The Lock 3 Summer Arts Experience is the City of Akron’s hands-on arts education and work readiness program for artistically inclined young people aged 14 to 17. Organizers team-up young apprentices with professional artists in one of six different artistic pursuits, each culminating in a successful, collaborative public work of art. The City is currently selecting apprentices through a competitive interviewing process. Those chosen are then apprenticed for an 80 to 100-hour time commitment from July 10 through their graduation on August 17^th. Upon successful completion of the program, Akron awards each apprentice a stipend of four hundred dollars.

The summer of 2006 offers bold and exciting projects led by outstanding local talents: freelance artist Carol Adams will lead apprentices in the creation of an expansive, multi-storied fiber and metal sculpture that will be integrated into the scaffolding at the First Merit Tower in downtown Akron; Wayne Sheppard will guide his team through the development of a multi media mural for the Akron Zoo; Brian Parsons’ team will create and engineer a giant mechanical puppet that will be developed into a Lock 3 park personality; artist and educator Steve Csejtey (SHAY-tay) will recreate spaces at the Main Library downtown by abstracting photographic images into painted media; local artist and personality P.R. Miller will direct the creation of large-scale, three-dimensional flowers to "grow" from the planters downtown, and Mike Pritt will lead his group in the production of short films.

The Lock 3 Summer Arts Experience, now in its fourth year, is yet another example of Mayor Don Plusquellic’s commitment to actively supporting the arts in the community. His dedication to the program stems from his desire to create similar opportunities for young people to those he experienced as a youth in athletics. Based on artistic inclination and enthusiasm, the program is designed to offer opportunity to students who may not participate in athletics, or who struggle academically. Supportive, motivational, intensive and educational, the Arts Experience validates the artistic pursuits of Akron’s creative personalities by providing them practical and meaningful experiences in the arts.