Submit your application for The Design Collective, a collaborative, hands-on team where high school students and teaching artists work alongside one another to design, paint, and produce custom artwork and products for the Essex Art Center community in time for our annual block party, Fiesta en la calle. 

You’ll learn to use cutting-edge tools like the Cricut machine and GlowForge laser engraver to create unique merchandise and professional-quality products. Perfect for young creatives eager to explore the world of design and entrepreneurship. The Design Collective blends technical skill-building with real-world design challenges, preparing you for future projects or even your own design business. Come ready to collaborate, learn, and bring your ideas to life!

This is a paid commitment, in which high school artists will receive a $500 stipend for actively participating in all sessions. Students must commit to attending at least 10 of the 12 sessions in order to receive the stipend.

We will meet once a week on Wednesdays, from 4:00-6:30 PM. The last week of the program we will meet on Saturday, July 12, from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM for Fiesta en la calle, Essex Art Center’s annual block party celebrating arts, culture, community, and fun! We will be selling the merch created during the program, demonstrating how to use the machines in the Creativity Lab, and showing off our sidewalk mural. Participants should be ready and willing to talk to the public about what they learned during the program. 

Important Dates:

Open call: March 10, 2025

Submissions close: March 30, 2025

Artists notified: April 2, 2025

Start and end date of Design Collective:  April 9 - July 12, 2025

Fiesta en la calle: Saturday, July 12, 2025, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM

(NO DESIGN COLLECTIVE: April 22, June 25, July 2)