What if

What if: Designs from the Future of Crafting & Growing a new exhibit by THE SHARED FUTURES LAB at HUMANITIES TENNESSEE

EXHIBIT OPEN AT

MUSEUM & CULTURAL CENTER @ 5ive Points Cleveland, TN

AUGUST 8-OCTBER 3, 2026

Experience artifacts and stories from the future imagined by seven Tennessee artists and farmers. The speculative designs invite you to think about the broad impact of possible change–from sports to building, burial to celebrity– and how it may shape our future communities. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

 

IMAGINING FUTURE STORIES SPECIAL EVENT
MUSEUM & CULTURAL CENTER @ 5ive Points Cleveland, TN

AUGUST 8 1:30-2:30 PM

Join What If: Designs from the Future of Crafting & Growing curator Liza Blair in conversation with crafters & growers from the exhibit for a deeper dive into the future stories they imagined and the artifacts and ideas that inhabit them. Panelists include Annie LaVoie (Mouthy Oddities), Sheila-Renee Williams (Moore Family Century Farm) and  Julia Donagrandi (Loof’n Round Gardens).

EXPLORE MORE

FURTHER READING

For a deeper dive into the What If…? topics raised in the exhibit, explore the ideas futurists have about these trends:

ABOUT THE SPECULATIVE DESIGNERS

Crafters

Growers


What if: Designs from the Future of Crafting & Growing
is funded by
Humanities Tennessee and
By the People: Conversations Beyond 250.

Humanities Tennessee Logo National Endowment for the Humanities Logo with eagle and arrows and olive branches and BY THE PEOPLE CONVERSATIONS BEYOND 250 logo

This exhibit was created by Humanities Tennessee’s Shared Futures Lab. Humanities Tennessee is an independent affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily represent those of Humanities Tennessee or the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The exhibit was funded in part through By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils across the United States, its territories, and the District of Columbia in collaboration with local partners. Together, these programs explore 250 years of the nation’s cultural life and imagine its shared future. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage as a complement to the 2026 Smithsonian Folklife Festival.