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Welcome to NYC School of Data — a community conference that demystifies the practices and policies around open data, technology, and service design. Hosted by BetaNYC at CUNY School of Law, this year’s conference concludes NYC’s Open Data Week 2026 and is the TENTH edition of both SoData and Open Data Week!

Register for tickets: < https://ti.to/betanyc/nycsodata26 >

2026 is bigger than ever with 40+ sessions organized by NYC’s civic technology, data, and design community!

  • Day 1: the classic NYC School of Data conference, with programming across 12 rooms during 4 session blocks.
  • Day 2: NEW in 2026 – UnSchool of Data! The unconference agenda is created together on the day, with attendee pitches at the top of the day. Select sessions have been pre-seeded by BetaNYC to kick things off.

Our venue is accessible and content is all-ages friendly! If you have accessibility questions or needs, please email us at < [email protected] >.

Saturday March 28, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
This 1-hour workshop invites participants to ditch spreadsheets and experiment with data as the raw material for provocative public art. After a brief introduction, Data Vandals will lead a fast-paced crash course on using data for public storytelling: how to turn numbers into conversations using simple visual tactics, punchy headlines, and low-fi materials like markers, tape, and paper. Participants will spend the first 10 minutes getting introduced to NYC Open Data and seeing quick examples of how numbers can be remixed into slogans, graphics, and poster-sized provocations, then use the next 50 minutes to pair up, sketch a concept, create a ‘data poster,’ share their work, and respond to live feedback from the group.

The workshop is led by Jen Ray and Jason Forrest - the Data Vandals, an art and data collective that transforms data into participatory experiences that invite curiosity and conversation. Our projects bring data visualization out of the digital world and into public space, inviting people to become active participants rather than passive observers. This session is ideal for anyone curious about using civic data in a more playful, political, or public-facing way; no technical skills or software are required.
Speakers
JR

Jen Ray

Data Vandals

avatar for Jason Forrest

Jason Forrest

Data Vandals
Our artwork transforms data into experiences that invite curiosity and create conversations.

We invite people to become active participants rather than passive observers.

We believe data is a universal language—by making it visual and accessible, we enable communities to engage... Read More →
Saturday March 28, 2026 11:00am - 12:00pm EDT
1-203

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