Maker Story Labs invites adolescents ages 11–24 into a creative cohort experience where they explore their own maker identity alongside professional creatives from the community. Rather than a traditional class, Labs is built around hands-on making, honest self-expression, and a culminating showcase where teens share their work with family, mentors, and the wider Ionia community. The pathway offers two entry points: the Core Partnership, a foundational cohort designed to welcome new participants into the maker identity framework and creative process, and the Advanced Cohort, for adolescent partners ready to deepen their craft, take on more creative ownership, and mentor newer participants as they move toward a more polished showcase piece.
❋ Core Partnership
Entry-level four-week cohort introducing adolescents to maker identity, creative tools, and collaborative studio culture with professional creative mentors.
❋ Advanced Cohort
Next-step pathway for returning or more experienced adolescents, emphasizing deeper skill-building, creative independence, and leadership within the group.
❋ Community Showcase
Both pathways culminate in a public presentation of participants work, connecting partners with family, donors, and community members.
❋ Apprenticeship Model
Professional creatives work directly alongside adolescent partners with the goal of becoming an apprentice to the professional creative, shaped around identity development and creative expression.
Maker Story Labs: Core Partnership Workshop Series*
Calling all young creatives, ages 11–24! Join us for a 4-part workshop series where you'll explore a variety of artistic mediums and discover what it means to be part of the Maker Story community.
Over four sessions, you'll get hands-on with different creative tools and techniques — no experience necessary, just curiosity and a willingness to try something new. Along the way, we'll walk you through what Core Partnership with Maker Story looks like: how our programs work, what ongoing involvement can offer you, and how you can keep creating with us beyond these four weeks.
What to expect:
- Hands-on exploration across multiple art forms
- A supportive space to try, experiment, and discover your creative voice
- Connection with fellow young makers and professional creatives
- Lunch provided each session
- An inside look at what partnering with Maker Story means long-term
Whether you're an experienced artist or just curious to explore, this series is designed to welcome you in. Come for the art, stay for the community.
📍 Maker Story Creative Collective, Ionia, MI
🍽️ Lunch provided
👤 Ages 11–24
Core Partnership
Core Partnership is a four-part workshop for ages 11–24 that builds lasting connection by pairing therapeutic skills with expressive arts. Sessions begin with gentle grounding to settle and connect. Over the series, participants learn emotion regulation, communication, boundaries, and creative self-expression through movement, visual art, music, and narrative activities designed for accessibility. Each session adds practical tools for managing stress and trauma alongside collaborative art-making that strengthens peer support and self-understanding. A safe, inclusive space where young people practice new ways of relating and turn coping into connection.
Part OneThe Beginning (A Poetry Workshop)
Part TwoThe Fall (a Painting Workshop)
Part ThreeThe Recovery (a Music Workshop)
Part FourThe Connected Life (a Maker Workshop)
Advanced Cohorts
Our advanced cohorts place adolescent partners into small, supportive groups organized by their chosen artistic medium—visual arts, movement, music, writing, or digital media—so each young person can deepen craft and therapeutic expression alongside peers who share their focus. Each cohort meets monthly for immersive workshops led by our professional creative partners who integrate evidence-informed therapeutic practices with advanced skill-building exercises, giving participants both artistic mentorship and tools for emotional regulation. Over time the cohort experience feeds into our Skills Coach/Apprenticeship initiative, where adolescents transition into individualized coaching, peer-led projects, and paid apprenticeships that reinforce leadership, professional habits, and trauma-informed creative practice as they prepare for continued growth in art and life.
MusicDIY Shows, Recording Studio, Songwriting, Jam Sessions
PaintingArt Shows, Collaborative canvas, Slow painting
Poetry/Creative Writing
Spoken Word Nights, Writers Room, Narrative Storytelling
Maker ArtsJewelry Making, Woodworking, Sewing, Art Welding
Taste ArtsBaking, Culinary Experiences, Food Trucks