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 three artists and one other young person through Grow Detroit’s Young Talent, the city’s summer youth employment program. 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 by 2024, we hired 26 Detroit artists. See some of their profiles here.

Our goal is to continue to grow, slowly and sustainably.

 
Youth artists work in a variety of mediums, from lithography to mosaics, mixed media and digital art. And they paint.  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. 
 
All the work they create belongs to Mint, the same as all the cars automakers build belong to the auto company where they work.

Starting in March, we will recruit talented young artists, a marketer and a filmmaker / videographer, to work with us in the summer 2025. Youth must live in Detroit or Highland Park to join the Mint / GDYT summer jobs program. So please contact us by May 1, 2025 – sooner is better –  to be considered.  There’s the 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 to two pieces of their art work, and tell about themselves.
  3. Prepare for a job interview with these tips   and also these seven tips. Then interview with us  in April or 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 all GDYT and Mint enrollment documentation. Plan your summer so you’re available to  work with us for for all of July and at least two weeks in August.  
  5. And you must attend attend our pre-employment orientation in late June. We do this as a hybrid orientation.  

The Mint Summer Jobs program is based in Palmer Park, Detroit, and youth and their parents or guardians 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 Wednesday afternoons, with first-year artists expected to show up on a third day of the week as well.

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 30; Mint expects to hire all artists – workers by May 1.