co-collab
Bre Boersma and I collaborated to curate virtual gatherings, experiences and installations to foster a sense of community at University of Michigan during the pandemic.
Type: Capstone Project funded by UM Barger Leadership Institute
Time: May - Dec 2020
Feeling isolated and lost in the uncertainty of 2020, Bre and I looked to for new ways of gathering to make serendipitous connections in the campus community.
When everything went online, I felt even more strongly about using physical mediums and involving tactile activities. We mailed out postcard kits to over 300 University of Michigan alumni inviting them to share cherished memories about the campus, friendships and belonging. We heard back from 174 graduates from the Class of 1964 all the way to 2020 with handwritten stories. It was fascinating to read how our shared memories about the physical space of the campus could transcend over time and resonate with any Wolverine. The returned postcards were displayed at many incoming and new student events during the summer.
In addition…
We curated three weeks of daily emails newsletters to student and alumni listservs. They were filled with fun challenge prompts that encouraged the recipient to explore their creativity.
We hosted a creative bootcamp, a series of virtual gatherings such as scavenger hunts, powerpoint parties and fireside chats that spanned over two weeks.
We created a desktop film to document this turbulent ride that went on all within our screens.
Takeaways
When our email newsletters didn’t get much engagement, we acknowledged that it was a difficult period for people to keep track of more emails or log onto more zoom calls. We took some time off to reflect on our own feelings of disappointment, and we realized that newsletters weren’t the fittest way for us to express our creativity and connect with people on personal level. Virtual community engagement was very challenging but I am proud of myself for putting myself in this position and stretching out of my comfort zone to design beyond digital or physical interfaces.