Teen Job Hub

Marterica is a 12th grader at Douglass High School and is a teen participant in the Mosaic Arts Apprentice Program. The mosaic arts apprenticeship program offers Binghampton neighborhood middle and high school students apprenticeship opportunities in mosaic design and build. Students work with a professional artist, Suzy Hendrix, to understand the profession, explore specific ways to approach design, and begin creating on their own. In addition to learning a creative practice, students also explore the business aspects of a creative career, bolstering college and career readiness regardless of their chosen field.

Marterica is also the first female to join the Mural Arts Apprentice Program.

"The first time I ever came to the Art Garden I made a tree at Tuesday Art Garden. Then I did homework help with my friends Daria and Lastarsha. My favorite thing I have ever done at the Art Garden is work with the clay and the Mosaic team.

Mosaic is basically making tiles out of clay. When you’re done shaping them you can make any design on them and then you put the clay in the kiln. We have to wait for two days and when it’s hard, we paint them and put an overglaze so they will shine. Then we put them back in the kiln one more time before they are done. My favorite part of the mosaic process is working with the clay because you can sculpt anything you want.

My favorite thing I ever made was a bear for an Art Show at the library. During the pandemic, I would wait until I was really bored and then I would do art. I started by painting at home and then I came up to the Art Garden and got clay so I could work at home. I was looking at a stuffed bear at my house and that’s how I made the bear for the art show.

“The Art Garden is a place where you can try different types of art any way you want. The Art Garden is a place where you can inspire yourself.”

Meet Ja’Darius

Photos from Ja’Darius’ first days at the Art Garden, when he first found out he was hired to the Teen Job Hub, trips he has taken with us, and photos from this year working in the Community Garden and our Farmer’s Market.

Ja’Darius is a teen staff member of the Community Garden team. During the beginning months of the pandemic, Ja’Darius took what he learned working in the gardens and created a vegetable garden at home for his family. Ja’Darius is also a talented artist and created this year’s Valentine card for our partners.

“I knew about the Art Garden through my Auntie. I was always bored at the house and she wanted to take me somewhere so we came up to the Purple House and the first thing I did at the garden was a birdhouse.

I think the Art Garden is important because of community and stuff. When I first came to the Art Garden people were showing me that they cared about me. When kids come to the Art Garden it’s like a big family. My favorite thing I have ever done with the Art Garden is the out of town trips.”.

Memphis Magazine, August 2020

Triumph Bank’s mission is to make banking simpler for communities throughout Memphis. Personal connections make lasting impacts, so Triumph Bank mentors and educates groups of all ages around Memphis on financial literacy.

Last summer (2019), Triumph Bank began a program with the teen staff at Carpenter Art Garden based on the book Pay Yourself First. Teens were taught about the different types of bank accounts, about credit, and about creating financial goals with a savings plan in mind. In the fall, Triumph invited guest speakers with expertises and businesses that matched the teens’ career interests. The Pay Yourself First program is an example of how Triumph Bank uses personal connections and transparency about the financial hardships to leave communities more knowledgeable and inspired to chase their goals when they are presented a road map.