LANSING - The REACH Studio Art Center located in Lansing has been a pillar for teens throughout Ingham County. The art center which is not only reserved for older artists also serves as a place for teenagers who would like to cultivate their own art skills.

“We teach them a lot of technical skills that are important as artists. Understanding how to collaborate, how to work with clients or partners on projects, how to show their art in a gallery, how to sell and price it, but also how to understand themselves as artists and grow and acquire skills in different medias. It serves as a social function as well as a technical function for them as artist,” said Tabor Vits, the Teen Open Studio Coordinator.

Growing up with art during his childhood, Vits realizes just how important it is for the teens to have a space that gives them the accessibility to art they might not have in their own schools.

“I was lucky enough to have arts in my life as a kid, most people don't have that access with lack of arts in schools. That's the main passion is increasing the access, and REACH is one of the active places in lansing doing so," said Vits.

During the summer the Teen Open Studio meets two times a week for two hours to work on their public art as well as anything else they would like to create.

“I love how everyone is here we can all just goof around but also be serious at the same time, everyone is really accepting I just love coming to REACH so we can all do art here together,” said Reach Teen, Emily Tschirhart.

Most recently the REACH teens worked with guest artist Dan Nunez to design garden sculptures for two Lansing Area Gardens. Since 2012 the Teen Open Studio has created 33 works of public art.