The Centre of Belonging

Our exhibit, the Centre of Belonging, was recently hosted at the Central Library Create Space from March 19th-23rd. Along with the 5 days that the exhibit was open to the public, our exhibit was also featured in the Vivacity Showcase on March 23rd. My group didn’t know what to expect from our exhibit going into this experience. The exhibit was centered around what makes people feel like they belong. It featured a few sticker-wall style questions, and two long-form questions for more in-depth responses. Our goal was to ascertain what might be added to the city in order to make newcomers feel like they belong when they arrive.

My group was pleasantly surprised by the response we received at the exhibit. In particular, the sticker walls were most used with over 100 answers submitted. For the long-answer questions, we received not only meaningful written responses, but also drawings of what makes people feel like they belong. We also received many responses from children that provided an interesting perspective on the concept of belonging. On Thursday, during the showcase, it was interesting to engage with people as they were filling out our questions. We really got to see the exhibit in action!

Overall, this was an experience that pushed my group to innovate and think about the challenges that newcomers face when coming to Calgary. We would like to thank the Central Library and Myke Atkinson for hosting our exhibit, and J5 Design and John Vardalos for providing the space for us to work in our course this year. 

Written by Nicole, Team 2Belong