This summer, Ypsilanti District Library will be hosting workshops for youth in the community to explore art and creativity.
The annual Noise Permit youth songwriting program initially started as an Ozone House event before it partnered with the library in 2015, said Shayla Card-Nowlin, an organizer of the program. There was a pause in the program due to COVID-19, and this summer will mark the third year back from that hiatus, Card-Nowlin said.
The program features workshops for youths age 10-24 to explore any form of art including singing, dancing, spoken word, painting, sculpting and just about anything else they are interested in, Card-Nowlin said. In August, there will be a concert where all the participants can display and perform their projects.
“Everybody is welcome here, for all of our art forms and disciplines as well,” said Card-Nowlin.
The goal of the program is to give teens an outlet to explore their creativity and express themselves in healthy ways, Card-Nowlin said.
“It is about developing transferable skills, but also it is about building a community,” Card-Nowlin said.
Noise Permit is funded by the Michigan Arts and Culture Council; this year it awarded a grant of $15,000. The money is going toward new equipment like cameras and microphones, Card-Nowlin said. She also mentioned using extra equipment to make take-home kits. If a participant can’t come to one of the twice-a-week workshop days, they can ask the youth desk for one of the kits so they can work on their projects at home.
“We understand if you have to miss a day or so because you also are a real person," Card-Nowlin said.
The library also brings in people who have careers or side-jobs in art to talk to participants about careers involving art. The two workshop hosts this year are Joel Stralnic, an award-winning filmmaker and co-founder of SkyRat Productions, and Dante Dorsey, founder and director of Music Means More Inc and staff member in the College of Education at Eastern Michigan University.
Dorsey will be working with Noise Permit for the third year, guiding the students, teaching them new skills and helping them make their visions come to life.
“My job has evolved into really supporting their creative processes and making sure that at the end of the summer, we have something great for them to display during our concert,” Dorsey said.
Music Means More Inc is a non-profit that aims to support young creators, Dorsey said. The organization originally started in 2008 in Flint, where Dorsey is from, and has since grown, with branches in Springfield, Illinois, and Atlanta, Georgia, he said.
“We've been able to provide young artists with their own home recording studios now, which is full circle from where I started: being supported by producers and older artists that were in my community, and now being able to create an organization that's able to give back in that way and support the young creators,” Dorsey said.
The program is also a great community builder, Dorsey said. The end concert in August is in the courtyard of the library, and is a lively environment that tends to draw crowds, Dorsey said.
“You can really just feel that positive community environment. And it's been a pleasure just being a part of bringing that all together,” Dorsey said.
The workshops will be held every Monday and Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. at 229 W. Michigan Avenue. Snacks are provided on Mondays and dinner is provided on Wednesdays, Card-Nowlin said. There is no sign-up necessary, and participants are welcome to walk in and join. The first workshop of 2026 will be June 8. The final performance will be August 7th from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information, visit the Ypsilanti District Library website.
