by Maria Rios

Since its establishment in the heart of downtown in 1997, it's been difficult to ignore the growing energy emanating from the sun colored building on the corner of 2nd and Colorado -- the Austin Children's Museum. This energy, powered by the warm, vibrant sounds of children at play, is most evident in the bright faces of hundreds of children as they explore, aided by the museum's dazzling interactive exhibits, the mysteries of a world still so new to their sight, touch and experience. This summer, however, in addition to the children's programming, The Austin Children's Museum seeks to extend itself to Austin teens by providing a forum for their creative whims unlike any other in town. And how does the museum accomplish this, when teens seem to be among the hardest to attract and motivate if you're not offering them sugar-coated endorsements for fizzy drinks or for equally fizzy and complicated athletic gear and other media sweets? The Austin Children's Museum employs a more subtle approach: the never sparing use of action words, verbs (the imperative in particular) that invite Austin teens to reject media sweets for a healthier and more productive "multimedia" diet in addition to other activities. Make your own film. Design your own animation. And even learn to swing dance, beckon the Museum's flyers, but most of all create, create, create. Little by little, teens trickle in to involve themselves in developing programs such as "Teen Night," "The Loft Series" and other activities spearheaded and mentored by Brenda Sendejo, Teen Program Coordinator.

When asked about teen involvement at the museum, Sendejo made it clear that for the past eleven years, the museum has offered opportunities for teens to participate as volunteers. Over time and with the accumulation of multimedia technology these volunteers were allowed access to the museum's resources, which in turn initiated the creative flow that would eventually snowball into museum activities and firsts designed for and most importantly, by the teens themselves. The conceptual springboard for these activities that emphasize creativity through technology is the Loft Series. The Loft, initially an experimental extension to teens resulting from youth and community input, offers both a "hang" space and a multimedia studio in addition to mentorship in the traditional arts. This generous fountain of creative resources, which has sponsored classes on such topics as swing dancing and African drumming, sets the stage not only for creative growth but for leadership opportunities. It was this program that led to the creation of the Teen Advisory Council, an organization that has been instrumental in generating ideas for teen participation in the museum.

The Teen Advisory Council, originally made up of seventeen former volunteers presented the Austin Children's Museum's first Youth Multimedia Exhibit, an art show both contributed to and curated by the council. Held on March 23, 1999, the exhibit featured works ranging from traditional media to computer generated images and web sites. So successful was this event that it called the attention of Mayor Kirk Watson who proclaimed that day as "Youth Multimedia Day."

Another first for both the museum and this age group was the premiere of Teen Takes, the museum's first teen documentary put together under the guidance of Mocha Jean Herrup, University of Texas doctoral student and documentary film maker. The documentary featured interviews with local teens, most of which are members of the Alamo Community Center's Believe in Me dance group, along with filmed commentary given by a number of this state's school principals who happened to be present where the young filmmakers Jessica Estarga and Kaylan Burnette gathered footage for their project. The end result reveals short, permanent glimpses of the shaky emotional momentum symbolic of that awkward age that most of us in some way or another remember with reluctant fondness.

The showing of the documentary preceded another event held that evening which was a call for entries for those in the audience interested in participating in Austin's Own Youth Film and Video Festival to be held at the museum in October 1999. In attendance was Mars, an independent film producer, who shared her wealth of experience with the attendees, most of whom are participants in the All Girl Media Club, yet another program geared to link teens, creativity and multimedia. With handouts and inspiration to share, Mars jump-started the vision of the future filmmakers, producers and artists in the room with helpful tips on how to retrieve, conceive and organize the ideas that could become the next round of showcase works for both the youth and the museum.

As this summer's teen activities come to a close, be sure that the museum -- with the help of its teen participants -- will continue to develop multimedia workshops and a range of cultural programs that invariably will keep all interested youth busy throughout the year.

The events mentioned here are only a sampling of what the museum offers, so for more information on teen events and classes, please contact Brenda Sendejo at (512) 472-2499ext 209. For more information on the All Girl Media Club, contact Beth Sams, Multimedia Educator at (512) 472-2499, ext. 240.