These are the individuals redefining our relationship with art through bold uses of materials, unexpected technologies, boundary-pushing design, and transformative interventions in public space. They create placemaking experiences that open our eyes to environmental and social issues. Quietly and persistently, through the impact of their practice, they reframe what art can be. Now we want YOUR help in identifying them.
Tell us about the Creative Revolutionaries who have influenced your work, sparked your imagination, or expanded your understanding of what’s possible.
Please submit your nomination(s)—anyone working across the public art ecosystem—by Monday, December 22nd. CODAworx will tally the results, and in February we’ll feature 25 Creative Revolutionaries on the CODAworx website, just in time to ignite inspiration for the year ahead.
Apathy is the real enemy. It’s not that people don’t care about the health of our planet or the state of our democracy—it’s that apathy convinces them their actions don’t matter. Our community, yours and mine, knows better. We fight apathy through awareness, emotion, and connection. And the creative professionals who make those sparks fly are the warriors of the creative revolution.
More and more, CODAworx members are fearlessly engaging with the hardest issues of our time—social, political, and environmental. Artists and commissioners alike are asking provocative questions, offering moments of joy in places that need it most, pioneering technologies, and inventing new materials to sharpen the tools of artistic expression.
In this article, we spotlight a few of our 2025 Creative Revolutionaries as we launch this Call for Nominations for the 2026 honorees, to be announced in February 2026. May these brave, imaginative trailblazers inspire all of us to suit up for the year ahead.
William Dodge, Co-founder of A Gang of Three, confronts systemic injustice through art that refuses to look away—transforming public space into a platform for truth-telling. His project Construction “Documents” (LARGE / small) exposes the architecture of racism with bold clarity, using design as a tool for cultural accountability and social change.
Paula Hart, Australian artist, reimagines the most rigid materials of the built environment, turning steel fencing into lace-like gestures of warmth and welcome. Her work dissolves barriers—literally and metaphorically—demonstrating how delicate creativity can transform spaces historically defined by control or exclusion.
Debra Simon, art consultant and former head of Amtrak’s art program, is a champion of public access, determined to bring world-class art into the flow of daily life. Her leadership—most recently with Art at Amtrak—expands the reach of creative expression, proving that art is not a luxury but a vital civic resource.
Samuel Stubblefield, artist and technologist, merges art, science, and technology to open a window onto the hidden forces that shape our world. His real-time solar visualizations in Solar Things to Think About transform renewable energy data into awe-inspiring storytelling, reconnecting viewers with the cosmic systems that sustain us.
Michael Szivos, Founder and Director of SOFTlab, pushes material innovation to its luminous extremes, crafting installations that feel simultaneously architectural and otherworldly. Chroma Bloom exemplifies his ability to use advanced fabrication and design to create immersive environments that shift perception and spark wonder.