THE TEAMS
BREAKPOINT
Artist: Starlitt Miller
Business owner: Lisa Barrett
Philosophers: Austin Gray
Big question: What defines our relationship with Nature?
At the event, we will facilitate a discussion centered on a philosophical question, while creating an interactive hanging plant wall for attendees to take selfies with. The photos captured will be used to form a grid collage that will be shared on social media after the event. Participants will also have the opportunity to express their interpretations of the question visually by using handmade natural pigments sourced from local fallen tree materials, along with paper and brushes. Each attendee can take their painting home, and additional photos of the artwork will be taken to contribute to a photo collage for sharing post-event.
SUNRISE ARTISAN BATH & BODY
Artist: Dogon Krigga
Business owner: Tzima Brown
Philosophers: Joseph Erickson
Big question: What kind of gratitude do we owe to our bodies? Are we as grateful as we should be for our bodies?
Our site invites participants to consider how they ought to relate to their bodies. Are our bodies something to be grateful for? And if so, do we show our bodies the gratitude we deserve? How ought we treat the bodies that don't merely shuttle us around the world but in fact make our existence and experiences and personhood possible? At our site, we'll invite participants to share publicly (albeit anonymously) the ways that they have both harmed and celebrated their bodies in an interactive art exhibit. We'll encourage participants to think about the ways they might show their bodies some gratitude. And we'll have spaces for participants to write their bodies a love letter and to impress their gratitude upon their bodies with temporary tattoos.
BOYD INNOVATION CENTER (POWERED BY GROWCO)
Artist: Shabnam Miri
Business owner: GrowCo
Philosopher: Matt Kisner
Big question: What is the value of collaboration, and what do we gain from giving and receiving both as individuals and as a community?
The core idea is "giving and receiving" on an individual basis— participants are encouraged to exchange ideas, thoughts, and designs by adding or removing strips from the Velcro surface. This process symbolizes constant change, interaction, and collaboration, with the easy-to-use nature of Velcro facilitating this back-and-forth exchange among a large group of people. However, participants are encouraged afterward to think about how the art on Nina might be more cohesive or aesthetically pleasing if all participants had collaborated when giving and taking velcro pieces. This is meant to highlight how collaboration is important, and collaborative work often creates better results compared to individual endeavors.
GOOD FOR THE SOLE
Artist: Carol Brady
Business owner: Kelly Tabor
Philosopher: Tori Hui
Big question: How did you get here?
If someone were to ask you, “How did you get here?” your first inclination might be to describe the route you took to get to your physical location. But there are other ways to answer this question. Come participate in collaborative art pieces that visually represent how your past has informed your present.
SID AND NANCY
Artist: Mitra Kavandi
Business owner: Heather Craig Burns
Philosopher: Leye Komalafe
Big question: How can we create meaning in a fragmented world?
We live in a time marked by deep social and ideological divides. These divides include politics, identity, belief, culture, and faith. These fractures shape our sense of belonging and connection, leaving us to navigate a world that often feels disjointed. Yet even within this fragmentation, we continue to search for meaning, authenticity, and connection. This artwork invites participants to explore how meaning can be created through reflection and shared experience. The installation consists of about 160 ceramic tiles created by Mitra Kavandi.
Each tile bears a philosophical question connected to our Big Question. Participants are invited to select a tile, read its question, and take a moment to think or converse about it. After reflecting, they attach their piece to a shared base using thin metal wires. The wires connect the pieces, symbolically linking individual reflections into a collective form. As more participants engage and contribute, the structure transforms and takes on new shapes.
The work becomes a living metaphor for the search for meaning in a divided world. The point being that meaning is not something we find ready-made, it is something we create together through attention, participation, and the act of connecting across difference. The beauty of this interactive creation lies in its open-endedness. It is not predetermined. It will evolve based on everyone’s participation. This is, therefore, connected to our big question. The final form can be displayed either hanging from the ceiling or placed on a table.
BLUETILE
Artist: Jen Ray
Business owner: David Toole
Philosopher: Carter Weinstein
Big question: Why is community important?
We’re creating an activation of the concept of Mutual Aid- “Solidarity, not charity.”
Old donated skateboard decks will be set up assembly-line style, with the community invited to join in rehabilitating them. When finished, these will be distributed to children in need.
There will be multiple ways to help- sanding, decorating with paint and stencils, adding grip tape, and installing hardware, etc. Participants will choose their favorite element to work on, doing as little or as much as they like. We’ll have helpers, music, snacks, and drinks- a really fun and communal atmosphere to help the participants realize the ways that their participation, no matter how small, are essential for our community to thrive.
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Big question: Why do we play?
Join us in exploring the importance of play in our lives! Play is usually thought of as childish, but we want to consider the value and meaning it brings to all of our lives. Help us contemplate play by participating in our community art piece! Visitors will be invited to interact with the artist and philosopher to create their own part of the landscape of “play land,” our community art project.