A universities competition is being held for large-scale Peace-Infrastructure art installations at Bethel Woods the site of Woodstock festival in 1969 (Deadline: 21 April)Academics, researchers and students are invited to submit proposals for creative timber art installations that promote peace and could be constructed on the 15ha rural site in New York state that hosted the original 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair.The call for concepts is part of BuildFest 2 the fourth year of the Bethel Woods Art & Architecture Festival. The winning concepts will be constructed on the site during a five-day live-work festival featuring self-build workshops, concerts, lectures and pop-ups.Rise, Repeat by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Image by Breyden AndersonCredit:Image by Breyden AndersonAccording to the brief: Bethel Woods Art and Architecture Festival 2025: BuildFest 2, Peace Rises invites university faculty in design, or a related field, to propose ideas for interactive wooden art installations to be built on the historic grounds of the 1969 Woodstock Festival.BuildFest 2: Peace Rises looks to explore how emerging technologies can be embraced convivially, serving human connection and ecological balance. It is an opportunity to question and reimagine a future where technology, like Prometheus fire, can be wielded for the collective good mindful of both its power to spread peace and its potential to harm.Bethel Woods Center for the Arts opened in 2006 on the site of the former 1969 Woodstock Music & Art Fair. Designed by DLR Group the $2 million complex includes an outdoor amphitheatre, museum and camping areas.The Bethel Woods Art & Architecture Festival explores the legacy of the original festival, which featured leading musicians such as Janis Joplin, Santana and Jimi Hendrix alongside large-scale participatory artworks.Nine winning concepts due to be announced on 12 May will be constructed in the Best Road Camping area near to where Hendrix stayed before performing at the festival in September. Proposals must engage with the festival theme, and the historic site while also demonstrating competency, feasibility, and durability.Last years winners included Curtain Call by Auburn University and Syracuse University; Timberlyn by Princeton University; MycoShell by Cornell University; Rise, Repeat by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; The Pen by Rochester Institute of Technology; Blocks by Kean University and Spring/Summer 24 by Arizona State University.This years winning teams will be invited to form self-organising teams of between eight and 12 people including students and faculty members who can participate in the self-build festival workshops.Six small-scale proposals such as seating or bars will each receive a $1,000 award while two medium-scale proposals such as small stages, shade structures or gateways will meanwhile receive a $3,000 award. A single $6,000 award will be granted to one larger scale pavilion proposal.The organisers will supply tools and three meals a day along with glamping tents, beds, sheets, blankets and pillows. Up to $500 in travel costs is also available for each team. Submissions should include a 250-word project statement, conceptual imagery, a project timeline and team biographies.How to applyDeadline: 21 AprilCompetition funding source: Think Wood, a program funded by the Softwood Lumber BoardProject funding source: Bethel Woods Center for the ArtsOwner of site(s): Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, 200 Hurd Road, Bethel, NY 12720Contact details: BuildFest@BethelWoodsCenter.orgVisit the competition website for more information