Sioux City 2026
Intersections at the Edge of the World
Conference: October 15th - 18th
Leadership Workshop: October 18th - 21st
Mark your calendars and join us for another exciting, community built conference this fall!
Gather with creative folks and community organizers from around the country, and learn about projects they’ve been involved with all over the world! We’ll share ideas, advice, resources, and support for one another. We’ll talk about the joys of community building, the challenges we’re facing, and creative ways to overcome obstacles. It’ll be a weekend full of inspiring presentations, meaningful discussions, and interactive workshops.
Stay tuned for more information about the conference, our featured speakers, and the fun things happening in Sioux City!
Keynote Speakers
-
Mark Lakeman
Mark is a national leader in the development of regenerative public places. In the last three decades he has collaborated to direct, facilitate, or inspire designs for more than five hundred new community-generated projects in Portland, Oregon alone. Through his leadership in communitecture, inc., and its various affiliates including the The City Repair Project (501(c)3), The Village Building Convergence, and the Planet Repair Institute, he has also been instrumental in the development of dozens of participatory organizations and urban permaculture design projects across the United States and Canada. Mark works with governmental leaders, community organizations, and educational institutions in many diverse communities.
-
Amanda Browder
Born in Missoula, MT in 1976, Amanda Browder received an MFA/MA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and taught at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She currently lives in Brooklyn, producing over 30+ large-scale fabric installations all around the world. Amplifying multiple voices, she collaborates with local community groups and sources her textiles from local donations. Exhibitions include: Triennale Brugge, Belgium, Project 1: ArtPrize; SPRING/BREAK Art Fair; Nuit Blanche Public Art Festival; Dumbo Arts Festival; White Columns, NYC; Nakaochiai Gallery, Tokyo. Published in Unexpected Art: Chronicle Books and Strange Material; Arsenal Pulp Press. In 2025 she received the Iowa Governor's Award for Arts in Service. She received numerous grants such as the NEA with the Sioux City Art Center, the Buffalo Art Museum AKG and St Charles Art Center, IL. She is a 2021 NYSCA/NYFA artist fellow and has been an artist-in-residence at UNLV Las Vegas, Erie Arts & Culture, Reach Projects and University of Montana. Photos and reviews have appeared in New York Times to Fiber Art Magazine and founder www.badatsports.com
Conference Schedule
Thursday Oct 15
3pm - 5pm Check-in at Design West,
Conference events from 5pm - 10pm
Friday Oct 16 | Conference events from 9am - 10pm
Saturday Oct 17 | Conference events from 9am - 10pm
Sunday Oct 18 | Conference events from 9am - noon
CBA Leadership Workshop will begin directly after the conference and will conclude on Wednesday, Oct. 21st at 1pm.
Conference Fee
The conference registration fee provides admission to all talks and workshops, two catered lunches, two dinners, and helps cover other conference costs.
General Admission: $200
Student Admission: $100
It is important to the Community Built Association that the conference is accessible to all community artists and designers. If you need financial assistance to attend the conference or would like to volunteer for reduced registration, please email sandra@communitybuilt.org before Sept. 15, 2026.
If you are able to provide anything extra for scholarships to help people attend the conference, that is greatly appreciated.
TRAVEL and LODGING
Airports and travel time to conference:
We will coordinate transportation to and from each of these airports. To that end, please consider these travel times when making your reservations! We aim to get everyone to Sioux City in time to check-in before 5pm, Thursday, October 15. Your flexibility is appreciated as we navigate making as few trips as possible. Please share your flight information with us as soon as you can to help us prepare for your arrival!
Travel Time from Airports to Conference
Sioux City Airport (SUX) = 15 min
Eppley Airfield Omaha, NE (OMA) = 1 hr 35 min
Sioux Falls Regional Airport, SD (FSD) = 1 hr 23 min
Conference registration and opening events will take place at Design West Sioux City.
The Warrior Hotel
The Warrior Hotel, Autograph Collection is the perfect place to see Sioux City. With our two-story onsite spa, War Eagle Lanes Martini and Bowling Lounge, dining options and luxury accommodations, we know you'll enjoy our downtown Sioux City hotel.
CBA2026 Group Rate = $129/night
(Rate not inclusive of taxes or fees)
Courtyard by Marriott
Conveniently located in the heart of downtown Sioux City, Iowa on Historic 4th Street between Jones & Virginia Street. Only 7.5 miles from Sioux Gateway Airport.
CBA2026 Group Rate = $134-$159/night
(Rate not inclusive of taxes or fees)
2026 Leadership Workshop
October 18-21
This year’s conference will be followed by a 4-day Leadership Workshop. We are excited to announce that we will be partnering with Camp High Hopes to create new artworks for their campus during the leadership camp. Workshops will be led by Howie Sneider, Sandra Kern Mollman, Jessica Hammond, Amber Hansen, Sam Kornhauser of Schoolworks, and other longtime CBA members on grant writing, project planning, creative design, and community leadership. You will also learn methods in concrete sculpture, mural painting, mosaic art, and more.
The Leadership Workshop will begin at the conclusion of the CBA conference at noon on Sunday, October 18, with a rural art tour.
Participants and mentors will stay together at Camp High Hopes in Sioux City, IA. The property is surrounded by beautiful forests and meditative walking trails. Food and lodging are included in the cost of the Leadership Workshop. Transportation between conference sites, job sites, and the retreat center will be provided.
If you would like to apply to attend this part of the conference, please send your resume, five work samples, and a cover letter describing why you would like to attend to Sandra Kern Mollman, sandra@communitybuilt.org.
Registration Deadline: September 15, 2026
Registration Fee: $250
This Leadership Workshop is being supported in part by the Siouxland Community Foundations Fund for Siouxland and the Gilchrist Foundation.
