[Imc-events] UCIMC Celebrates Three Years!

[Jane Andrew]

The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center (UCIMC)
is celebrating its third anniversary on January 19th
from 6:30 until 9:00 PM at the UCIMC’s storefront
location at 218 W. Main Street in downtown Urbana.  
This event, open to the public, will include
refreshments and live musical entertainment by
classical guitarist Brian Boyd will be provided for
attendees.   

There will be numerous exhibits showcasing the
UCIMC’s many projects, including media production
activities (a weekly radio show on WEFT, the Public I
newspaper, video documentaries, and more), as well as
the Middle Room Gallery, live concerts, and an
extensive library.  

Attendees can find out how they can become involved
with the UCIMC and start producing media, booking
musical acts, maintaining the UCIMC library, or
helping to manage the art gallery. The UCIMC strives
to empower people to "become the media" by providing
democratic access to available technologies and
information.

The UCIMC invites the community to come see how it
fulfills a vital role in creating a thriving local
community.  Its over 200 volunteers work daily to
provide a space where all community members can give
voice to issues, ideas, and opinions that affect both
them and their community. 

Tune into WEFT 90.1 community radio this coming
Monday, January 12th at 6 pm to hear a 1 hour radio
special about the 3rd anniversary of the UCIMC, as
well as how the UCIMC started and what it has
accomplished. Many hours of organizing and interviews
and editing have gone into this radio special that
will be kicking off the 2004 anniversary week.

The UCIMC was founded in September 2000 with only five
people and $61.  Since then it has grown into a
significant community presence with an annual budget
of $150,000 and a vibrant storefront space in downtown
Urbana, which includes an art gallery, library, and
meeting/entertainment space. 

As impressive as the UCIMC’s rapid growth has been,
the organization has expanded so quickly that it has
outgrown its current location.  To give the UCIMC a
permanent home in Champaign-Urbana it has become
necessary to have a larger space.  In order to make
the move to this larger location, the UCIMC has set a
goal to raise $100,000, and their Capital Campaign has
already surpassed the $50,000 mark in just 12 months. 
  

For more information, go to www.ucimc.org, or contact
Jacqueline Waters at jq at wildhunt.org or (217) 384-4452


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