Aspiring artists Summer camps will feature hands-on learning

Jun. 12—The summer will bring in a variety of art camps that will keep children busy with engaging activities and hands-on learning.

Community Arts Center of Cambria County

CAMPCreate will offer 21 camps in nine weeks with programs for preschool, elementary and middle school students and teens at Community Arts Center of Cambria County, 1217 Menoher Blvd., Westmont.

Summer camps will begin Monday with multiple options running throughout August.

Connie Cameron, the arts center's education artistic director, said when creating camps, the arts center is looking for enjoyable themes that will provide children with artistic experiences.

"We look to have camps that kids would be into and have fun," she said.

"I also think of what mediums we can cover during the camps, because we want to make sure there are different art mediums in each camp, so they're not just coming and doing crafts.

"We want them to take away educational aspects."

Preschool camps will feature Jazzy Jungle, Painting Exploration, Make Believe, A Camping We Will Go and Under the Big Top.

Elementary and middle-school campers can participate in Make It Up-Cycled, Create an Artist, Camping Is S'More Fun, Science Arts, Rhythm & Art and Circus Spectacular.

Teen camps include Painting Exploration, Glass Fusion and Jewelry Making.

Back by popular demand is the five-day Log Art Theatre Academy for campers to participate in a production of "Into the Woods Jr."

"Art is extremely important for children to just explore and learn and they may not get to do that on a daily basis at school, so these camps give children the opportunity to learn something different," Cameron said.

"There not sitting inside in the summer. We do art projects inside and outside, and they have a chance to be creative and think outside the box."

Each CAMPCreate will feature collaborative projects in Collab Lab with campers working alongside each other to create giant masterpieces.

"It's nice because all of the campers get to work together on a large-scale project," Cameron said.

"This is about teamwork, and art doesn't have to be individual. It's nice to get all of the kids' ideas and see how they can work together.

"They're able to express themselves differently and talk to each other about their ideas."

Collab Lab works will be featured in an exhibition at the end of the summer and during the Log House Arts Festival.

Cameron said the camps are a great way for youngsters to make new friends and create lasting memories.

"We hope they learn from these art camps and maybe it will spark a new talent or interest for them," she said.

To register or for a description of camps, dates and costs, call 814-255-6515 or visit www.caccc.org.

Bottle Works

Bottle Works, located at 411 Third Ave., in the Cambria City section of Johnstown, will launch its summer camps and workshops Monday.

For nine weeks, aspiring artists can explore and discover their talents by participating in Camp BW, Arts Academy or Mega Masters: Teen & Adult Camp.

"This summer we are offering new programs and have teamed up with other agencies to offer a unique experience for new and returning campers," said Melody Tisinger, Bottle Works' director of advancement and operations.

"Our goal with these camps and workshops is to expose young creatives to the arts and cultural scene in our area and beyond and show how the arts are entwined with our everyday lives."

Camp BW is for anyone interested in art and designed for children ages 6 to 12.

"This is a really fun time, and each week has a theme that's all art based," said Holly Lees, Bottle Works' youth coordinator.

"We have something for everybody and we want children to feel welcome here."

Classes include Adventures in Art; Wild Things — Animal Art; Swish, Splash & Click: Explore Environmental Conservation, Art & Photography; Art of Olympics; African, Drum, Dance & Celebration; and End of Summer Bash.

Each Camp BW includes a field trip or guest speaker.

Arts Academy is for children ages 8 to 16 and is geared toward those who want to advance their art skills.

"This is for the kids who may be interested in having a career in art and the kids who want to spend all of their time in the art room during the school day," Lees said.

"We're also elevating this program with field trips to the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Touchstone Center for Crafts."

Topics for Arts Academy include All About Art: Drawing, Painting, Photography, Printmaking & Culinary Art, and Mini Masters Art.

Mega Masters: Teen & Adult Camp is for those 13 and older and will delve into the history of various art periods and famous artists.

"These camps give kids a place to be themselves, learn new things and make new friends," Lees said.

"We hope kids have fun while being with others making art."

Full or partial scholarships are available for those 18 and younger who qualify.

To apply or for descriptions of camps, dates and costs, call 814-535-2020 or visit www.bottleworks.org.

Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art

Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art will offer camps at its Loretto, Bedford, Ligonier Valley and Altoona sites.

"For SAMA, we want to offer an engaging arts experience, and what better way to do that than inside our museums," said Jess Campbell, SAMA's education coordinator.

"We like to work with our teaching artists to come up with themes that can be current events or something that would interest and catch the attention of certain age groups."

—SAMA-Loretto will offer "Let's Make Art With Nature" July 26 through 30.

Topics will include seed bombs, rock painting, smashed flower and green tote, berry painting and sun-art paper collages.

From July 12 through 16 and 19 through 23, the Loretto site will offer pottery camps in conjunction with St. Francis University.

For more information, call 814-472-3920.

—SAMA-Bedford's Art Camp for Kids will be presented for 10 days in August for children ages 6 to 12.

Camps include Victorian-Era People Drawing/Painting, Australian Aboriginal Lizard, Picasso-esk Face, African Silhouette, Van Gogh Sunflower, Frida Kahlo Portrait, Llama Painting, Painted Newspaper Flowers, Paper Maché Jewelry Making, Part 1, and Paper Maché Jewelry Making, Part 2.

For more information, call 814-589-3020.

—SAMA-Ligonier Valley will offer "Around the World in 10 Days" for children ages 10 to 16 from July 12 through 23.

During the two-week camp, students will be introduced and explore a multitude of countries and cultures through the world of art.

For more information, call 724-238-6015.

—From July 26 through Aug. 6, SAMA-Altoona will hold an art camp for children ages 6 to 12 that will explore color theory.

Students will also study light and its effect on color through exercises and activities.

For more information, call 814-946-4464.

"SAMA's camps are a way to engage a younger audience and we want them to come into our museums," Campbell said.

"We hope they can walk away with a greater appreciation and understanding of art and an added bonus is they get to take away some really cool art projects."

For detailed descriptions of SAMA's camps and costs, visit www.sama-art.org/camps-workshops.

Laurel Arts will offer summer camps through August at its Education & Dance Center, 601 Georgian Place, Somerset.

Camps include ART Explorers for children 12 to 18 months, ARTventurers for youngsters 18 to 36 months, Young at ART for children in preschool through third grade and ARTolescents for children in fourth through seventh grades.

"Our goal is to provide camps that are not only art-based and fun, but well-rounded and educational," said Jaclyn McCusker, executive director of Laurel Arts.

"We also want to make it affordable for people and we have scholarships for families who cannot afford it otherwise."

Camps include Science & Art, Favorite Storybooks, Camp Crayon, Art Safari, Story Inspired Cooking, Croods Camp, Arts Galore, Getting to Know Our Community and Special Event Cooking.

"It's a nice variety with a little bit of everything, whether its science or cooking," McCusker said.

"These camps are offered all throughout the summer, so parents can pick and choose what they want."

She said the goal of camp is to spark an interest or passion for the arts.

"At the end of the day, it always comes back to providing resources and experiences for kids that hopefully turns into something down the road," McCusker said.

"At the heart of art, it's always about connecting to yourself, and no matter how little you are, you're developing something and learning. The best thing about art is it doesn't have to be anything, it can be whatever you want it to be."

To apply or for descriptions of camps, dates and costs, call 814-442-6217 or in-person at Laurel Arts, 214 S. Harrison Ave., Somerset.