The debut of a locally-produced hip hop track, hands-on art exploration, and dance performances marked this weekend’s celebration of the Bloomington Creativity Center.
The song’s title, “We Are Here,” provided a natural theme for Saturday’s open house.
“We want to amplify each other and the space to see what more can be done — both for and with the community,” said event organizer Angelique Racki, who heads the arts school Breaking Chains Advancing Increase — Cultural Arts and Humanities [or BCAI for short].
It’s one of four core art-centered occupants of the Creativity Center, 107 E. Chestnut St. Each helped host Saturday’s festivities.
BCAI offers a variety of classes in hip hop culture, as well as martial arts.
The Creativity Center stands just north of the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts. The city bought the property in 2003, and renovated it. In addition to BCAI, it’s home to the city’s arts and entertainment department that manages the BCPA and Grossinger Motors Arena, and the nonprofit, Friends of the BCPA.
The center also houses Creative Healing Art Therapy and its nonprofit arm, Creative Healing Expressive Arts. The art therapy practice specializes in treating trauma-related disorders using methods based in neuroscience and art, said executive director Karli Johnson. The nonprofit focuses on community outreach.
“We’ve had and continue to have a real impact on the community,” said Racki of the Creativity Center's tenants. “There’s multiple ways this has been a silent explosion of impact on this community.”
The building’s parking lot was abuzz on Saturday. A stage featured everything from the BCAI Break Dance Team cypher demonstration to women in traditional costumes performing a Polynesian dance.
People wandered around exploring local artwork sales, lining up for local food vendors, and checking out booths featuring painting, paper flowers, and pottery wheels. The Bloomington Fire Department was on hand, too, showing kids the details of one of its vehicles.
Andie and Matt Coston of Normal said they brought their family Saturday to try out some of the activities.
“This is a forest. It has black bears and green grass,” said 7-year-old Ellie Coston, describing what she saw in the greens, blues and purples of her abstract canvas painting.
Creative Healing Expressive Arts’ Undra Uphoff offered smiles and encouragement as she introduced the palette knife as a painting tool for the activity. Uphoff said taking part in Saturday's open house fits well with the nonprofit's mission of community outreach.
At the next booth, 4-year-old Sophia Ford sat on her mother’s lap, trying out the pottery wheel.
“I'm molding clay. ... It's kind of messy but I like that,” she said, clapping her clay-covered hands together.
Michelle Ford, of Bloomington, said it was the first time she and her daughter had worked with a pottery wheel. It was one of the activities that drew her to the "We Are Here" open house. "I didn't really know about this place before," she said.
Creative Healing's Karli Johnson noted that therapy setting using art — such as the pottery wheel or painting — can help open doors for clients in a nonverbal way.
"Art helps us process emotions, and get feelings out in a healthy way," she said.
Inside the Creativity Center, some visitors added touches to an interactive wall mural and visited local art vendors.
Danae James, a Unit 5 social worker, volunteered at Saturday's event with Creative Healing. She was supervising the mural.
"The arts are often forgotten about, in terms of therapy," said James. "Sometimes we don't always have the words to articulate what we're feeling." With some younger people, especially, being able to use art or play to express themselves is a game-changer, she said.
Among the vendors set up was Amreen Sayyad of Normal. She sold handmade delicate paper jewelry, and she painted henna designs on some attendees' hands, as well. She was impressed with the variety at Saturday's event.
"I've seen so many cultures represented today here," said Sayyad.
Launch party debuts “We Are Here”
Saturday’s event culminated with a track release party for “We Are Here” — the hip hop collaboration of BCAI Hip Hop Elemental Arts students, along with Kendall Miles, Maestro Jones and Chicago-based musician Seven Six Supah. Racki said the group also worked with a number of local engineers and emcees.
Nate Lemmons and Maestro Jones led the youth performing at the center, while Seven Six Supah joined them — via a video connection from the Dominican Republic.
The summer session focused on creating a song. But Racki said BCAI’s the next class that begins Oct. 7, will turn its attention to music video production for “We Are Here.” The class is recommended for ages 10 and up, she said.
“We Are Here” marks the third such release from the center’s students. The recordings can be found on most major song streaming services, listed under the artist BCAI-CAH, said Racki.
