On a Tuesday in early April, I walked towards the Bromery Center for the Arts at UMass Amherst. Colorful signs outside the atrium announced that the 7th Annual Building Bridges Showcase was taking place inside. Upon entering the building, I was met with all different kinds of art produced by UMass staff members, from painting, photography, and beadwork to weaving, woodwork, and even a handmade piece of chainmail armor. In the back of the room, in front of big glass windows overlooking campus, was an area where artists were hosting demonstrations and workshops for attendees to make their own art. The event also included refreshments, musical performances, readings, and a speech by UMass Amherst Chancellor, Javier Reyes.
It was an absolute joy to attend the 2024 Building Bridges Showcase — my only regret is that I wasn’t aware of it until my senior year! This past summer, I began interning at the UMass Institute for Applied Life Sciences, where I worked with the Director of Marketing and Communications, Lisa Korpiewski. Lisa, a talented artist herself, has been a member of the Building Bridges Worker Artist program since its inception in 2018. She says, “The program draws on the power of solidarity and creative expression to bring people together and create a bridge across difference.” The Building Bridges Showcase, just one component of the program, is a way to share worker art with the greater community, celebrate worker artists at UMass, and find connections between people through art.
Not only did Lisa help organize the event, set up the showcase space, and display her own art, but she hosted a workshop as well! Participants in her workshop were able to create Kindness Cards; first, you picked the base for your card depending on which colors and patterns were appealing to you, then you colored a flower (again, lots of options to pick from!) to glue on top. There were different embellishments you could include on your card as well, including gold accents and inspiring quotes. The final product was an empowering multimedia piece of art, perfect for gifting to a loved one or displaying in your own space for a boost of positivity throughout the day. All of the materials for this project were created and supplied by Lisa. I attended the showcase with my sister, and we both loved creating our cards — it was such a peaceful way to spend a Tuesday afternoon.
There were over 75 current UMass staff members featured in the showcase and over 150 staff total, including those who no longer work at UMass. The program’s impact on participants cannot be understated. Lisa says, “We plan events and support each other’s projects throughout the year. This community has extended to my work environment by collaborating with other artists in work projects and even displaying their art in my building. As a result of this program, I’ve made friends with people from many areas of campus that I would have never met before.” Aside from the showcase, Building Bridges includes other projects and exhibitions throughout the year and has enabled a group of worker artists, including Lisa, to meet weekly through classes held by the Partnership for Worker Education.
If you have the opportunity to attend the 2025 Building Bridges Showcase next year, I can’t recommend it enough. I think we should all engage with art whenever we have the chance, and the Building Bridges Showcase not only gives you the opportunity to see some amazing art, but it gives you the chance to create it under the guidance of UMass’s community of worker artists. It was a joy to support these talented artists and a wonderful reminder to stay creative in whatever way that looks like for you.
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