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Story Subject Category: Urbana
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Odyssey of the Mind is an international competition centered around creative problem-solving for students from kindergarten through college. But researchers at the University of Illinois are using those same brain teasers, stage performances, and long-term problem solving challenges to study the possible benefits these types of activities might have on the minds and overall well-being of older adults.
Segment duration: 07:46
Story links:
- Senior Odyssey
- Dr. Elizabeth Stine-Morrow, University of Illinois
- Odyssey of the Mind (International Program)
Producer: Steve Drake
Editor: Steve Drake and Tristan Riddell
This segment is filed in these categories: Hobbies • Science/Nature • University of Illinois • University of Illinois • Urbana
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The art of storytelling has been with us since before written history. When most people think of storytelling today, they think of someone simply reading a story aloud from a book. But traditional storytelling actually involves much more than that. We caught up with storytellers Dan Keding and Kathe Brinkmann to get the story straight from the storytellers themselves.
Segment duration: 11:01
Story links:
- Champaign-Urbana Storytelling Guild
- Tim Sheppard’s Storytelling Resources for Storytellers (UK)
- International Storytelling Center (Jonesborough, TN)
- Dan Keding: Storyteller, Author, and Folk Musician (personal website)
- Kathe Brinkmann: Storyteller (personal website)
Producer: Steve Drake and Virginia Steffen
Editor: Steve Drake and Tristan Riddell
This segment is filed in these categories: Arts/Culture • Folklore • Hobbies • Literature • Champaign • Urbana
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Yu “Ian” Wang is an avid collector of local artists. He was born in China’s southernmost province of Yunnan and immigrated to the United States in the mid-1990s. Although he lives in Champaign and works in Rantoul, Wang has always kept his ties with his Chinese homeland. Collecting artwork from his hometowns takes him not only across the Midwest, but across the globe. His collection is a combination of traditional Chinese water-ink painting and modern Western abstract art.
Segment duration: 9:11
Producer: Steve Drake
Editor: Jared Collins and Steve Drake
This segment is filed in these categories: Antiques/Collectibles • Arts/Culture • Ethnicity/Culture • Hobbies • Libraries/Museums/Cultural Centers • Champaign • Rantoul • Urbana
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We meet photographer David Wiegers, of Gurnee, Ill., who is traveling across American documenting the many sculptures, monuments and other public artworks dedicated to Abraham Lincoln, including those located on the University of Illinois campus.Over the past few years, Wiegers has photographed over 200 statues and monuments dedicated to our 16th president. Series Producer Steve Drake caught up with Wiegers when he visited the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus to photograph one of those Lincoln artworks, the relief sculptures that adorn the walls on the university’s own Lincoln Hall.
Segment duration: 06:02
Producer: Steve Drake
Editor: Jared Collins and Steve Drake
This segment is filed in these categories: Architecture • Arts/Culture • Historical Landmarks • History • Illinois Culture/History • Photography • Travel • Champaign • Lincoln • University of Illinois • Urbana
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The mission of 40 north/88 west is to nurture artists in Champaign County by fostering collaboration, and keeping them informed about opportunities and events. Producer Virginia Steffen introduces some of the artists who are part of 40 north and the work they are creating in central Illinois.
Segment duration: 06:45
Story links:
- 40 north/88 west
- David Raila
- Adriana Smith
- Georgia Morgan
- Deborah Fell
- Kim Allison
- Hyon Joo Kim
- Christine Main
- Burcu Okay
- Athan Chilton
Producer: Virginia Steffen
Chief Camera - Segment: Julius Bolton, David Noreen, Henry Radcliff, Virginia Steffen
This segment is filed in these categories: Arts/Culture • Champaign • Champaign County • Urbana
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By producer Denise La Grassa
The story of Jerry and Wilma Ashenbremer of Oakwood is one of love amid the ruins of war. They met in Vienna at the conclusion of World War II. Wilma was a young Austrian, Jerry a GI patrolling the city. They began a silent relationship.
Bob and Hattie Marion of Urbana sustained their love throughout the war when he was overseas. Letters kept the spark alive. But every time the letters temporarily stopped, Hattie worried.
The couples are similar in that they’ve been together so long that there’s a great friendship and a close bond. I found the way they interacted to be very fresh and youthful, yet both couples are older. I wonder if it’s because they came through so much in their years having to go through the war and its aftermath together.
Segment duration: 06:59
Story links:
Producer: Denise La Grassa
Editor: Eleanore Stasheff
This segment is filed in these categories: World War II • Oakwood • Urbana
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By producer Virginia Steffen
My crew and I arrived at the Market 6 a.m. on a June morning, armed with camera, tripod and sound equipment. The day was still not too warm, and the sun had barely risen. We started by interviewing Mary Finch about her crafts. Then, we relocated to shoot another interview, and another, and another, until people started filing into the rows of venders, ready for another week of shopping for local food and goods. As the crowd hit full-force, the heat did, too. It was a bright, hot day, but we barely had time to notice because we were so quickly moving around to get patron interviews, and shoot footage of people shopping and musicians performing.
I love Market on the Square, because of all the local excitement going on. There is such a genuine feeling of community here on Saturday mornings in the summer. We saw friends hugging, venders and patrons chatting up like good friends, and lots of community people out enjoying this homegrown taste of summer.
For me, highlights were: getting up on the roof of the city building to interview Kathy Larson with the market behind her, and shooting footage of local performer Michael Powers. Michael is such a great local character, and he is a lot of fun to videotape because he enjoys interacting with his audience members and the camera.
Segment duration: 05:39
Story links:
Producer: Virginia Steffen
Chief Camera - Segment: Virginia Steffen
This segment is filed in these categories: Agriculture/Agribusiness • Business • Food/Restaurants • Urbana
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University of Illinois entomologist May Berenbaum tells Prairie Fire she was pleased to have a luscious entomologist named after her in a 1996 “The X-Files” episode, especially since the character was a great stereotype buster. “Entomologists are usually portrayed as having horn-rimmed glasses and wearing inappropriate clothes like pith helmets,” said Prairie Fire host Alison Davis, who profiles Berenbaum. Davis explores the activities of the real life Berenbaum and the history of her Insect Fear Film Festival, which Berenbaum has been using for 15 years to expose the mythology in insect films.
Davis said Berenbaum actually likes a lot of the films that aren’t scientifically accurate. “In fact, the worse the movie, the more entertaining she finds it. But she does like to point out where the movie differs from scientific fact,” Davis said. Berenbaum, a member of the national Academy of Sciences and head of the UI entomology department, began the festival as a fun way to educate people about insects.
Segment duration: 11:10
Producer: Alison Davis Wood
This segment is filed in these categories: Arts/Culture • Cinema/Theaters/Film • Illinois Culture/History • Livestock/Animals/Zoology • University of Illinois • Champaign • Champaign County • University of Illinois • Urbana
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The Florida A & M “Marching 100” Band has performed at the Champs Elysee in Paris, at both of President Bill Clinton’s inaugurations and at this year’s Super Bowl XXXIX’s pre-game show Feb. 6 in Jacksonville. But last fall, they wowed U of I football fans with a performance at Memorial Stadium. And the Marching Illini took the field with them at one point for a dueling rendition of “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better.”
Segment duration: 05:10
Producer: Lillie Buck
This segment is filed in these categories: Arts/Culture • Music • University of Illinois • Champaign • Champaign County • University of Illinois • Urbana
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Prairie Fire visits the small observatory southwest of Champaign operated by the dedicated star-watchers of the Champaign-Urbana Astronomical Society. The 15-foot observatory dome, part of the original University of Illinois observatory, was built on the U of I campus in 1914 and salvaged by the club after it had been moved several times and abandoned. The society opens its observatory to the public once each month to help educate people about the night sky.
Segment duration: 08:09
Producer: Alison Davis Wood
This segment is filed in these categories: Science/Nature • University of Illinois • Champaign • Champaign County • University of Illinois • Urbana
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