<\/p>\n
~~~~~<\/p>\n
\u201cNegotiation\u201d is often a key word in the culture we strive to uphold in our communities. Last week, I briefly debated whether a local multiplex preferred by many in Champaign, Urbana<\/strong>, and Savoy<\/strong> will stand a chance in the economic doldrums of the present, assuming the landlord partners with new management to reopen it<\/a><\/span>. This week, I\u2019ll offer my two cents on the resolution of how a public artwork loved by many in Bloomington, Normal<\/strong>, and nearby towns will be handled as the owner of the building it resides on wants to make way for redevelopment. The conflict at the core of the latter situation is addressed in a 20-minute-long short called MAKING A MURAL<\/strong>, produced by Illinois State University<\/strong> students earlier this year and embedded below for your convenience. You can also watch a preview at FilmFreeway<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n Claire Bottom, Colin Connelly, Akila Howard<\/strong>, and Ian Roberds<\/strong> teamed up in a spring semester course taught by professor Brent Simonds<\/strong> to make a documentary on the ubiquitous mural in downtown Normal. As told by Roberds to Laura Kennedy<\/strong> of WGLT-FM<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, the university\u2019s public radio station, it challenged the group to look deeper into the controversy surrounding the mural and also find a way to amend their workflow so they could finish the film from a distance, having returned to their respective homes after ISU closed down its campus. The classmates\u2019 effort paid off as MAKING A MURAL<\/strong> earned them an Award of Excellence in the \u201cShort Form Documentary\u201d category of the 2020 Broadcast Education Association<\/strong> (BEA) Festival of Media Arts<\/strong>, a national juried competition for educators and students that celebrates its winners during the annual BEA convention, shortened and held virtually this year due to the pandemic. Out of more than 1,700 entries, 368 video and audio programs received citations<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n ~~~~~<\/p>\n