Artful Bonds

Lee Square came to life on April 9 as The Community Programs and Outreach student team hosted Artful Bonds, a free drop-in event encouraging UBC community members to reflect on the end of the year by writing and decorating postcards for people and things they were grateful for. People dedicated their postcards to family members, friends, food, the weather and more! 

All postcards were hung up on wooden screens that served as our Artful Bonds Community Gratitude Walls. By the end of the event, more than 160 people contributed to the Gratitude Wall! 

Artful Bonds is a collaborative effort between UBC Campus + Community Planning, The UBC Wellbeing department and The AMS Paint Club to provide community engagement activities, encourage self-reflection and improve people’s day! Showing gratitude gives people an opportunity to reflect on things and people they care about, boosting happiness in the process. Additionally, collaborative artmaking is an important way to relieve stress and opens opportunities for people to form new connections. 

Feel-good music, happy chatter and laughter enveloped the space from 11am-2pm. Additionally, people enjoyed freshly squeezed lemonade and outdoor activities like giant Jenga and bean-bag toss. There were also outdoor picnic tables for people to enjoy their lunch, hang out with friends and relax. There was something there for everyone! 

We want to thank everyone who took time out of their day to participate in the event activities and contributed to its success, we could not have done it without you!  

– Leonardo Rubio Burkle, Community Event Programmer