The Media Arts Apprenticeship, which has the largest number of apprentices in Loop Lab history, has been a valuable experience for all involved. They have completed a podcast and photo essay project, and have recently started the video unit. The group has traveled to visit sites like WGBH, Q Division, and BlackMath TV, and heard sage advice from guest instructors such as Amanda Peters, Malik Williams, and Cole Harper with more to come! Additionally, we have just started our financial literacy courses with local bank Cambridge Trust, where our apprentices are learning about personal budgeting, credit, banking, and an intro into homeownership. This class has been fantastic so far, and we are proud of the progress each of them has made.
The 2023 MSYEP Media Arts students on their last day
In August, we completed leading a summer enrichment course through the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program (MSYEP) in Cambridge. This class was held at the HIVE in the Cambridge Public Library and was led by Matt Feener and Xavier Montes, who is a graduate of the fifth cohort of the Media Arts Apprenticeship. The class consisted of 11 high schoolers from Cambridge interested in learning more about media production, and they created some impressive projects including a final video (see below), which was played at their closing summer showcase.
All of the projects were created in partnership with editing software Descript, which kindly offered their premium software to our students for free! This course was a tremendous success and we cannot wait to replicate it soon.
(L to R) Xavier Montes, assistant MSYEP instructor & MAA alum with Matt Feener, MSYEP instructor turned MAA instructor
In part due to the success of the high school program, we transitioned Matt Feener to an interim instructor for the Media Arts Apprenticeship. His experience with similar arts programs in the Greater Boston area has shown in his effectiveness as an instructor in this program. We are happy to have him, and since he started with the MAA Program in late August, he has made a lasting impression.
Last month, we also hosted a cinema drone class for our alumni. This class was taught by Ian Roy and Tim Herbert from the MakerLab at Brandeis University. The week-long course exposed our alumni to the possibilities of cinema drones, and what the demands are to getting a drone license both in the US and the EU. As drone pilots themselves, they gave our alumni and staff valuable hands-on experience flying a drone, which has led to immediate plans for both our Academy and Studio to get drones for The Loop Lab for more thorough training, and better studio productions. The best part is that this class is not a one-off. We want our current students, other alumni, and other members of The Loop Lab community to have access to this as well. Stay tuned for more updates on the next course!
Academy’s first alumni mixer hosted alumni from 5 different years of the Media Arts Apprenticeship!
We have exciting things happening this month and the remainder of 2023. On September 22, we hosted our first ever alumni mixer for all of the graduates of the MAA program to meet each other and network. This event will be held semi-annually as our alumni base expands each year. Additionally, we are looking forward to the second half of the Media Arts Apprenticeship training including the production and public screening of their Audible mini-documentaries, and where they begin their fellowships, for which we have an exciting list of partnerships. There’s a lot happening at The Loop Lab Academy and all of it is focused on building community, growing for the future, and empowering the next generation of Media Arts Professionals of Color.