Buds! is a community art project that mimics the first plants that peek out of the ground in spring. Buds! will be made up of a network of small weatherproofed sculptures with lids, decorated with mirrors, sand, paint, and other small items will act as gift-giving locations. Anyone can leave or share a gift inside a Bud, be it $5, a package of masks, or a small note in these sculptures and anyone can host a Bud. Each Bud! will have a small lasercut sign that explains the project. As Pennsylvania winters are long, and it is the community’s second uncertain winter in the pandemic, the project invites connections for neighborhoods and strangers to share small kindnesses with each other. It also acts as a connector of Penn State and local communities, as Buds! Will travel in a sidewalk parade to Penn State’s campus, to be shown in an art exhibit for a week from March 28-April 1, before returning to their hosts, who can keep them for the next spring, if they wish to.