More than a year later, the senior in the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities said she still is committed to the REACH Studio Art Center, 1804 S. Washington Ave., in Lansing.

“Mainly, I go and hang out with them,” Chenevert said. “I have friendships with a lot of the kids here.”

Chenevert is a volunteer with the “Teentrepreneurs: Art Means Business” program at the studio, where local teenagers combine their artistic skills with understanding basic business principles to prepare them for a potential career in the fine arts industry.

Chenevert said the program meets every Thursday for three hours.

The nonprofit art center, which is funded by grants, has catered to local youth artists for several years through its Teen Open Studio, or TOS. This past January, TOS students were given the opportunity to focus their talents in the program and apply their art skills to the business world, said Alice Brinkman, director of REACH Studio Art Center.

“We’re always looking for interesting ways to get our teens involved with art and also involved with community artists,” Brinkman said. “This just seemed like a really good way to connect local artists with our teens and at the same time think beyond just making art they like, but also think about doing it as a business.”

Seven local teenagers participate in the program, which focuses on pottery and jewelry creation, as well as textile design.

Five professional artists, along with Chenevert and another MSU student-volunteer, assist the teenagers with their artwork.

But Chenevert said her time spent at the studio is about more than assisting the students with their artwork.

“I help out and answer questions,” Chenevert said. “It’s about showing up every week and showing that I care.”

Lansing Eastern High School student Wesley Castillo, who participates in the program, has been focusing on creating bags through dyeing and sewing cloth.

Although he said he is not planning to pursue a career in the fine arts, the strategies he has developed in the program will be applicable to his dream of someday becoming a professional chef.

“I was thinking that maybe some art skills could come in handy because people like to see food as art sometimes,” Castillo said.

In May, students who created work through the program have the opportunity to showcase their work at REO Art Alley, 1133 Washington Ave., in Lansing, as well as other art venues where their work can be sold.

Brinkman said the knowledge students retain through the program will apply to their lives even if they don’t become entrepreneurs.

“Teenagers are generally lacking in having business education,” Brinkman said. “Regardless if it’s a career or not, teens should be learning how to budget and how to deal with money. So I feel like this kind of covers a lot of different areas and gaps in their learning.”

Although Chenevert believes the teens benefit from learning the principles of business, she
said spending time with the students also is a main component of the program.

“Actually engaging with these kids and forming relationships with them — you learn about them and their lives,” Chenevert said. “You realize you have an impact on these people’s lives and in return, they have an impact on you. It’s just really rewarding.”