UCIMC Receives 3 Arts Grants

The UC-IMC thanks the City of Urbana
Public Arts Commission for the recent
award of three grants that will support the
following projects:
Poetry for the People is a project of the
Public i in collaboration with the Urbana
Free Library and S.P.E.A.K. Café that celebrates
the diversity of voices in the Urbana
community. A series of five poetry workshops
supporting and connecting local
poets will culminate in an issue of the Public
i with a pull-out section of poetry and
an open-mic at the UC-IMC.
The UC-IMC’s Children’s Arts Festival
on May 8, 2010 is a day of opportunities for
children to experience new outlets for selfexpression
through art, music, and media
workshops and to share their talents with
each other. There will be performances by
local youth ensembles, dance workshops,
piñatas, a kid’s contra dance, a parade on
the sidewalks of downtown Urbana, and art
on display in featured Urbana Businesses.
Say it Loud – Teen DIY Publishing is a
series of the UC-IMC Librarians group that
promotes youth literacy, self expression, and
community involvement through workshops
on DIY publishing. Programs will
include workshops on cut & paste zine
making, screen printing, graphic arts,
paper-making, and print & electronic publishing.
Events also include open mic
events, music performances and art openings.
The yearlong series will culminate in a
zine festival, bringing individuals from the
broader zine community to Urbana for two
days of skill-shares, discussions, and events.
These three grants will allow the UCIMC
to expand public arts programming in
downtown Urbana, to expand public participation
in the arts, and to further our mission
to serve as vibrant community media
and arts center. All events are open to public
and volunteer participation. Please visit
www.ucimc.org for more information.
The UCIMC would like to thank the
Urbana Public Arts Commission for their
past support of the IMC Film Fest in 2010,
which was the IMC’s best-attended festival
to-date, with outstanding artistic contributions
coming from our community.