tall in the heart of a wildflower meadow at Kew Gardens, London, it serves as a powerful visual tribute to the honeybee and its vital role in our ecosystem. Consisting of a 40-ton cuboid lattice made from 170,000 individual aluminum parts and 32 horizontal layers, a 9-meter spherical void is "hollowed" out from the center, allowing visitors to walk inside on a glass platform. The installation is "powered" by a real beehive at Kew: accelerometers pick up the activity of the living colony and feed real-time signals to the sculpture, while 1,000 LED lights glow and fade in direct response to the energy levels of the real bees.An orchestral arrangement of cello and vocals also plays in the background, specifically in the key of C—the frequency at which bees buzz.
TOROID
by Harriet Lumby and Alan Hayes of This is Loop
TOROID is a large-scale, immersive audio-visual installation by the UK-based studio This is Loop (comprising artists Harriet Lumby and Alan Hayes). The sculpture explores the relationship between light, sound, and spatial perception through a massive geometric framework. The piece was inspired by the form of particle accelerators, specifically the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. It consists of 12 massive loops arranged in a ring. The entire sculpture stands 4 meters high and spans 12 meters in diameter. During the day, the sculpture's mirrored surfaces reflect the surrounding environment. At night, it comes to life with complex, synchronized LED light sequences. The studio collaborated with audio artist Dan Bibby (Weatherbrow) to create a 20-minute meditative ambient soundtrack that is tightly choreographed with the lighting.
