BETHEL –  Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, the historic site of the 1969 Woodstock festival, continues its commitment to creative exploration with the fourth annual Art & Architecture Festival, Build Fest 2: Peace Rises, taking place September 13-17.

Over five days, teams of students and faculty from across the country will live and work on the legendary grounds where artists like Jimi Hendrix and Joan Baez once performed, designing and building large-scale installations that respond to the site’s cultural legacy. Each day will be filled with fabrication, assembly, and construction, while evenings will offer concerts, exhibitions, and pop-up events as part of an immersive cultural experience. 

“Each year, the creativity, collaboration and talent that emerge on these historic grounds push the boundaries of what this space represents and how it can be experienced,” said Dr. Neal V.  Hitch, Senior Curator at the Museum at Bethel Woods. “Build Fest has become a place where education, art and history intersect, and we’re proud to see the program continue to grow in both scale and impact.”

This year, Rochester Institute of Technology was awarded the top installation slot based on the strength and merit of its student submission. With two student teams participating, RIT will be prominently represented on site.

Guided by the 2025 curatorial theme, Peace Rises, this year’s festival looks to explore how emerging technologies can be embraced convivially, in service of human connection and ecological balance. It is an opportunity to question and reimagine a future where technology can be wielded for the collective good, mindful of both its power to spread peace and its potential to harm.

“Our theme invites a timely and necessary conversation about the technologies shaping the world,” added Hitch. “By drawing on mythology, architecture, and design, the installations ask us to consider how tools like AI and automation can be used with intention – fostering connection, honoring craft, and helping us reimagine a future rooted in balance rather than disruption.”

The installations will be open for the public to enjoy on Sunday, September 14, from 9am-4pm, inviting visitors to explore the completed works in the landscape where music and counterculture once reshaped a generation.

In parallel with the hands-on educational programming, a series of free public events will invite the broader community to engage with the spirit of the festival, including:

• Friday, September 12 (8pm-12am): Headlining performance and album release party by experimental pop-rock group Guerilla Toss

•  Saturday, September 13 (8pm-12am): BuildFest Closing Party

• Sunday, September 14 (11am-4pm): Public Opening of Installations

The 2025 Bethel Woods Art & Architecture Festival is made possible through the generous support of Think Wood, our Premier Sponsor. Major visionary support is provided by Andrew Jacobson, trustee at Rochester Institute of Technology, and Grimm Construction, a family-owned general contractor based in Pennsylvania. Additional support is provided by UNALAM, Advance Testing, and DeGraw & DeHaan Architects. Funding is also provided by the NYS Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the NYS Legislature.08