GRATITUDE WALL COMMUNITY ART PROJECT
CONTENTS
Not just a wall
Museums
Festivals
Education
From tour to more
Gratitude diary
NOT JUST A WALL The Gratitude Wall is a community art project inspired by research from Coventry University which has shown that the expression of gratitude improves positive wellbeing, resilience, and builds friendships. The gratitude diary is an activity on the HOPE ProgrammeŠ, which is an evidencebased, positive psychology course that supports people to take control of their health and wellbeing.
GABRIELA MATOUSKOVA & PROF ANDY TURNER The mobile Gratitude Wall now tours museums, galleries, festivals, schools, universities and workplaces for communities to share what they are thankful for and to learn about the benefits of practising gratitude.
People say this about the gratitude diary:
This project enriches the role that art and research have in society and contributes to meaningful links with people and communities.
"I loved this part of the HOPE Programme. I particularly got a lot from having to appreciate what was happening in my life, however small it may have seemed."
We encourage you to practise gratitude every day and feel better as a result.
"It was a great idea and had a positive effect on me. I now do this in my daily diary."
You even have your own gratitude diary at the end of this book! So, what are YOU grateful for today?
HOPE 4 The Community CIC, who deliver the HOPE Programme, had the idea to take the gratitude diary concept to communities in a form of participatory art, designed as a large interactive chalkboard.
IMPACT
13
events
235,449 visitors
2kg
of chalk
5,262 contributions
WHY THE GRATITUDE WALL IS A SUCCESS The Gratitude Wall went to 13 events visited by 235,449 members of public aross Coventry and Warwickshire. Through partnership work with festival organisers, local councils, health organisations and social enterprises, the Wall toured museums, festivals, schools, university and workplaces. People from all over the world wrote on the Wall, from the very young to the very old. The youngest one only just turned 11 months and a student from Indonesia, who wrote on the Wall, travelled the longest distance! The Gratitude Wall featured in BBC Coventry & Warwickshire breakfast radio show, proving popular with mentions on news bulletins and being widely reported across all BBC regions nationwide from Yorkshire to Cornwall. Some of the organisations worked with us to install permanent fixtures of the Wall inspired by the project and Coventry University now regularly loans the Wall out for its Health and Life Sciences Faculty open days. The Wall will be part of the UK's first Shop Front Festival in March 2018 – the first event organised as a result of Coventry’s winning bid to become UK City of Culture in 2021.
THANK YOU TO THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE WHO VOLUNTEERED Over 400 hours were given by volunteers making the Gratitude Wall project a success. From the design and build to supporting events and recording stories, our volunteers have made this a real community project. Our special thanks go to Helen Lewis and Tony McCourt from FabLab Coventry, Annette Kinsella, Vicky Harker, Ruby Simon, Tina Malin, Coventry University students, EsmĂŠ Spurling Media and Mark Radford photography.
TO THE ORGANISATIONS WHO SUPPORTED US HOPE 4 The Community CIC led the project. We are a social enterprise that co-creates evidence based selfmanagement resources rooted in positive psychology. We provide organisations with the tools to empower people to actively engage in the management of their health and wellbeing, leading to an improvement in their quality of life. The Gratitude Wall would not have been possible without funding support from Coventry University and the Arts Council England. Thanks to our partners, Culture Coventry, Heritage & Culture Warwickshire and CU Social Enterprise CIC, we were able to tour many diverse locations across Coventry and Warwickshire.
TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO SHARED THEIR GRATITUDE AND THEIR STORIES
MUSEUMS
The Gratitude Wall was supported by The Museums and Universities Partnership Initiative that brings museums and universities together. Through this we had an opportunity to see how people react to university research converted into an interactive chalkboard placed in a museum. HERBERT ART GALLERY AND MUSEUM, COVENTRY More than a museum‌The Herbert offers a space where diverse communities can explore and celebrate culture and identity. The Gratitude Wall met with the museum's aim to stimulate curiosity, and provide playful learning opportunities. Who could resist being allowed to write on wall in a museum?! The Gratitude Wall was hosted by the Herbert Art Gallery for two weeks in October 2017 and had over 1,400 contributions. At this time the museum was also visited by the City of Culture judges who later awarded Coventry the City of Culture 2021 status. The writing was on the wall! With thanks to Jo Muskett and her team
WARWICK MARKET HALL, WARWICK Market Hall Museum is a 17th century landmark that tells the story of Warwickshire, and how the shifting natural, built and human landscapes have shaped the county to the present day. Over 2,500 visitors attended the museum in November 2017. Thanks to the museum staff the Gratitude Wall was made an integral part of events including King James 1st festival, dementia cafes, remembrance day celebrations, arty tots workshops, local talks, Victorian evenings and a number of museum sleepovers for local scout groups. The museum staff completed a gratitude questionnaire. The results showed an improvement in gratitude after interacting with the wall. With thanks to Bronwen Williams and all museum staff
Today I am grateful for ...
...this beautiful autumn day
Today I am grateful for ...
18 years of marriage
Today I am grateful for ...
for love
Today I am grateful for ...
wife, thanks for putting up with me for all these years
Today I am grateful for ...
meeting an old friend
FESTIVALS
GODIVA FESTIVAL Godiva is the biggest free family music festival in the UK. In July 2017 over 179,000 festival goers visited Coventry's War Memorial Park over the weekend. The Gratitude Wall was set up in the family field for a day and what a day we had! Over 1,173 contributions on the Wall from people who travelled from afar, aged from 11 months to 90 years. We gave out 300 pens and nearly 9kg of sweets! COVENTRY LIFE FESTIVAL Coventry Life Festival in October 2017 celebrated the art of growing old. Dance and theatre performances, workshops and friendship cafes offered a chance to explore active ageing in fun and exciting ways. SOCIAL SATURDAY Part of a national campaign,Coventry Social Saturday pop-up market in October 2017 provided people with the opportunity to come and see the great work of local social enterprises and to learn about their positive effect on the communities.
Today I am grateful for ...
‌my family and the kindness of stranger's smile
Today I am grateful for ...
music and ice cream
Today I am grateful for ...
my amazing friends and family and for the time I got with those no longer here
Today I am grateful for ...
being able to go out
Today I am grateful for ...
dance
Today I am grateful for ...
‌for being blessed with morals of a good person. For having respect, discipline, bravery and courage.
Today I am grateful for ...
EDUCATIONÂ Gratitude can be cultivated at any age. Thanks to the local Head Teachers, we were able to bring the Gratitude Wall to two local primary schools in Coventry. Through our connection with Coventry University we brought the Wall to the fresher's week to show how practising gratitude can help to cope with busy student life. Neither children nor university students needed any encouragement to take part.
SCHOOLS EARLSDON PRIMARY SCHOOL and HEARSALL COMMUNITY ACADEMY, COVENTRY Studies suggest that even young children can learn to look at the world through more grateful eyes—and that they may become not only more appreciative but also happier as a result. In December 2017 Earlsdon Primary School and Hearsall Community Academy hosted the Gratitude Wall. Children aged 4-12 wrote and drew their contributions on the Wall, showing their gratitude and artistic flare, with an added benefit of learning to spell the word grateful in the process. With thanks to Annette Kinsella, head teachers Rhonda Forde and Bryony Harrison and all the children
Today I am grateful for ...
my dog Aero
Today I am grateful for ...
being me
Today I am grateful for ...
Today I am grateful for ...
pizza
COVENTRY UNIVERSITY, COVENTRY Studies have shown that gratitude in education increases student engagement. In September 2017 Coventry University Students' Union organised freshers week. The Gratitude Wall was part of sports and wellbeing fair. The wall filled up quickly with contributions in English and other languages. A number of students from Indonesia and China told us how welcome they felt in Coventry and how much they liked the weather....it didn't rain that day.
UNIVERSITY
With thanks to Coventry University, Coventry University Students' Union and all the UK, EU and international students
Today I am grateful for ...
the NHS
Today I am grateful for ...
Today I am grateful for ...
new days with new experiences & opportunities
being alive
Today I am grateful for ...
for everything Today I am grateful for ...
having warm clothes
Today I am grateful for ...
my good health
Today I am grateful for ...
free education, freedom to live my life without persecution and to choose my life, I am very lucky
Today I am grateful for ...
unconditional love
Today I am grateful for ...
WIFI
Today I am grateful for ...
being part of a community of people who care
FROM TOUR TO MORE In 2017 Coventry Evening Telegraph’s former office in the centre of Coventry turned into a pop-up art space and museum. Two gratitude walls were installed for visitors to share their gratitude, to reflect and to have a visual reminder that there is always something to be grateful for, however big or small. With thanks to Alan Denyer and Historic Coventry Trust
WORKPLACE A version of the Gratitude Wall became a permanent feature at CUSE CIC, Coventry based social enterprise that supports people to realise their entrepreneurial potential. CUSE are committed to supporting their staff and customers wellbeing and are working with us to assess how practising gratitude benefits the workplace. The ways that gratitude works at work: Gratitude creates better working environment: gratitude produces higher levels of positive emotions that are beneficial in the workplace such as joy, enthusiasm, and optimism Gratitude drives us to contribute more: grateful people are more likely to be creative at work, gratitude promotes innovative thinking, flexibility, openness, curiosity, and love of learning.
GRATITUDE DIARY TODAY I AM GRATEFUL FOR ...
Today I am grateful for ...
#gratitudewall
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WHAT ARE YOU GRATEFUL FOR TODAY? HOPE 4 The Community CIC 5 Whitefriars street CV1 2DS Coventry United Kingdom www.h4c.org.uk @HOPE4TC ©2018 HOPE 4 The Community