ABOUT

The Imagining America National Gathering is an annual convening of public scholars, artists, designers, students, and cultural organizers who are addressing the most pressing issues of our time. The gathering offers participants a three-day immersive experience in which to connect, dialogue, learn, and strategize around the ways to build new knowledge and inspire collective imagination towards transformative education and action.

In partnership with the University of California, Davis and a diverse regional Steering Committee, Imagining America (IA) invites participants to gather in Davis, California for the 2026 IA National Gathering. This momentous occasion marks the final year that the IA-UC Davis team will organize the gathering before IA moves to a new home campus in July 2027. Join this critical moment in a natural cycle of transition for Imagining America – to celebrate the good work we have done together over the past decade and join the new host in dreaming up the exciting possibilities to come. Inspired by the metabolic process of dormancy, where plants, people, and systems strengthen roots and store up energy for future survival, the 2026 IA National Gathering invites us to slow down together for realignment and reconnection towards collective nourishment.

STEERING COMMITTEE

Imagining America’s 2026 National Gathering is made possible through the generous and creative contributions of many people. We would like to extend special thanks to the members of our Steering Committee:

Diana Almendariz, Cultural Practitioner of Maidu/Wintun, Hupa/Yurok Traditions, Heritage and Experiences
Jose Arenas, Taller Arte de Nuevo Amanecer (TANA) 
Daniele Biala, UC Davis Summer Sessions 
Catherine Chiabaut, UC Davis Humanities Institute
Ofelia Cuevas, Chicana/o Studies, UC Davis
Esther Delozier, UC Davis Global Affairs
Ella Fodor, Undergraduate student, Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology
Shelly Gilbride, International House-Davis 
Rachel Hartsough, City of Davis Arts & Cultural Affairs
Lucas Hatton, Davis Repertory Theatre
Robin Hill, Art, UC Davis
Sandy Holman, Culture Co-Op
Genevie Hong, Undergraduate student, Cognitive Science/Sustainable Environmental Design
Margaret Kemp, Theatre & Dance, UC Davis
Jonathan London, Human Ecology, UC Davis
Susette Min, Asian American Studies and Art History, UC Davis
Celeste Navas, UC Davis graduate student, Cultural Studies
Sarah Rebolloso McCullough, Feminist Research Institute
N. Claire Napawan, Community and Regional Development/Landscape Design, UC Davis
Jord Nelsen, Third Space Art Collective
Stacey Parker, Arboretum and Public Garden
Sylvia Rios, Courageous Dreaming 
Alison Rossi, Manetti Shrem Museum 
Kate Stephensen, UC Davis School of Education