Stepping out of the Galaxy Barn, you enter the Courtyard, the open-air social plaza of the festival. Anchored by immersive art installations on the dance floor and a central fire pit, this is where the party spills out under the sky. An outdoor screen broadcasts the action from inside the barns, connecting you to the music while you grab a drink at the bar or reconnect with friends.

Every Frog Needs a Pond

This year, that plaza becomes a habitat. Two massive water lilies rise from the blacktop of Galaxy Courtyard, built from layered lumber and stacked petal by petal into full bloom. By day they read as raw wood and geometry, monumental forms that invite people to sit and linger. By night, they ignite. Light pours through the slats, a DJ drops in from inside one flower, and the other opens its arms to anyone who wants to dance or get lost in the visuals projected on the screen between them. Something glowing on the blacktop, pulling you out of the forest and into the evening. A habitat built for the night.

Habitats was designed by Matt Thomas and Chris Cardoza, who have been shaping the Galaxy Courtyard together for years, and built by Blackbird Public Arts.

Where the Courtyard Goes Next

When the festival ends, the Courtyard’s story keeps going. Blackbird Public Arts has been repurposing the lumber from the Galaxy Courtyard for several years now. They build large public art installations at local farms and festivals while teaching basic construction skills to their volunteer builders, on a mission to bring public art out from behind paywalls and make it accessible for all, while offering a container for rapidly disappearing power-tool skills to be passed down. Their builds are temporary, and when they are disassembled the materials move on to the next art piece.

Blackbird works in partnership with the Guild of Oregon Woodworkers. Once the materials have been worked down to a smaller size after several art installations, they are donated to the Guild for their skill-building classes. From a festival dance floor, to a public art piece, to the hands of the next generation of woodworkers.

Credits

Designed by Matt Thomas (@mattomis) and Chris Cardoza (@cardozacm). Built by Blackbird Public Arts (@blackbirdpublicarts). Downstream partner: Guild of Oregon Woodworkers and Blackbird Public Arts (@blackbirdpublicarts).