TezCon 2026 Is Growing Near

The 3rd Annual Seattle Takeover by Tezos Artists
When I wrote the first TezCon 2026 article back in April, the event was still taking shape. The venue was confirmed, the theme was clear, the core team was assembled, but the community response was still unknown. In the weeks since the picture has sharpened considerably. New rsvp’s have come in. The Voices of Iran zine has been released. TEIA has dropped new marketplace tooling bringing a revived energy to NFTs on Tezos. You can feel the excitement growing.
The community seems fired up and ready for what is next. It’s clearly time to bring the good energy into a real room and celebrate what we still have, a beautiful and artsy community with a powerful decentralized foundation. That’s why I have already bought my plane ticket. I’ve got my itinerary arranged. Special edition spaces to host. Plus, I will be performing a live set of music, so I am very excited!
That last part matters to how I’m writing this article, and why. I’ve been covering TezCon since the beginning in 2024, and I’ve always written about it from a position of care and investment in the community it represents. I still draw from the feel good memories we made at the Seattle NFT Museum. I missed the 2025 TezCon though, so I can’t let myself go two years in a row without seeing my Tezos friends. I’m also ready to meet even more of them in person for the first time.
Enjoy this part two of TezCon 2026 coverage, with more about the upcoming celebration of art and community in Seattle, July 11th. Maybe I will see you there.
 The People Of TezCon
A few conversations are still in motion, so some surprises are still in store, but the range of people saying yes is telling. Artists are resonating with the event’s theme and timing. An open call for art to be exhibited and for live performances, has drawn a genuinely diverse response. Here are just a few examples:
Shreyans Khunteta is doing a reading from his debut novel, not yet published, which means TezCon attendees will hear it before the rest of the world does.
Manik Das starts with physical painting and photography, then builds outward through careful digital layering, treating the tools as an extension of the hand rather than a replacement for it.
Liapsart submitted an ocean photograph from a collection called “Where I Felt Still,” images from moments paused long enough to breathe into.
Heather Climer makes work she describes as a science experiment, finding the rules of a practice and then stepping outside them.
Juniper Paisley is setting up what she’s calling a Little Sushi Arts and Crafts Bar, a banquet table with a full menu of free supplies, markers, clay, wire, cardstock, and everything else, so anyone who shows up can make something on the spot. An art party. It’s the most participatory thing on the program and probably the thing I’m most excited to watch unfold in an artist loft.
Lidia Ochoa is also preparing a physical installation. Her work explores identity and the inner world through faceless figures, and she organized a full gallery show earlier this year, so she’s arriving with serious curatorial experience behind her.
The open call is on-going for now. If you make art and want it in the room or on the digital display you can find the dedicated TezCon Discord here to discuss potential arrangements.
 The Music At TezCon
No good event can take place without music, and you can rest assured there will be live music performances, not only during the main event, but also at a dedicated jam session on Sunday. Hello Carmello is bringing a DJ set built around the event’s theme. Also on the roster are: Red Alark, Bdwill, Ryan Tanaka, and myself. Blangs and I will make sure to capture as much of these performances as possible so we can extend the vibes beyond the moment.
Sustainable Music Northwest, is a 501(c)(3) co-founded by Kevin Nortress and Marc Fendel with Ryan also on the board. Their mission is to bring music into public spaces while paying sustainable wages to the artists performing. They will be providing funding for the musicians on the TezCon program. The performers here are being paid, not asked to donate their time to a cause.
 Voices of Iran
When the first article went out, Voices of Iran was described as a mutual aid zine in planning. It has since been released. A collaborative project organized by Erika aka NormalityIsToxic, which raises funds and brings sustained attention to the struggles faced by people in Iran, is now a realized zine in the physical and digital world.
Ryan Tanaka framed what the project actually accomplished in his intro speech for the event, minted on Teia as text art:
 “We are able to get exclusive information and perspectives coming out of that region right now that you will never see on any media platform or government reports because it was done through NFTs — which are censorship-resistant and crosses borders in ways that cannot be done any other way.”
That’s the practical argument for blockchain technology that the community has been making for years, and Voices of Iran is one of the cleaner demonstrations of it actually working. Everything is handled through Teia’s community governance process, from approval through to payout, by democratic vote. Permissionless and anonymous.
Erika will be speaking about Voices of Iran on the TezCon panel, and had this to say about what it represents:
 “Voices of Iran is not only important for amplifying the voices of Iranians who have been forcibly kept silent. It’s also important for people to read, feel, and understand that what is happening in Iran is happening to people. Human beings. TezCon is the perfect opportunity to share directly from the Iranian people without the news, without censorship, and unapologetically unfiltered. I’m very excited to break down the barriers and open up all this vulnerability to a full audience for a conversation about how art can change the world and liberate the oppressed.”
Physical copies of the zine will be available at TezCon 2026. The zine moves from the network into the room to travel and spread an important truth.
 Teia in Seattle
To understand why Teia’s presence at TezCon matters, it helps to know what Teia actually is. Ryan’s minted intro speech puts this plainly as well:
 “An international, open-source, decentralized, community-owned and operated, non-profit organization.”
The name itself is Portuguese for “Web,” chosen by community vote. Everything from the organization’s founding to its budget allocation runs through consensus. It is, structurally, the opposite of the platform decay the event’s theme describes.
One of the most exciting additions to the TezCon 2026 program is that Teia will be showcasing its marketplace tooling in person. This isn’t a slide deck or a demonstration video. It’s the actual platform, in the room, with people who built it. Ryan’s intro speech being minted on TEIA as a text piece is itself a small demonstration of the tooling in action. The platform supports text and markdown minting alongside visual work, and that capability is part of what will be on display.
NFTs are more than jpegs and Teia is showcasing just how powerful the medium can be for sharing information that matters beyond the arts and beyond geopolitically based censorship.
 Artz Friday In Seattle
Every week we host a space on X called Artz Friday from the Tezos Commons handle. The show brings conversations about art, community, and the Tezos ecosystem into an audio format that encourages deeper connection. Dedicated to empowering artists through dialogue that goes further into the process and inspirations. I have personally fallen deeper in love with art by hosting this show.
The Friday before TezCon, I’ll be in Seattle. So Artz Friday will be there too. On July 10th, I’ll host an in-person edition of the show from Seattle, recording with TezCon organizers before the main event weekend begins. If you’ve listened to the show before, you know the conversations tend to go places that prepared remarks won’t spark.
Getting the organizers in the room the day before the event, rather than pulling them away from it on the day itself, should make for an honest window into the planning of TezCon. Details on where and how to tune in will come closer to the date. Follow Tezos Commons on X for updates.
 Growing Support
As TezCon becomes an annual tradition, new sponsorships continue to take shape. Blangs and I are from Tezos Commons and will be covering event documentation and in person support. Tezos Commons approved a small grant to help TezCon organizers with supplies and marketing needs. The Tezos Foundation grant extends into TezCon’s broader programming through its support of Teia. The growth in support reflects an event that has built genuine credibility over three years.
 TezCon Official Poster by NormalityIsToxic Just Weeks Away
TezCon is on Saturday, July 11th at Artspace Hiawatha Lofts, 843 Hiawatha Place South, Seattle. This is a building that houses hundreds of working artists on site, which means the energy of the space already matches what the event needs. Programming starts at 4:04 PM. The Sunday Music Showcase follows on July 12th. Ryan’s speech again puts it plainly on-chain:
 “Shit is shit but if you look at it from another perspective, shit is also the fertilizer for new things to come.”
The little plant growing out of TezCon’s logo is meant to carry that reminder. TezCon 2026 is not a cynical event. It’s a room full of passionate people who still believe something good can grow, above and beyond the enshittification.
Just weeks away and it feels real. If you’ve been on the fence about making the trip, the answer has only gotten clearer since April, it’s going to be worth the journey. If Seattle isn’t possible, keep an eye on TezCon organizers and Tezos Commons for livestream and virtual participation details as the event approaches. I’ll see some of you there and continue covering the event as it unfolds.
TezCon 2026 Is Growing Near was originally published in Tezos Commons on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.