A summer of creativity
There are plenty of summer camp options to get kids running around, riding bikes, or swimming in the pool, but a quieter camp can be a nice break in the middle of a busy summer.
Art-based day camps give kids a chance to get into a creative headspace for a week or so in the summer. By the end of the camp, not only will they come home with a portfolio full of artwork, but some new skills as well.
Programs offered vary in levels of technical instruction and mediums covered.
The City of Calgary, Mount Royal University, University of Calgary and other multi-camp facilities all run different art camps that either feature multidisciplinary programming or hone in on a single medium.
Serious art students may want to look into camps hosted by arts studios such as Aliki’s Art House, which focus on drawing technique and are taught by professional artists.
“Our specialization is drawing skills and the fundamentals of drawing,” says Diana Didrikson, owner and studio manager of Aliki’s. “The kids that come tend to already enjoy art and like learning how to draw. That’s not to say that it isn’t for everybody — our program is broad enough for everyone to be successful with it.”
While some families like the skills-based arts camps, others may want a little bit of art thrown in with general activities and play.
The Calgary Zoo offers an arts-focused version of its regular summer camp: kids still get some outdoor physical activity while spending their week learning about animals, with an added art component. Campers can try a number of disciplines — painting, drawing, mixed media — and also make animal enrichment items like decorated cardboard cutouts that may be placed in some of the zoo’s habitats for the animals to interact with.
This approach allows for a more relaxed, easygoing environment.
“We get kids who are total artists who already draw beautifully and their parents are seeking out art-specific camps,” says Diana Zarowny, the zoo’s youth program co-ordinator. “There are others who just want something new to try. They can learn about different techniques and mediums and just fool around without the pressure of being at an art centre surrounded by kids who have been doing art their whole lives.”
Whichever approach parents go for, they can be assured that their kids will be having fun and learning skills that will help them express themselves and will also translate well when it’s time for school in September.
“Art-making is a really good cognitive skill to develop for your everyday life,” Didrikson says. “You’re really using the right side of your brain. A lot of benefit comes out of practising those skills — like visual perception skills, analytical skills, improving concentration and memory, and collaborating with others.”
For more information about the drawing camps at Aliki’s Art House, visit alikisarthouse.com
To register for the Calgary Zoo’s art camps visit calgaryzoo.com