CONCORD, MA - Teaching middle-schoolers to make movies is a recipe for successful creative collaboration, according to freelance filmmaker and educator Tom Flint. “Making films is where kids are at right now,” said Flint, who leads filmmaking workshops for about 30 11- to 14-year-olds at The Umbrella Arts Center in Concord.
Flint’s designed and directed a series of three, free moviemaking courses for middle-school students at The Umbrella, as part of
Arts Elevate, a pilot project supported by the
Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF). In addition to helping them discover the fun and accessibility of moviemaking, Flint’s workshops were also formulated to have a positive impact on students’ health and wellness.
“I enjoy engaging with kids at this age to introduce them to the medium of film, so they can see where it may take them in terms of story-telling and creative problem-solving,” said Flint, adding “It may not always be easy. The kids are being challenged – filmmaking is really
difficult.”
Launched this fall, GLCF’s pilot project, titled
Arts Elevate: Embedded Community Artists for Youth Wellness in Greater Lowell, placed four artists in 12-week residencies at nonprofit organizations in Lowell, Groton, Acton and Concord (at The Umbrella Arts Center), explained Jennifer Aradhya, GLCF’s Vice President of Marketing, Programs & Strategy. The Arts Elevate initiative was developed for Greater Lowell with lead funding from the Barr Foundation through its
Creative Commonwealth Initiative.“As adolescents report rising levels of stress and isolation, we needed to create timely and accessible pathways to wellness,” said Aradhya. “Arts Elevate recognizes that when young people engage in creative expression, they discover who they are and how they belong. Tom’s workshops at The Umbrella Arts Center demonstrate how powerful these creative opportunities can be for middle-schoolers navigating this critical developmental period,” she said.
Located in downtown Concord, The Umbrella Arts Center is a nonprofit regional multi-disciplinary arts center, serving Concord and surrounding towns, according to Rebecca Campbell-McGonagle, Education Program Manager. Flint’s film workshops are geared toward students in grades 6 through 8 and provide iPads to shoot their movies. “We wanted very much for these workshops to NOT be too advanced, technologically, for the students,” stressed Campbell-McGonagle.
Flint’s workshops include
Hands-On Moviemaking I and II, and
Reel Adventures. All filmmaking workshops will culminate in a mid-December
Red-carpet Screening Premiere, when students, parents and guests gather to view all films created as part of the program.
The concept of experimentation and documentation, with an eye toward expanded programming, is one key element of the Arts Elevate pilot, said GLCF’s Aradhya. “This pilot program is much more than just four embedded-artist programs. We’re documenting what works, what challenges arise, what outcomes we’re seeing. We’ll then create a toolkit that will help other organizations replicate this model,” she explained.
For more information about The Umbrella Arts Center, visit:
https://theumbrellaarts.orgFor more information about the Greater Lowell Community Foundation Arts Elevate program, or to support this initiative, visit:
https://www.glcfoundation.org/arts-elevate/.
