• the217
• Arts
• IMC’s IndyMedia & Arts Lab keeps art alive for kids

Related Media

Kids participating in the Indy Media and Arts Lab for Kids program, which is taking place at the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center. Photo by James Kyung

• See Slideshow (6 images)

Commercial campaigns and movements urging people to “save the music” and “support the arts” are everywhere. And it’s no wonder. When money is tight, art and music programs are some of the first things put on the chopping block. Individuals who push for such programs tend to view artistic involvement as more than just a recreational activity. These advocates instead think of it as a necessary part of education because it offers an alternative to traditional academic thinking.

The Independent Media Center (IMC) in Urbana hosts the IndyMedia & Arts Lab for children ages 12-16 now through July 24. After receiving funding from the Urbana Consolidated Services Grant, Jason Keist, a program development coordinator-intern at the IMC, put together the lab to expose youth to various artistic mediums. Keist worked to keep the lab affordable to local families, focusing on the quality of the programming rather than the quantity. Workshops included radio/audio production, painting, instrumentation and community gardening.

Keist searched to gather a diverse set of instructors and volunteers for each workshop, each of whom is specifically qualified to teach his or her workshop. Each day, there were about 10 student participants. A total of six instructors and three volunteers worked with Keist to develop quality programming. “They have just been really open to empowering these kids,” Keist said.

In the morning, students worked at the organic community garden on Beardsley and Randolph with instructors Deb Erickson and Aaron Ammons. “They’re really trying to bring home to the kids messages of sustainability and community empowerment, people coming together for a common objective,” Keist said.

When asked what their favorite component of the lab was, many of the students spoke about the production equipment. Students worked on making commercials for the community radio station WRFU-LP 104.5 FM. One boy elaborated on working in the radio studio: “I like the audio. We mess with the voices and get to make them high pitch and low pitch.”

Betsem Benjamin, an anthropologist from Cameroon, worked with the students in the painting workshop. “He’s trying to bridge the cultural gap and say, ‘I’m African, and you’re American. Let me show you about my culture, and you can show me about yours,’” Keist explained. Though most of the boys seemed to enjoy working with the technology, another participant, a young girl, favored the painting labs. “We did a painting described as everybody of every ra.0ce together,” she said.

Although Keist recognizes the importance of a traditional academic environment, he said hands-on activities allow kids to see things from a different perspective. “You can learn about plants in science class, but how many kids are falling asleep? I think it’s a necessary component, but tangibly working with something is also important,” he said.

With its large open rooms, stage area and recording and production studio, the IMC is a perfect venue to host this lab. “We wanted to bring youth programming back to the IMC because it’s been a while … it hasn’t been consistent,” Keist said. He pointed out that even though the IMC is a versatile community space, it is greatly underutilized and he hopes that programs like the IndyMedia & Arts Lab will be able to continue in the future.