More than 65 UMass Staff Members Sharing Creative Work at the Building Bridges Showcase

More than 65 UMass Amherst staff members will be presenting their creative work at the upcoming Building Bridges Showcase Event on Tuesday, April 5 at the Bromery Center for the Arts. The variety of work includes 16th-century garment design, stained glass, pencil drawings, poetry, photography and more.

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Now in its fifth year, the Showcase Event has become an annual gathering where staff and their creative talents take center stage. A group of Worker Artists meets weekly through a Building Bridges class and plays a pivotal role in planning the event. In the class, creative expression serves as a vehicle for dialogue and building new relationships and, in doing so, creates a supportive cross-campus network and empathetic community. The inspiration for this class draws on work done by the Partnership for Worker Education in the 1990s through a program called “We are More Than You See.” The program brought together workers and supported the development of worker artist exhibitions, publications of worker writing, and a radio show hosted by UMass workers.

The Showcasing Worker Artists at UMass class extends that legacy and aims to especially recognize essential workers — those who may clean the restrooms, serve food in dining halls, tend the grounds, or engage in clerical tasks—and celebrate their artistic talents in a way that enriches the UMass community. In addition to an exhibition of worker art, the Showcase Event also include projects created by immigrant workers, oral history projects about UMass frontline workers, food, art demonstrations, workshops live music, poetry readings and performance.

This year’s participating staff members represent over 40 different offices on campus. The campus community is encouraged to join in the event, on Tuesday, April 5 from noon to 7 and to show support for UMass staff members. For updates and details on the day-of events, visit the website: https://www.umass.edu/worker-ed/BBShowcase2022 and follow the hashtag #UMassBuildingBridges

To sign up for a class or to learn more, contact Jacob Carter, Building Bridges project director at the Partnership for Worker Education at jacarter@umass.edu. Building Bridges draws on the power of solidarity and creative expression to bring people together and create a bridge across difference.

This is a collaborative effort between the Office of Equity and Inclusion, Partnership for Worker Education, Office of Human Resources and Civic Engagement and Service-Learning.