Art Explorers! Summer Camp field trip to the "Embracing Our Differences" exhibition in Riverside Park.

At Riverside, we believe that art can be a powerful way to explore complex issues, and we’re proud to be a hub for these kinds of conversations. Talking to kids about race can feel like one of the toughest conversations to have as a parent. It’s not always easy to know where to start or how to navigate such important topics. That’s why we’re excited to be launching a workshop series with the support of the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, in collaboration with Laura Lee Smith and Kayla Skinner-Roy. These workshops will give parents and other trusted adults the tools and confidence to have meaningful conversations with their children. Through creative activities and skill-building, this new series will help caregivers engage with these topics in a way that’s approachable and constructive. Keep an eye out for more announcements as they develop, and we hope you’ll join us this fall!

- Liz Warren, Executive Director, Riverside Arts Center

Now Introducing Drop-In Days!

Art Explorers! Summer Camp 2025

Are you and your art explorer looking to fill one day of creative fun? Sign up for a single-day drop-in of RAC’s Summer Camps!

Drop-in options open 7 days before the start of each week and will be available for all weeks, with the exception of Cute Critters week.

Visit the link below to explore what daily projects your art explorer can expect to create for each day of camp.

Sign up today to drop-in to next week's camp: Comics and Superheroes!

Registrations for all of our 5-day camp experiences are still open! See the graphic below for details to discover what each camp experience has to offer!

Details:

• There are four more weeks of camp, each with a different theme, running until August 8th
• For campers ages 6 - 12
• Camp runs Monday-Friday from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm.
• Camp fees are $300/weekly for non-Ypsilanti residents, and $285/weekly for Ypsilanti residents
• Free opt-in, RAC-provided lunch and snacks daily
• Camp fee can be paid all at once or in installments, with $100 due at registration.

Artmaking @ Riverside - Workshops and Classes

Get creative with us this summer!

Riverside Arts Center has curated an incredible lineup of artmaking workshops and classes to fuel your creative spirit.

Learn more about our offerings, such as our Fiber Arts workshops taught by Kim DeBord and Lindsey Leyland of "The Getup Vintage," and our Intro to Stained Glass Workshop taught by Iman Hathaway.

Ypsi Fine Arts Club

The next two Ypsi Fine Arts Club meetings take place July 16th and August 6th!

On the first and third Wednesday of each month, artists and art lovers alike gather to share their work with each other. Everyone is welcome from Ypsi and beyond! Attendees are not required to present. Anyone is welcome to simply gather with our community and enjoy the incredible artwork.

Doors open at 5:00 pm and presentations start at 5:30 pm. YFAC wraps up around 6:30pm.

Oil Painting presented at the May 7th YFAC gathering.

Fall Paid Internship Applications Extended to July 23rd!

The Paid Internship Program at Riverside Arts Center is designed to support individuals passionate about arts, culture, and community development. Prospective interns can choose from one of the following areas: Gallery Intern, Marketing Intern, Fundraising and Development Intern, and Community Engagement and Outreach Intern. Applicants may also submit their own project proposal aligned with Riverside Arts Center’s mission.

Applicants must be enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate program.

Artist Opportunities at RAC

Call for Exhibitions

RAC is now accepting exhibition proposals for 2026! This includes groups of artists, guilds, and collectives. This call prioritizes collaborative, thematically-driven shows that foster dialogue, experimentation, and community engagement.

Our North Gallery is best suited for projects that benefit from a shared curatorial vision, multiple artistic voices, and dynamic use of space. While we appreciate the ambition of solo exhibitions, proposals that feature two or more artists tend to be a better fit for the scale and intent of this gallery. We are not accepting proposals for solo exhibitions at this time.

We’re especially interested in proposals that:

• Present a cohesive curatorial or conceptual framework across works by multiple artists
• Encourage cross-disciplinary or cross-cultural perspectives
• Foster collaboration or dialogue between emerging and established voices
• Engage with the social, historical, or material context of Southeast Michigan

We encourage artists to think beyond traditional exhibitions—consider proposals that include participatory elements, site-specific installations, public programming, or community partnerships.

Become a RAC Teaching Artist

Riverside Arts Center’s Artmaking @ Riverside provides engaging and high-quality arts instruction for our creative community. Our workshops and classes are designed to be accessible to a wide range of experience levels — from beginners to professional artists looking to expand their skill set.

This program is ever-growing, and we are always accepting proposals from teaching artists for new classes. Be sure to check out our Workshops and Classes page to see what we’re currently offering and gauge if your class would be a great addition to our lineup!

Applications are open on a rolling basis. RAC's Programming Committee reviews applications twice a year: once in the spring and once in the winter.

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