BCAI Cultural Arts & Humanities prepares to host Echo Building Part 3

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — A morning of music, art, movement and community connection is coming to Bloomington as BCAI Cultural Arts & Humanities prepares to host Echo Building Part 3 on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the City of Bloomington Creativity Center.

The event, presented in partnership with Illinois Humanities Envisioning Justice, will bring together youth ages 8 to 16 and adults ages 17 and older. Ffor an opportunity to explore different creative activities while building relationships with mentors and local organizations. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., participants will move through a variety of hands-on activities designed to introduce them to new interests while encouraging creativity, wellness and civic engagement.

Building on the first two Echo Building events, Part 3 will use BCAI’s Brunch Music Series to create an interactive environment where young people can experience several different forms of art and community involvement in one morning. Attendees can listen to live music from DJ Jodah, enjoy food from local vendors including Coffee Hound, A-Z Catering and Toog’s Lemonade & Catering, and take part in a series of 15-minute micro-workshops led by community organizations.

The workshops will give participants a chance to try activities ranging from Polynesian dance with Kamokunanihula Halau to beatmaking and mental health with Boy From Bombay and Maestro Jones. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Comic Studies Department will lead a session on comic studies and creative writing, while Young Yogi Wellness & Fitness will focus on yoga and wellness. Other activities will introduce participants to visual arts and movement, civic engagement, local leadership and cricket through Creative Healing Art Therapy, PLLC, Strong Towns Blono, the NAACP Bloomington/Normal and the Central Illinois Cricket Association.

The event also aims to create supportive connections between young people and their communities. BCAI Cultural Arts & Humanities Executive Director Angelique Racki said programs like Echo Building can give people the support and opportunities they need to recognize their own potential and value.

“An actualized community provides supportive connection, platform and access for individuals to realize not only their full potential but their value as well,” Racki said.

Racki also connected the event to larger community issues, including the effects of mass incarceration and the school-to-prison pipeline. The event is rooted in the belief expressed by Illinois Hip Hop artivist King Moosa that “Healing is Crime Prevention,” emphasizing the role that creative and supportive spaces can play in helping communities break destructive cycles.

Echo Building Part 3 is free and will take place at the City of Bloomington Creativity Center, 107 E. Chestnut St. Doors open at 9:45 a.m., and the program begins at 10 a.m. Pre-registration is required for youth participants, while adults ages 17 and older can register to participate as mentors.

The event is supported by Illinois Humanities Envisioning Justice, the Illinois Arts Council/McLean County Arts Center and the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation. More information about the event and registration is available at BCAIarts.org.