The University of Wisconsin Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives has received the prestigious 2009 Governor’s Award in Support of the Arts for its many programs, including the ground-breaking First Wave Learning Community.
“Our ideas and our voice and our creative expressions are really worth something and people are listening,” said Gabriel De Los Reyes, UW sophomore and member of the First Wave program.
The First Wave program gives four-year tuition scholarships to the top young artists from across the United States to study and perform the art of hip-hop and spoken word, according to Willie Ney, OMAI executive director.
The program began in the fall of 2005 and currently includes 45 students — 13 of which are currently abroad in Panema, according to Ney.
OMAI is the first art department at UW to win the Governor’s Award in its 29-year history, which speaks to the innovativeness and importance of the cutting-edge program, Ney said.
“What this award means is that there is growing attention of the importance of the impact that hip-hop culture can have in a positive way, in interesting views of higher education and on the possibility of integrating hip-hop across disciplines,” Ney said.
While the recognition is appreciated, Reyes said the students do not perform for awards but for their love of the art.
“It’s about the lives you can impact through the art form,” Reyes said. “We give a voice for those who are waiting for their stories to be told. It’s really beautiful; it’s the best thing that’s happened to me in my life.”
Reyes admits the idea of hip-hop being part of academia is strange at first, but that it is a privilege that supplements the students’ education and can help prepare them for making their dreams a reality.
“A lot of us are minorities and come from oppressed backgrounds and hip-hop is our only outlet; it is the only way we can express ourselves,” Reyes said.
From Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 8 through Oct. 10, OMAI will be showcasing this hip-hop and spoken word art form free to the public through its annual Passing the Mic Series.
“It’s indescribable, all the emotions we touch upon,” Reyes said. “It really forces you to address yourself and share this with others.”
