Since mid- June, young artists in the Loyal to Your Soil Youth Arts Program sponsored by GRDC and funded by the Knight Foundation have been meeting twice a week to learn about and produce a wide variety of original art.  This free program for 13-17 year olds meets at the Chaney Library every Monday and Wednesday from 1-5pm where the young artists either stay and try their hand at such art forms as improv comedy, painting, and poetry, or they head out to a variety of venues around the city to give tire painting a try, and graffiti art, and even circus school!  This weekend these young artists will be making art right on the street in Old Redford -literally!  On Monday the young artists designed and cut out stencils with a “powerful message,” and, after a trip on Wednesday to the Detroit Flyhouse, the artists will bring their stencils to the Artist Village Sidewalk Festival on Saturday, August 2 from 3-9pm, and they will paint their messages right on the sidewalks of Lahser Road (don’t worry – the paint is washable)!  The artists will also help with the set up of the festival to learn about event production, sell some of their artwork, and have the opportunity to check out fellow artists’ work at the festival.

“It’s been a great summer of art for these kids and for the artists who are working with them,” says Becki Kenderes, GRDC’s Sustainable Communities Coordinator and coordinator of the Youth Arts Program.  “I can’t wait to see what they’ll produce next!”  John Garrett, a young artist in the program agrees that this summer arts program has been “really fun, and we’ve gone to some really cool places to see and do different kinds of art.”  Come watch the artists at work at the Artist Village Sidewalk Festival!  If you can’t make that, there will be an art show at the North Rosedale Park Community House, 18445 Scarsdale, on Saturday, August 16 from 4 -6pm.  You can see more photos of the young artists at work by going to the My Grandmont Rosedale Facebook page, or simply click HERE.