Only a handful of public schools in Grand Rapids still offer art classes of any kind. To fill the gap, the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology (WMCAT) offers free art education at their facility in downtown Grand Rapids.
State of Opportunity's Story Booth stopped by WMCAT this summer. The booth goes out across the state to capture stories we might not otherwise hear.
Teenagers participating in various summer art education programs shared stories about what art means to them.
Keon Pearson and her son Keontay Seymour both came into the booth to talk to each other about how access to art education has changed Keontay and State of Opportunity's Youth Journalist Alex Wilson produced this audio postcard.