Community is a vital component of wellbeing. A sense of belonging within one’s community has been shown to enhance physical health, reduce risks of adverse mental health conditions, and promote resilience and self-worth. The opposite is true for social isolation, which has been linked to poorer sleep and immune functioning, impaired executive and cognitive functioning, and greater instances of adverse psychopathologies. 

Art can serve as a powerful tool for fostering meaningful connection through communication of complex stories and ideas, and genuine emotional expression. Community art compounds art’s connective power by increasing the understanding and meaning drawn from shared experiences and circumstances.

The current project blends artistic and psychological principles within a utopian understanding of collective wellbeing over private accumulation. It does this by repurposing an antique cigarette dispenser into a playful vending machine for student artwork situated between biophilic bookshelves and custom ‘community boxes.’ The project will collect student artwork and disseminate it through the machine, which will take form as an interactive sculptural installation at the Student Union Art Gallery at UMass. It will also serve as a site to share resources, exchange and annotate literature, and respond to prompts.

The aim of this project is to meaningfully connect students through artistic exchange while inviting them to reflect and reconsider larger social issues that feed isolation and anxiety, such as addiction. Highlighting student artwork in a machine that once profited from cigarette addiction subverts capitalistic manipulation while emphasizing resilience through creativity, community, innovation, and exchange.