Words You Can Use: The BAVC BLOG

by Zoe Banks, BAVC Training Advisor

Since 2001, Christopher Willits has taught audio classes including Pro Tools, Ableton Live and Max/MSP/Jitter, at BAVC. He has toured internationally with his ground-breaking, genre-defying solo releases and critically-acclaimed collaborations . His most recent collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto, titled “Ocean Fire”, releases this week on 12K. In the first installment of the new BAVC Interview Series FOCUS, training advisor Zoe Banks sits down with Mr. Willits on a rainy Friday to discuss BAVC, Barack, Bernal, and the moons of Jupiter.

Tell me about BAVC…

BAVC’s amazing. If you look at the way the audio department’s evolved in the last 7 years it’s amazing. When I first started working at BAVC in the beginning of 2001 I was a grad student at Mills and Sharon Cheslow (former member of Chalk Circle, first DC all girls punk band) was teaching and invited me to come help out at an experimental sound class, a pilot class, or demonstration. I don’t really remember the specifics. But after that the education coordinator, Chris Gee invited me to come in and do an Intro to Digital Audio class and I was like “hell yeah”.

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By Nooshin Navidi, BAVC Development Associate

BAVC members are a unique mix of media artists, locals, producers, students, staff, musicians, friends, educators, industry folks, the list goes on. One of the first and most obvious questions people ask me regarding BAVC membership is, “What do I get if I become a BAVC member?” Some people want to hear me detail aloud the list of membership benefits and discounts (i.e., 5% off BAVC classes, exceptional educational discount on all Apple products), while others seek more than these great promotions. What else are people seeking from their BAVC membership? Community. A live community in addition to a web community, while continuing to support an organization approaching 30 years whose mission is to “connect diverse communities to media creation and innovation.” As BAVC takes next steps in bridging media artists and community members to the nanosecond pace of advancing technology, we will always provide a space for people to develop ideas and imaginative solutions to their media endeavors.

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