UM-Flint's Riverbank Arts to partner with Sylvester Broome Empowerment Village for summer camp

Riverbank Arts has teamed up with Flint's Sylvester Broome Empowerment Village to host a summer camp at 4119 Saginaw St. The camp will allow attendees to grow in their creativity by exploring the arts, led by a trio of featured artists. The weeklong camp will take place July 29-Aug. 5.

Riverbank Arts, an initiative of the Arts+Culture Research Cluster at UM-Flint, is a community-centered space for creatives, community members and academics to develop and find support for artistic and cultural production. SBEV offers free, year-round programming in academics, athletics and the arts to Flint-area youths ages 5-17. 

Audrey Medlin, SBEV education director, believes the collaboration between the two organizations is a natural fit. 

"At SBEV, we believe in the transformative power of the arts. The integration of artistic expression with our educational and empowerment programs aligns perfectly with our holistic approach to youth development," said Medlin. "UM-Flint Riverbank Arts brings a wealth of expertise in arts education and community engagement, making them an ideal partner to enhance our offerings. Their commitment to fostering creativity, cultural awareness, and artistic skills resonates with our goals of nurturing well-rounded, confident and expressive individuals."

As part of the camp's programming, three featured artists will lead attendees through several exercises in creativity and self-exploration. 

• Keyon Lovett. A self-taught Hebrew visual artist from Flint, Lovett employs painting, graphic design and illustration to weave a vivid narrative of his life and observations of the world. He will lead "Self-Portraits & Self-Esteem" during the camp. 
• Steven Banks, aka This Life. We Lead. Banks is an alternative rapper and middle school teacher from Flint. He has pursued music since 2013, releasing "Drink Responsibly" in 2019. He will lead "Connecting Artistry with Community" during the camp. 
• My Proulx. Proulx produces lifestyle, street and photojournalism-style images through active exploration of unique spaces and the people who navigate and interact within them. She will lead "DIY Button Making" during the camp. 

Proulx said she looks forward to helping young people find inspiration and opportunities in the arts.

"I think it's important for artists to work with young people in the city to show them that there are working artists all around them and making a life for themselves," said Proulx. "Art is a real job that you can practice and train for and really have in this world. I love to teach and I love to encourage people to be creative and express themselves in safe spaces and that is what I am here to provide." 

William Langford, Riverbank Arts program director, was instrumental in planning this collaboration.

"I'm grateful to our partners at SBEV, and thrilled that Riverbank Arts and UM-Flint are engaging the youth in Flint through art education. Our goal is to increase access to the arts, and offer exciting opportunities to the communities we serve."

True to that mission, Riverbank Arts has held many community-oriented programs and exhibitions since its inception in 2022. Most recently, the space hosted "Healing Frequencies," an evening of healing music, collective art-making, guided meditation, relaxation and rejuvenation in a space designed for rest and comfort. 

Ben Gaydos, associate professor of design, said that a $10,000 grant from the Arts Initiative at U-M and a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Flint has helped to make this summer camp collaboration and other community programming possible. 

"Since our launch in 2022, Riverbank Arts has been committed to being a community-centered space for creatives, community members, and academics to develop and find support for artistic and cultural production in Flint. It's been rewarding to extend that commitment beyond the walls of the university through the development of artist-led workshops and programming with community partners," Gaydos said. 

"With generous support from the Community Foundation of Greater Flint and the Arts Initiative at UM – and in partnership with Buckham Fine Arts Project – we've been able to support a cadre of incredible emerging artists from Flint in their development and growth as creative change makers. This summer our Emerging Artist Fellows are paying it forward to the next generation of Flint creatives. We've teamed up with SBEV to support youth arts workshops and programming led by these talented artists." 

To learn more about SBEV's programming, visit the organization's webpage. More information about Riverbank Arts can also be found online.