Explorations of Local Music, Art & Culture
Club members from our Baxter E. Luther Boys & Girls Club closed out their summer program with several exciting field trips highlighting local music, art and culture.
Warehouse Studios
Through a partnership with Warehouse Studios, our Baxter E. Luther Boys & Girls Club members had the truly unique opportunity to learn a wide range of musical and sound mixing skills. We hope experiences like this will inspire our young people to pursue future careers in the music industry.
Our Club members got to play a variety of instruments, learned how to "mic" the instruments for live sound, and learned how to run an analog sound console. They also recorded in a live booth while other Club members helped engineer it on the other side, with the help of Warehouse Studios CEO and Lead Engineer Ryan Turk.
First built in 1950, Warehouse Studios has played a large part in the music culture of Jacksonville. In the earlier days, Warehouse was a recording site for such legends as Molly Hatchet, Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers Band, among many others.
Ritz Theatre & Museum
The Ritz Theatre and Museum was constructed in 1999 on the site of the 1929 Ritz Theater movie house in Jacksonville’s historic African American community of La Villa. During La Villa’s height of activity in the 1920s-1960s, it was known as the “Harlem of the South.”
Through the museum’s lifelike animatronics, our Club members had the privilege to learn about the past, present and future contributions and stories of African American arts and culture in Jacksonville. Several of our staff members also had family members featured in the museum.
African Dreams Painting
Thirteen-year-old Club member, Melanie, painted this masterpiece titled “African Dreams” while spending time at our Baxter E. Luther Boys & Girls Club this summer. The piece was also featured in the Club Member Art Gallery at our recent Summer Nights event.