Building Bridges

Joe Connolly and Jacob Carter standing in front of Building Bridges art panels

Building Bridges is a UMass public art and engagement initiative that draws on the power of solidarity and creative expression to bring people together and create a bridge across difference. The phrase “build bridges, not walls” has become a popular response to the rhetoric of fear and exclusion that has been dominating US headlines. Building Bridges is an effort to counter this fear and exclusion by focusing on the very real and positive possibilities that exist when people come together across race, religion, class, immigration status, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, nationality, and more. The initiative is a collaborative effort between The Partnership for Worker Education, Civic Engagement and Service-Learning and the Office of Equity and Inclusion.

Building Bridges has four core projects: a participatory Art Installation made up of three 10-foot tall towers and our Building Bridges Cards; Our Immigrant Voices, which seeks to amplify the voices of immigrant workers on campus; Showcasing Worker Artists at UMass, which explores ways of highlighting the art created by UMass employees, and Worker Rights as Human Rights, which helps to reveal the interconnectedness of workers’ rights with all aspects of human rights. Each of these projects creates a context for dialogue and produces or shares creative work that engages members of the campus community in building bridges across difference.

To sign up for a class or to learn more about Building Bridges, contact Nyaradzai Changamire, project director at the Partnership for Worker Education, at nchangamire@umass.edu

Visit Building Bridges to Learn More

2024 Worker Artists Showcase and Opening Reception

Tuesday, April 2nd, 12:00 - 7:00, Randolph W. Bromery Center for the Arts

Please join us at the opening reception for the Building Bridges Showcase, a one-day event featuring creative work from staff, worker art, displays by immigrant workers, oral history projects of frontline workers, complimentary food, art demonstrations, music, poetry and performances. Learn more about this year's event.