Programs for Lifelong Creative Growth
Walkable, intergenerational art education through platforms, communities, and neighborhood partnerships
Building the Foundation: Platforms & Residencies
Core infrastructure supporting teaching artists and enabling community-led learning, both in our physical Hub and through our digital Network.
RESIDE: Empowering Teaching Artists
6-month residencies supporting teaching artists from and for our community. RESIDE provides free space, infrastructure, and integrated tools to help you develop and streamline your teaching practice, empowering you to lead community-led learning.
What We Offer
- Free space rental for 6 months
- Curriculum development support
- Class promotion and marketing
- Student enrollment assistance
- Teaching practice coaching
- Simplified accounting
- Payment installment options
- Community network access
Support Levels
Light: Basic space access and infrastructure
Medium: Additional resources and guidance
Wrap-Around: Comprehensive support including curriculum development, branding, promotion, and coaching
NAS Hub: Our Physical Learning Home
Walkable Brick-and-Mortar Space
Our neighborhood studios serve as a walkable meeting place for intergenerational learning. The Hub is home to workshops, classes, and multi-year learning communities.
Space Features:
- Open studio with natural light
- Dolby Atmos spatial audio studio
- Flexible workshop spaces
- Community gathering areas
- Storage for materials and equipment
NAS Network: Our Digital Community Platform
Online Co-Learning Platform
Our digital platform extends in-person learning, helping people grow teaching practices, connect with lessons and each other, deepen the local creative knowledge base, and expand their communities beyond physical boundaries.
- Teaching practice development
- Online class connections
- Community forums and discussions
- Resource sharing and collaboration
- Slow Stitch, Therapeutic Edgelands, Soundmapping Collective
Deepening Practice: Thriving Learning Communities
Specialized communities that embody NAS's co-learning model, where practice deepens through sustained intergenerational engagement and shared expertise.
Spatial Sound Residencies: Immersive Audio Exploration
Monthly residencies in our Dolby Atmos immersive sound studio. What began as an intergenerational sound course (ages 13–75) has grown into nationally recognized work, including NSF-funded collaborations and festival showcases.
- Professional-grade Dolby Atmos studio
- Intergenerational learning (teens to elders)
- National festival collaborations
- Career pathways in spatial audio
Slow Stitch: Sustainable Fashion & Fiber Arts
Walkable Satellite Learning Hub
Located a block away from NAS Hub, Slow Stitch is our dedicated space for sustainable fashion and fiber arts. Programs like Ambient Mending have grown into a city-wide annual Sustainable Fashion Revolution Festival, while the BIPOC Fiber Club fosters creativity, sustainability, and intergenerational skill-sharing.
- Annual Sustainable Fashion Festival
- BIPOC Fiber Club workshops
- Mending and repair skills
- Circular fashion practices
Connecting the Neighborhood: Collaborations & Partnerships
NAS's broader impact through community collaborations, partnerships with local learning spaces, and city-wide cultural events that strengthen Detroit's creative ecosystem.
Artist Meetups: Connecting Detroit's Creative Community
Large-scale community gatherings bringing together 100+ artists, neighbors, and creative minds. In partnership with Joy Project and Central Detroit Christian, these meetups create space for connection, inspiration, and collective creativity.
- 100+ person gatherings
- Intergenerational community building
- Collaborative art experiences
- Partnership with local organizations
Coffee with the Elders: Mapping Community Stories
Tech-forward storytelling that geotags community conversations and elder wisdom to specific locations. Explore neighborhood stories through interactive soundmaps that bring history and memory to life through walkable, place-based experiences.
- Geotagged community conversations
- Elder storytelling and oral histories
- Location-based audio experiences
- Preservation of neighborhood memory
3.1.3: A City-Wide Sound Experience
A collaborative Detroit Spatial Music festival produced by Sonotex. 3.1.3 brings together established galleries and music venues including Talking Dolls, Andy Arts, and Moondog Cafe to showcase local and national cutting-edge spatial audio work.
- Multi-venue festival experience
- Cutting-edge spatial audio showcases
- National artist collaborations
- NSF-funded projects featured
- Partnership with Detroit galleries
- Immersive sound installations
Our Partner Learning Spaces: Expanding the Network
NAS is deeply integrated within our neighborhood's educational fabric, partnering with various local organizations to amplify walkable learning opportunities. We connect with schools, community centers, and other creative hubs to ensure a rich learning landscape for all ages.
Neighborhood Learning Partners:
- Joy Project
Community engagement and artist meetups
- Central Detroit Christian
Youth programs and community gatherings
- Local Schools
Arts education partnerships
- Neighborhood Community Centers
Accessible art programs