| |
|
Photo by Robb Long
Steve Jevning, founder of Leonardo's Basement at 4301 Nicollet Ave. S., poses under a giant shark made of wood, fabric tape and other materials. The shark and other large-scale projects decorate the outside of the organization's building.
|
A community of learners: Leonardo's Basement celebrates 10th anniversary
|
By Emily Stickler
KINGFIELD — Steve Jevning, the founder of Leonardo's Basement, just celebrated the organization's 10-year anniversary in November.
Over the past decade, Jevning has strived to evolve the local nonprofit organization into a center to explore creativity.
Leonardo's Basement, 4301 Nicollet Ave. S, is an educational organization aimed at creating imaginative learning environments in which to explore art, science and technology.
"The single biggest philosophical emphasis for having this program is that I don't see any reason why we should say 'no' to kids that want to do something, and that has stayed constant the past 10 years," Jevning said.
Maintaining this mission throughout the evolution of the program is key to its continued success, he said.
"Because I trust kids and had a lot of experience working with them, I was always most worried about whether we were doing right by the kids," Jevning added.
This is very different than the idea at a lot of schools and youth programs because most other programs make their decisions based on what works well for adults, he said. At Leonardo's Basement, this mission is achieved by making sure that the kids are able to explore and create freely.
Jevning's background and experience working with children was the driving force in the nonprofit's philosophy, he said. "I was trained as a school teacher and never taught, but what I learned is that I loved teaching in some facet and I loved kids," Jevning said.
He student-taught for nearly two years but didn't feel comfortable or confident in the school setting, he said.
"I identified well with what the school thing was like; there was a lot of activity and interest, but it was still too confining for some kids," he said.
After leaving the elementary school world, Jevning designed and built houses for nearly 20 years. "I was comfortable using tools and solving problems and had a background working with kids," Jevning said.
His combined background in teaching and building was a great foundation to start a program that would be a creative outlet that lots of kids need, he said.
"I knew how to mold kids' imaginations and help them create something that was doable for them, no matter their age," Jevning said.
It was when Jevning's son was attending Barton Open School, that a group of parents got together to create an afterschool program that facilitated hands-on learning. "I would say that the founding group of parents were all willing to make learning work for their individual kid, no matter what style of learning it was," he said.
Jevning used the combination of art, science and technology in a hands-on learning environment to create the program. That is also how they decided to identify a patron that represented the notion — Leonardo Da Vinci.
"The idea of an explorer and someone who was curious and had an inquisitive mind fit with our philosophy and what we wanted kids to understand," Jevning said. "This combined with the idea of a basement being somewhere to explore and create was perfect."
With help from 30 teachers that work throughout the year, and the layout and design of the basement at their current location, Leonardo's Basement has become a great place for interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary learning, he said.
"We don't care if kids are distracted by something and end up doing something else because that's really how they learn," Jevning said. "Because I was confident that kids are competent teachers of themselves, they are encouraged to learn by making mistakes." This is a profound learning tool that is often discouraged at many schools or other youth programs, Jevning said.
"We encourage kids to take risks and not be disappointed when things don't work out," he added. "Once they learn how to do it on their own, the learning is much richer and deeper and more likely to stick."
Through this learning, Leonardo's Basement has become a part of the community, he said. "The kids form a community of learners here, and that's what we were striving for," Jevning said.
Leonardo's Basement recently started offering classes for adults in a workshop setting. Studio Bricolage is a playful way to do adult projects, he said. Jevning would also like to serve more kids through their teen programs in the future. "Our goal is to do more things that captivate middle school and high school kids," he said.
More information can be found at www.leonardosbasement.org.
|
Read more stories about:
Kingfield neighborhood
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Art beat // Closing and opening
By Dylan Thomas
Art of This leaving current space, but won’t cease to existLYNDALE — A few weeks before they planned to shutter their Nicollet Avenue art space for good, John Marks and David Petersen of Art of This Gallery reflected on “Open Summer,” their ongoing, open door, last blast summer project. A free-for-all residency program that eventually enrolled 80-some artists, the slowly percolating “Open Summer” was building steam as it headed into its, and the gallery’s, grand finale at the end of August. And for all the potential pitfalls in telling some seven dozen people where the gallery key is hidden, about the worst thing that happened all summer was when someone spilled salsa in the refrigerator and never cleaned it up.
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
On the mat // Green yogis in Linden Hills
By Sarah McKenzie
Devanadi Yoga, a new studio near Lake Harriet, is a trailblazer in the local yoga community. The small 525-square-foot studio, tucked behind the Bruley Center on West 43rd Street in Linden Hills, is the first yoga studio in the state to be certified by the Green Yoga Association for its environmentally friendly efforts. The studio’s green practices include using non-VOC paint, controlling the thermostat to keep the building energy efficient and encouraging students to walk, bus or bike to class. Tanya Boigenzahn Sowards, studio director/owner of Devanadi Yoga, said being green is “core value of the studio and it ties back to the yogic philosophy of doing no harm.” “Minneapolis frequently ranks as one of the top green
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
Everyday gardener // Q&A
By Meleah Maynard
Struggling tomatoes, rain barrels and rootbound plantsEven though spring started in earnest in March this year, it still seems like summer is going by too fast. So, fast, in fact, my inbox has been a bit stuffed with questions. As always, I’ve replied directly to people who asked for help with various things. But here in the column I’m going to cover some of the questions that seem likely to be of interest to a lot of gardeners. By far, the questions I’m getting most are about tomatoes, so I’ll start there. Q: My tomato plants look good and have a lot of flowers, but I’m not getting a lot of fruit this year. What’s going on?A: It’s been too hot for tomatoes to set fruit
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
Flavor // A smokin’ sensation on Nicollet
By Carla Waldemar
If you’re wondering what caused the traffic stand-still on South Nicollet the other evening, let’s just say I should have kept my window shut. When passing cars got a whiff of possibly the best aroma in the galaxy — I’m talking about barbecue, of course — they halted to demand, “Where’d you get that?” At C&G’s, of course. Greg Alford launched C&G’s Smoking Barbecue exactly a year ago; the anniversary balloons in the otherwise-Spartan, clean-as-a-whistle hole in the wall provided the only touch of whimsy in this serious business. Greg was born in Louisiana, which may explain his superior taste in food. He grew up in Detroit, one of 12 kids whose mamma set him to cooking when he was 5, he
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
Wild city // Eating the yard
By Mary Jean Port
I love August. It is so lush. All summer, as I nurse the garden along, I anticipate these eating days. We now have too much of everything: tomatoes, green beans, heat, humidity, and also thunder, for those of us who have a dog frightened by it. I have been working our piece of ground for 14 years, and have good soil to show for it. Back when we first started, my husband was more of a lawn guy. He liked the idea of a garden, but drew a line in the grass with his toe. Don’t dig up anything beyond here, he said. So I dug my first of what are now 10 beds, and planted the pumpkin right on his line. The vines ran out of the garden and took over the whole backyard. My husband good-naturedly threw up his hands. We started with vegetables, and
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
Kid rock
By Sam Lane
Twin Town Guitars hosts a camp that gives young musicians a chance to play and perform in a bandMore than 60 excited, camera-toting fans packed Cause Spirits and Soundbar on a warm August afternoon waiting for two headline bands to take the stage. The hotly anticipated musicians weren’t well known. They weren’t 20-somethings trying to strike a record deal. They weren’t middle-aged men trying to relive their youth. They were kids, ages 8–17, who spent prior weeks at Twin Town Guitars, 3400 Lyndale Ave. S., preparing for their first concert. In an economy where budget cuts deal constant blows to public school music programs, the owners of Twin Town have spent the last three summers providing a haven for aspiring
Full Article
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
