In recognition of America\u2019s 250th anniversary, 10 students from the Bethlehem Area School District have created a podcast exploring the intersection of art and American history.<\/p>\n
The podcast, titled \u201cFraming the Founding,\u201d was produced through ArtQuest\u2019s free Teen Takeover<\/a> program, which meets weekly in February.\u00a0<\/p>\n Teen Takeover is led by local podcasters, Lys Sparrow-Serraino and Daniel Chiles, who have collaborated for three years on projects including \u201cLandmarks with Leon,\u201d \u201cSouthside Voices with Host Roy Ortiz\u201d and \u201cCold Case Mysteries of the Lehigh Valley.\u201d Hosted by PBS, the program is offered to Lehigh Valley students ages 14 to 17 who are interested in learning about the podcasting process.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sparrow-Serraino and Chiles said they began podcasting later in their careers and have found the platform especially meaningful.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s unique about podcasting is that nobody really sees you unless you want (them) to,\u201d Sparrow-Serraino said. \u201cIt\u2019s based truly on what you say and what your beliefs are, so I think that\u2019s the reason why it\u2019s become so popular and so empowering.\u201d<\/p>\n For this session, the instructors took a different approach from their usual workshops, where students select their own topics.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sparrow-Serraino said they saw the anniversary as the perfect opportunity to focus on the nation\u2019s founding and designed the program around artwork reflecting the Revolutionary Period in the 1700s.<\/p>\n Students researched paintings created between 1773 and 1783 that depict scenes from the Revolutionary War. Each student selected a piece that caught their attention, and their research will be featured in the podcast.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey think they\u2019re coming in just to learn about podcasting, but in fact, now they\u2019re learning about civics,\u201d Sparrow-Serraino said. \u201cNow they\u2019re learning about art and about other podcasts that talk about these things, and now they can see the relatability between these topics.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Joanne Garcia, the manager of education and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Programs at ArtsQuest, said she believes in making art \u2014 including podcasts \u2014 accessible to as many people as possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPart of our mission at ArtsQuest is providing accessible art and cultural programs and events,\u201d Garcia said. \u201cWe have an awesome grants administrator who is constantly looking for opportunities to fund these programs, and that\u2019s how we are able to have it for free for the students.\u201d<\/p>\n Teen Takeover has been running for four years and was previously hosted at the now-demolished Banana Factory.\u00a0<\/p>\n