Underwriting support from:
It has been an amazing year at WYCE! From celebrations on the airwaves to some truly amazing live music experiences, our crew and volunteer programmers are building community through music! In February we held the 19th Jammies Awards. The Jammies are an opportunity for local talent and music supporters to come together and celebrate the gifts and success of local musicians and bands. Over 15 acts graced the stage and awards were given to programmers and musicians who were voted up by our listeners. It was a great night for Grand Rapids thriving music scene! Then, in April the WYCE Spring FundDrive was a roaring success. With the help of our community we were able to reach our goal! We are so grateful for the vital support of our listeners, volunteers, underwriters, staff, and patrons. Thank you for keeping the best little radio station on the air!
In more recent news, our amazing Station Manager, Quinn Mathews, is taking on a brand-new adventure and we couldn’t be more excited for him. Quinn has helped WYCE grow and thrive in so many wonderful ways and he will be missed. Keep your eyes peeled for news about a farewell celebration. And if you’re interested in throwing your hat in the ring for Station Manager, head on over to GRCMC.org/jobs. Keep those radios tuned to 88.1fm!
Did you join us at Festival of the Arts this year? It was a vibrant occasion with music, food, art, and talent galore... and it was all on GRTV! We were there again this year broadcasting the mainstage of the entire event and we captured every moment of the excitement. We are so grateful for our volunteer production crew who tirelessly filmed and broadcast the event through rain and shine. If you missed a performance there is no need to feel regret. Head on over to our vimeo page to catch up on another fabulous year of Festival of the Arts. And if you’re interested in joining our production crew, be sure to take our classes and become part of the team!
Celebrating One Another with The Rapidian
Celebrating One Another: A Storytelling Event for The Rapidian, was a special evening at Wealthy Theatre this spring. Stories told live by five community members Nardos Osterhart, Vanessa Jimenez, Brittany Devon, Ace Marasigan and Rapidian Managing Editor Kiran Sood Patel, shared glimpses into identity, family, relationships and community, evoking tears, laughter, memories and insights diverse life experiences. An interactive video booth also gave community members a chance to talk about what community means to them and who makes up their community. The Rapidian’s silent auction at the event offered dozens of items donated by local businesses and community members, including a Downtown Experience package donated by Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., a golf package, gift certificates to popular local restaurants and artwork created by local artists.
Funds raised will allow CMC to train more individual community writers and continue to operate the platform featuring stories and photos from our content creators.
Looking ahead to the fall, The Rapidian will once again feature a dedicated ArtPrize content section. This special section includes compelling insights and critique of the art on display during the 19-day festival, beginning September 19. Businesses interested in sharing the spotlight with ArtPrize should contact Managing Editor Kiran Sood Patel at [email protected] to learn about sponsorship and underwriting opportunities.
Stay tuned to The Rapidian for an announcement about the date of our Fall Community Journalism Workshop. Visit therapidian.org to sign up for our Place Matters newsletter.
Have you been keeping up with Wealthy Theatre? We held our Annual Member Meeting at the Theatre in May where our staff and members came together to celebrate the successes of the past year, vote on open board positions, and look forward to what’s coming soon. At the meeting, we heard from our Directors on what each department has been up to and what the plan is for an exciting year to come. Among the highlights was the vision for Wealthy Theatre, which is planning to host even more diverse and celebratory community focused events, renewing our commitment to hosting productions that reflect our neighborhood. Keep your eyes peeled at our ever-growing line up!
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