Decomposium
media release: Decomposium, October 9-11, 2026, is a three-day, multidisciplinary symposium that explores the science, art, and rituals of decay and renewal. Wormfarm celebrates decomposition as a generative, creative process that breaks down matter, releases essential elements, and supports new growth.
The three-day symposium is free to attend; there is no admission fee required to participate. Only one workshop requires a paid reservation.
Please register for the individual sessions you plan to attend so we can anticipate how many people will be joining us, prepare each space, and create the best possible experience for participants and presenters.
Friday, Oct. 9
6:00pm – 6:30pm, Park Hall, Main Sanctuary: Decomposium Welcome
6:30pm – 7pm, Park Hall, Main Sanctuary: Keynote: Pixel of Grassland (Omar de Kok-Mercado)
7:15 pm – 8:00pm, Park Hall, Main Sanctuary: CHURCH! (Paul Karner)
8:15pm – 9:00pm, Park Hall Grounds: Kindling Chaos (Roger Reynolds)
Artwork + Installations
6:00pm – 8:00pm, Park Hall Foyer: Rites of Passage - The Wake (Dustin Duve + Lexi Ames)
Saturday, Oct. 10
10:00am – 10:30am, Park Hall, Main Sanctuary: Reading (Lia Purpura)
10:30am – 11:30am, Park Hall, Main Sanctuary: Decomposition as Cultural Heritage (Anand Pandian)
11:30pm – 3:00pm, Park Hall Grounds: Sauk Soil & Water Improvement Group (SSWIG with Randy Zogbaum)
12:00pm – 3:00pm, Park Hall Grounds: Uncle Butzie, the Turkey Vulture (Lisa Hartman)
1:00pm – 6:00pm, Park Hall Grounds: Día de Muertos Ofrenda – Azteca to Contemporary Times (Mexican Folk Art Collective in collaboration with Driftless Curiosity)
1:00pm – 2:30pm, Park Hall Grounds: Rites of Passage (Dustin Duve, Lexi Ames + Worn Mantle)
2:30pm – 3:30pm, Park Hall, Main Sanctuary: Panel Discussion (Nance Klehm, Curt Meine (moderator), Anand Pandian + Aishwarya Veerabahu)
3:30pm – 4:30pm, Park Hall, Main Sanctuary: Interactive Poetry (Dasha Kelly)
3:30pm – 5:00pm, Park Hall, Upstairs Library: A De-Composition Writing Workshop: (Lia Purpura)
7:00pm – 7:30pm, Park Hall, Main Sanctuary: Tsuzamen
Artwork + Installations
10:00am – 8:00pm, Park Hall Grounds: Gallery (Ash) (Max Sorenson)
10:00am – 8:00pm, Park Hall, Downstairs: Some Perennials (Nicholas Gulig + Colin Crowley)
Sunday, Oct. 11
12:30pm – 1:30pm, Free Congregation Cemetery, Prairie du Sac: Antarabhava – A Meditation on Impermanence and Mortality (Kinnari Vora)
1:30pm – 2:15pm, Free Congregation Cemetery, Prairie du Sac: Sound for Release and Renewal (Christopher Braddy)
2:30pm – 3:30pm, Free Congregation Cemetery, Prairie du Sac: What Remains: A Conversation on Death and Renewal (Dustin Duve, Meghan Allynn Johnson + Andra Olney-Larson)
3:30pm – 4:00pm, Free Congregation Cemetery, Prairie du Sac: Celtic Death Songs (Mike, Lisa, and Angus Mossman)
Artwork + Installations
12:00pm – 4:00pm, Free Congregation Cemetery, Prairie du Sac: Small Shrines for Common Deaths (Meghan Allynn Johnson)
