During my first year with Papergirl Vancouver, I volunteered as a Community Ambassador, working to establish relationships, collaborations, and partnerships with organizations in Metro Vancouver and spread the word about Papergirl. Bonus: I learned about the fantastic and innovative arts organizations abundant in this city. One of my favourite memories is collaborating with Draw by Night for their bi-monthly drawing party – over 50 people, sitting down at tables covered in paper, simply drawing and creating together.
Papergirl’s 2013 Exhibition Opening and Ride Out will always be some of my favourite memories from my time living in Vancouver. The Exhibition Opening Party was truly special: so many different people coming together to experience and enjoy artwork; the visible pride and excitement from the artists seeing their work hung for all to see; and seeing our hard work come to fruition! It was thrilling to see Papergirl making a visible impact on the community: bringing people together through and in celebration of the arts.
But, the Ride Out was unlike anything I have experienced before and truthfully did not know what to expect! We rode out on decorated bicycles, cheering and shaking our noisemakers, and randomly approached strangers with bundles of art in our arms. Many of the conversations I had were brief but everyone was so grateful to receive the art and happy to see art being shared in the community – we even gifted art to a wedding party!
Since 2012, I have seen Papergirl grow, branch out, and engage new volunteers, community members, and other creative groups in the city. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for the project.
- Danielle Leroux