FLY Art Lab is a mobile children’s art studio bringing open-ended creative experiences directly into the community.

Our process-oriented workshops meet kids where they already are, including libraries, schools, community centers and local events at no or low cost to their families.

We provide materials and non-directive support where children are free to experiment, take risks, fail, iterate and follow their own curiosity, without step-by-step instruction or a “correct” result. The goal isn’t a finished piece, it’s a child absorbed in discovery.

FLY Children’s Art Center began in 2009 as a mobile art studio by Ypsilanti artist and educator Ruth Marks. With the vision and hard work of many people over the years, FLY grew its impact and eventually found a home at Riverside Art Center, providing onsite youth programming as FLY Creativity Lab through 2019. Now FLY is returning to its roots. Relaunched by its original founder, FLY Art Lab is once again taking creativity on the road and sparking playful, exploratory art experiences through mobile programming for children across Southeast Michigan.