Rural Fellows at BBDC Host Block Printing Workshop at ARC Summer Camp

By Box Butte Development Corporation

Box Butte Development Corporation is hosting two interns this summer as a part of the Rural Fellowship Program through Rural Prosperity Nebraska. Marissa Lindemann and Ritu Jadwani are students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This summer, they are working with Chelsie Herian on projects like improving BBDC’s social media presence, helping local businesses with marketing tips. They will also be volunteering for community projects.

As a part of her community volunteering, Ritu Jadwani demonstrated a woodblock printing technique using hand-carved wood blocks made in India. The workshop was held at the Alliance Recreation Center for their summer camp on Friday, June 16th. The kids used paints, dyes, blocks, and innovative objects like bottle lids and cookie cutters to create unique designs and prints. The patterns had themes like animals, everyday objects, and other traditional wood block designs. After the workshop, Jadwani led an interactive discussion based on patterns found in nature, food, and textiles.

Mara Andersen, the Executive Director at the Alliance Recreation Center, commented on how beneficial the workshop was for the camp.

“We loved the workshop! The kids produced such beautiful artwork, and I love that they got to use creativity as a tool of learning about another culture,” she said.

The summer camp has a series of workshops for kids to engage in various activities and learn new things. Jadwani, a textile and fashion designer, said she appreciated the opportunity to share her passion and culture with kids.

“I really enjoyed sharing about the printing technique and culture of India. The kids came up with very creative patterns during the workshop and were engaged in the discussion to learn about another culture. Printing with unique objects can help with cognition skill development for kids,” Jadwani said.  Jadwani is a doctoral student in Merchandising at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research focuses on entrepreneurship and sustainability in rural, underserved communities. She has worked with rural artisans in India to sustain the crafts and textiles of the region through her initiative Namaste NYC. Namaste NYC is a social enterprise that works to create employment opportunities for physically disabled women and women who are victims of domestic violence.

As a part of the summer internship project with the rural fellows, BBDC is hosting two lunch and learn sessions for local businesses to learn more about marketing. The first session was on June 29th at BBDC from 12-1 pm in Alliance. The second one will be held on July 6th at the Hemingford Telephone Company (Mobius communications) from 12-1 pm in Hemingford. The sessions will provide lunch so RSVP’s are required. Use this link to sign up https://forms.gle/bkSbqW9deUcGwf6t5 or email boxbuttedevelopment@gmail.com for more information.