The ASI Craft Center faced a large shift when Cal Poly went online last year. They now offer many of their classes online, as well as links to coloring pages and YouTube videos. I worked independently on this story, so I was responsible for the story, photos/graphics, and the video. I interviewed Jennifer Serwin, Student Manager of the Craft Center, as well as Melissa Allison-Bullock, Coordinator of ASI Programs. I also talked to Billie Hooven, who used the Craft Center before the shutdown in person and after online about the user experience.
After establishing my topic, I asked around to students and SLO residents to see what people found interesting about the Craft Center. The most frequently asked questions were where people can find the online resources and who it is available for. The first person I talked to was Bullock, to get an overview of how the Craft Center has been moved online and what resources are being offered now. I got general information about how they have gone about moving the Craft Center onto their web page and Instagram story.
Then I interviewed and filmed Serwin, who gave me more in-depth information about my how the resources were moved online, who is teaching online classes on the YouTube channel, and her experience working as Student Manager on and off line. “I think that when it opens up, people should definitely check it out again because it’s really fun,” Serwin said. I filmed our interview and created a video around it, including b-roll of the Craft Center site and the adult coloring sheets that can be printed from the site.
I included photos from the Craft Center Instagram and a photo of Serwin. I wanted to showcase some student art that has been posted on their Instagram and a photo of my main interviewee. Overall, the process while following COVID-19 guidelines was challenging but doable. It would have been great to get into the Craft Center to take photos and film and to meet my sources in person, but I was able to get courtesy shots and talk to people online.