Summer Creative Jobs

Artists creating art in the park with youth

THE BIG IDEA

Hire young creative, pay them and teach them to be productive, engaged workers.

Modeled partly after Boston-based Artists for Humanity, the summer jobs are intended to provide paid work experience, new creative skills – and an understanding of how to be a focused, productive employee and artist. Some may gain experience working directly with Mint clients; others learn a bit about how art fairs work. Learn more in this Q&A we prepared.

Two summer workers painting

In 2016, Mint hired four young people through Grow Detroit’s Young Talent, the city’s summer youth employment program. In 2017, we hired five young people and by 2019, we reached 10 young artists, including two from the University of Michigan Wolverine Pathways internship. In 2020, we hired our “Lucky 13” artists and in 2022, we hired 17 Detroit artists. Our goal is to continue to grow, slowly and sustainably.

 
Many of the paintings created by our summer workers are donated to an array of local charities through Mint’s Paint Detroit with Generosity campaign. Other paintings show up in Mint exhibits and activities, including our first traveling exhibit Heroes: Now and Then, which was featured at the Grand Rapids Art Museum in spring 20201.

We are recruiting talented young artists and designers to work with us in the summer 2023 so please contact us by April 25 – sooner is better –  to be considered.  There’s three main steps to being considered for a job with Mint:

  1. Apply and register with  GDYT and upload all the documentation and information required. Here are instructions for GDYT online applications.
  2. Contact Mint and ask to be interviewed. Youth must email us and share one piece of their work, or we will not be aware of them.
  3. Prepare for a job interview with these tips   and also these seven tips. Then interview with us  in April or early May.   Provide more work samples and a list of at least two references including teachers or volunteer leaders.  
  4. If you are offered a job, complete the GDYT documentation. Plan your summer so you’re available to  work with us for at least 110 hours in July and August.  
  5. And attend our pre-employment orientation in June. We do this as a hybrid orientation. 

The Mint Summer Jobs program is based in Palmer Park, Detroit, and youth must arrange transportation at least two days a week, or take a bus to get there. Generally the in-person days are scheduled for Mondays and Wednesdays, with new artists expected to show up on many Thursdays too.

Artists should have strong interest in creating work, and proficiency in painting is valuable but not required. Drawing skills or digital art making skills are valuable. We seek youth who are creative, hard-working, responsible, dedicated to the craft and eager to learn. We gladly answer questions and share more information via email, or through social media.

SUMMARY: Apply to Mint’s summer creative jobs on the Grow Detroit’s Young Talent website – and then be in touch with us in March or April. The overall GDYT deadline is May 20; Mint expects to hire all artists – workers by early May.