In a heated political and cultural climate, live gatherings are being used more and more to build community and create safe, empowering spaces for women, minorities, the L.G.B.T. community, and other marginalized groups. Designers and sponsors have been capitalizing on the trend, in part with crowd-sourced message walls where attendees are invited to grab a pen and write down messages of encouragement for their peers.
Often doubling as photo ops or eye-catching art installations, these message walls can highlight themes of the event, encourage social sharing, and give attendees a fun place to express themselves. Click through the slide show for some recent examples from Facebook, HBO, L’Oréal Paris, and more.