Designing spaces for transformative Conversations.
Creating social sculptures in which humans connect and form relationships that transform society.
Connecting people who would not normally meet in compassionate, essential, and humanizing dialogue.
Catalyzing curiosity, action, generosity, passion, empathy, and ingenuity.
current projects
Blueberries + Cherries
blueberries + cherries invites politically diverse guests to break bread and talk to each other face-to-face over a home cooked meal. the goal: to understand the things that influence our votes and to find ways to bridge the vast ideological gap that plagues our country. we engage in civil discourse that is unfiltered by the lens of political punditry and by the anonymity and bias of social media.
looking for america
What does it mean to be American? How do different communities—in the Midwest, at the border, in cities and in rural areas—answer that question? Across the United States, we’re inviting local artists and community members of all backgrounds and political stripes to come together to share their stories and perspectives.
philippa p.b. hughes
philippa p.b. hughes, founder of CuriosityConnects.us, is a Social Sculptor and Creative Strategist who produces art-fueled projects to spark humanizing and authentic conversations between people who might not normally meet. She has designed and produced hundreds of creative activations since 2007 for curious folks to engage with art and with one another in unconventional and meaningful ways.
what people are saying
Trump Fans And Foes Break Bread At Washington Dinner Party
it’s tuesday night and philippa hughes is putting together the finishing touches on dinner. hughes is hosting a dinner party for strangers to talk politics over pasta. it’s an idea that could very easily get messy, and maybe that’s only appropriate for an idea borne from a messy presidential election.
Across the country, liberals and conservatives are coming together at moderated dinners to understand each other better
After the 2016 election, Hughes, a Democrat, felt compelled to talk to Trump voters. The daughter of a conservative Vietnamese mother and a white father who was a lifelong union member, Hughes grew up in a working-class suburb of Richmond. But as an undergrad at the University of Virginia, she felt out of place. “I’ve often felt invisible in my life, and I think that’s how a lot of America feels,” she told me. “Who is speaking for me? Who is listening to me? I want to let you know I’m listening.”
This Clinton fan invited Trump supporters for dinner. Healing divides isn’t so easy.
though hughes does not live far from the white house, no one in her inner circle supported the nation’s 45th president. but on this evening, hughes was hosting a dinner with six people on opposite sides of the country’s political divide.
““Even if it’s just a dinner, or a conversation with a small group, or a huge exhibit or big party, you’re impacting lives, in small and big ways and it’s so meaningful. I truly admire your persistence at building bridges and communities.””
— Sherin Koshy
