Create in Community – Filling Depot Park and the Surrounding Streets with Participatory Creative Activities
On Sunday, February 25th, between 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., 352Creates brought the community together through art-making, creativity, and fun at Depot Park.
Last year, 352Creates filled Depot Park with more than 40 creative activities for the ‘Create in Community’ event. This year, more than 60 individuals and organizations from the broader Gainesville community came forward to be a part of the event!
In order to support this expansion, 352Creates partnered with Active Streets Alliance, a local nonprofit that builds community in and around our streets. As a result of the partnership, 352Creates was able to reach a broader audience to send more people home with the message that creativity a valuable resource in our toolkit for better health.
Check out some of these pictures of the community event! Visit 352creates.com and connect with them on social media @352creates.
Create in Place – UF Health Shands Nurses Spread Beauty, Joy, Kindness, and Positivity
As part of the ‘Create in Place’ event for 352Creates, Artist in Residence Sunita Canady and Operations Assistant John Kieslich, as well as several other key staff members and volunteers, engaged 20 UF Health nurses stations and other services in painting over 400 rocks with messages of positivity and hope as way to de-stress, have fun, and build camaraderie.
‘Create in Place’ is the second Friday of every month and serves as a reminder that creativity can fit organically into our everyday lives. For ‘Create in Place,’ 352Creates encourages individuals and organizations to do something creative wherever they naturally are – at work, home, school, or wherever! It doesn’t have to take a lot of time or cost a lot of money, and in the end, research shows you’re healthier for it.
“The Mother Baby Unit absolutely loved being part of this project. The nurses and staff had an amazing time and it gave them a nice creative outlet and de-stressor during their downtime. This was definitely the topic of conversation this week and it was neat to see the creative and artistic talents within our unit.”
Jennifer Pruitt, RN-MSN, CNM/ARNP, the Clinical Leader on the Mother/Baby unit
“You know, we tell ourselves and others that we’re just too busy to do things that nourish us, whether it’s something fun and creative like this or going to a yoga class. We won’t take time to take care of ourselves. But I loved this rock painting activity because it doesn’t take long, you can do it by yourself and get real contemplative or you have fun with it with a group of friends. In the end, you have something beautiful that you can treasure or share with others.”
Bonnie Garland, CPhT, RPhT
