THE TEAMS
BLOSSOM
Artist: Tabitha Ott
Business owner: Jonathan Vang
Philosophers: Leye Komalafe
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: Shabnam Miri
Business owner: Tzima Brown
Philosophers: Mary Nickel
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: Nina Rastgar
Business owner: Caroline Crowder
Philosophers: Kimberly Beasley
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: Dogon Krigga
Business owner: Kelly Tabor
Philosopher: Joseph Erickson
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.
REVENTE
Artist: Carol Brady
Business owner: Heather Craig Burns
Philosopher: Sarah Pressman
Big question: How might our relationships with things and people be different through the lens of second chances?
Join Revente Consignment Shop in exploring the idea of "second chances" in our lives! We often get rid of used things, but there is still the potential for beauty and purpose if we have a revitalizing mindset. We want to consider how it might change our lives if we adopt the mindset of second chances in general and consider the potential in all things. Visitors will be invited to create a community art piece using recycled textiles, wire, canvas. and cloth to make a community mobile.
PAPA JAZZ + GODSPEEED
Artist: Jessica Hunt
Business owner: In the old Starbucks!
Philosopher: Carter Weinstein
Big question: What makes art beautiful?
This project explores the philosophical question, "What makes art beautiful?" by inviting guests to contribute their personal perspectives through Polaroid photographs. As participants capture moments and affix their images to a large canvas, they are prompted to reflect on the meaning of beauty and art, writing brief responses that express their thoughts. The collective display of diverse interpretations highlights the subjective nature of beauty, showing that art is not defined by a singular standard, but by the individual and shared experiences of those who engage with it.
ALL GOOD BOOKS
Artist: Yarianna Colon Lopez
Business owner: Jared Johnson
Philosophers: Carol Lin
Big question: Do people who speak different languages see the world differently?
We invite you to observe a concept through the differences that a language can create. Languages influence the way we think about the world. Some terms in one language have no counterparts in other languages because they are culturally and historically loaded. The artwork aims to show that one word changes imagery depending on the language we use.
A LITTLE HAPPY
Artist: Mitra Kavandi
Business owner: Ashley Lindler
Philosopher: John Schaffler
Big Question: How do art and creativity breathe life into inanimate objects?
Our project as a part of the Philosophy of Five points will be to bring people together in a to create ceramic sculptures as we explore what emotions the everyday objects around us bring out in us. Located in the small business "A Little Happy" we will have people create handmade ceramic sculptures as an avenue to discuss how the physical world around us affects our sense of self and happiness. Artist Mitra Kavandi Ghezeljeh and Philosopher John Schaffler will help lead the discussion as individuals take a deeper look at how the smaller, practical objects that surround us work to define us as groups and single entities.
Drip
Artist: Meredith Walker
Business owner: Akera Sellers
Philosopher: Tyke Nunez
Big question: When we make a choice, is that choice already determined by everything that has already happened?
Guests will join us on the Drip patio to choose their art material and make a mark along a large piece of paper. Will their choices be determined by the people or marks made before them? The end result will be a collection of choices, all relating to one another— or not.
BREAKPOINT
Artist: Adam Corbett
Business owner: Lisa Barrett
Philosopher: Yunying Kuo
Big question: Why are you doing this? Is it playing or working?
In "It is play, and not work, that gives life meaning," philosopher Mark Rowlands argues that true fulfillment in life arises from play rather than work. He contrasts the meanings of intrinsic and instrumental value. While work is typically instrumental—a means to achieve other goals; play holds intrinsic value—meaningful in and of itself. Through his own examples like running, martial arts, and tennis, Rowlands describes how play shifts focus from achievement to pure experience, creating a flow that fulfills us without external purpose. Drawing on Plato’s notion of "the form of the good," he suggests that play grants us a fleeting glimpse into life’s deeper meaning—a meaning anchored in intrinsic value.