People may have a general assumption that art only happens in exhibitions and galleries, and it is somehow distant from their daily life. In collaboration with a local theatre troupe, the Funny Old Tree Theatre Ensemble, the Moon Chun Memorial College (MCMC) actively brings the art of puppetry to local communities in Macao. Together with the Stanley Ho East Asia College and the Choi Kai Yau College, the MCMC has recruited a team of UM student volunteers as core members, who have worked hard to cultivate art in the local community by reaching out to local residents and bringing their ideas into art.

With the support of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Funny Old Tree Theatre Ensemble and the student volunteer team kicked off a three-year community-building project named ‘GUGUMELO’ with the Iao Hon district as their starting point. Through this project, the team hopes to establish a community through the art of puppetry and other communal art activities, to promote art and to create an ‘intangible connection between people’.