Welcome to Young Artist Summer Camp 2026: Six weeks. Six themes. Endless creativity.
Donate to fund a week of camp for another child!
Our summer camp invites young artists in grades K-12 to dive into a new medium each week—from painting and sculpture to printmaking and natural art. Led by working West Philly artists, each session is packed with hands-on exploration, creative play, culminating in a final project that kids will be thrilled with. Can't commit to a full week? No problem—day passes are available! Registering siblings? Use the discount code SIBLING5 for 5% off when checking out.
See our free youth club offerings here, as well.
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To ensure every camper gets an age-appropriate experience, we run three groups simultaneously throughout the summer:
Sprouts (K-2nd Grade)
Our youngest campers explore art through play and sensory experiences, building foundational skills and creative confidence in a nurturing environment.Blooms (3rd-5th Grade)
Middle-level artists develop techniques through multi-day projects, learning to balance experimentation with skill-building alongside their peers.Roots (6th-12th Grade)
Our oldest campers are the roots of our creative community, grounding our programs with their advanced work, leadership, and artistic vision. They tackle complex techniques and conceptual projects while enjoying greater independence as they explore their unique voices.
How It Works:
All three groups explore the week’s theme at their developmental level. Campers spend most of the day with their age group, working with teaching artists who tailor instruction to their needs, while coming together for morning routines, snack time, and Friday showcases.
Siblings can attend camp together, friendships form within age groups, and everyone is part of one vibrant, creative ecosystem under our roof.
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Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 am-6 pm
Upon registration, you’ll be asked to complete the Camper Information Form,
and you’ll receive a welcome packet!
Please note that we serve students ages 5+
Shaping Space: Sculpture & Ceramics
July 6th-10th
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Sprouts (K-2nd): Sculpting Sprouts:
Our youngest sculptors explore clay through sensory play and imagination. They'll learn basic hand-building techniques like rolling, pinching, and pressing while creating simple forms, creatures, and objects. This playful introduction builds fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and confidence in working with their hands.
Blooms (3rd-5th): Clay Studio:
Middle-level artists develop hand-building techniques, including coiling, slab construction, and sculpting. They'll create both imaginative creatures and functional pieces like bowls and boxes, learning how form and function come together. Students explore texture, structure, and discover the treasure of transforming a lump of clay into something uniquely theirs.
Roots (6th-12th): The Mud Room
Our oldest sculptors master advanced techniques and work at larger scales, creating conceptual pieces that express ideas and emotions. They'll explore surface treatments, structural problem-solving, and contemporary sculpture practices. This group pushes boundaries, experimenting with form while developing a personal artistic voice through clay.
Masters & Makers: The Arts League Painting Academy!
July 13th-17th
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Sprouts (K-2nd Grade): Play with Paint
Our youngest painters explore color mixing, textures, and brushwork through joyful experimentation. They'll learn basic techniques while discovering what paint can do, from bold strokes to gentle dabs, building confidence and motor skills along the way.
Blooms (3rd-5th Grade): Techniques & Expression
Middle-level artists learn foundational painting techniques, including color theory, composition, and different painting styles. They'll explore various subjects and masters (landscapes, still life, portraits) while developing their own artistic voice and building technical skills.
Roots (6th-12th Grade): Masters & Methods
Our oldest painters study the great masters, analyzing their techniques, color palettes, and compositional choices, then apply those lessons to their own original work. They explore art history, develop personal style, and create sophisticated paintings that demonstrate both technical skill and conceptual depth.
Treasure Quest: Adventure, Discovery & World Building!
July 20th-24th
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An epic exploration where students hunt for treasures, create artifacts, map imaginary worlds, and build museum-worthy collections.
Sprouts (K-2nd): Little Explorers
Embark on treasure hunts, create simple maps, and craft clay artifacts inspired by ancient cultures. Kids will build structures, decorate treasure boxes, and discover that treasures can be found everywhere. They'll learn that every object has a story and every explorer needs a map.
Blooms (3rd-5th): Quest & Create
Design detailed treasure maps, create historical artifacts, and conduct archaeological "digs." Students will build imaginary worlds complete with geography, cultures, and histories, then curate their findings into personal museum collections. They'll learn cartography skills, artifact creation, and how explorers and archaeologists document their discoveries.
Roots (6th-12th): Artifacts & Worlds
Master cartography and create replicas of ancient art and artifacts. Students design entire fantasy cultures, complete with detailed maps, origin stories, languages, and material culture.
Press & Repeat: Printmaking & Bookmaking
July 27th-31st
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Sprouts (K-2nd): Stamp & Story
Our youngest printmakers discover the magic of repetition using foam stamps and simple printing techniques. They'll experiment with colors, create patterns, and fold their prints into accordion books to tell visual stories. This playful introduction builds an understanding of how prints can be transformed into keepsakes and stories.
Blooms (3rd-5th): Print Shop
Middle-level artists learn block printing techniques, carving their own designs, and experimenting with pattern and color. They'll create zines, small handmade books combining their prints with writing and drawings. Students explore how printmaking has been used for self-expression, communication, and art throughout history.
Roots (6th-12th): Press & Bind
Our oldest printmakers master advanced techniques like multi-layer printing and complex bookbinding methods. They'll create hand-bound books featuring their original prints and explore printmaking as activist art, learning how artists have used prints to spread messages, challenge systems, and create change. This group combines technical skill with conceptual thinking to create meaningful, handcrafted books.
Potions & Pigments: Art from the natural worlds
August 3rd-7th
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Sprouts (K-2nd Grade): Natural Magic
Our youngest witches and wizards explore the magic of the natural world through sensory play and simple crafts. They'll collect plants and flowers, make natural paints from berries and leaves, create fairy gardens, and learn that nature holds endless creative possibilities.
Blooms (3rd-5th Grade): Herbalists & Makers
Middle-level students dive into natural dyeing techniques, create herbal sachets and botanical crafts, and learn about the properties of different plants. They'll experiment with creating pigments from natural materials, press flowers, and make outdoor potions while understanding how people have used plants throughout history.
Roots (6th-12th Grade): Wild Craft Studio
Our oldest students master advanced natural dyeing techniques like eco-printing and bundle dyeing, learn about foraging ethics and plant identification, and create herbal remedies. They'll explore the intersection of art, herbalism, and sustainability, transforming foraged materials into sophisticated textiles, natural inks, and botanical art while deepening their connection to the natural world.
Made to Wear, Made with Care: Functional & Wearable Art
August 10th-14th
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Sprouts (K-2nd): Tiny Treasures
Our youngest designers create simple jewelry, paint on fabric, and craft wearable items such as crowns, capes, and accessories. They'll explore color, pattern, and personal style while learning that art isn't just for walls; it can be worn, shared, and carried with you wherever you go.
Blooms (3rd-5th): Wear Your Art
Middle-level artists learn beading techniques, basic hand-sewing, tie-dye, and accessory-making. They'll design and create jewelry, bags, patches, and wearable pieces that express their personality. Students explore how fashion serves as a form of self-expression and learn skills they can use to personalize their own wardrobe.
Roots (6th-12th): Made to Wear, Made with Care
Our oldest designers explore fiber arts, advanced jewelry-making techniques, and wearable sculpture. They'll learn about sustainable fashion, upcycling, and how wearable art challenges the boundaries between craft, fashion, and fine art. This group creates sophisticated pieces, from hand-stitched garments to sculptural jewelry, that are both functional and thought-provoking.
Meet Our Summer Camp Team!
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Catherine Epps
Teacher
Catherine (she/her) is an award-winning illustrator from Philadelphia who creates quirky, colorful characters and whimsical stories.
From book designs to game designs, to comics and unique commissions, Epps uses a variety of styles to portray adventure, life, and friendship.
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Cleo Kidd
Director of Youth Programs
Cleo (she/her) is a writer, photographer, and educator who has spent years helping young people discover and develop their creative voices, from teaching art to the very young to guiding high schoolers through their writing journeys and into college. She previously served as the Out-of-School Time Program Coordinator with the nationwide literary nonprofit 826 and designed youth arts education programs for the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, expanding access to contemporary art and creative exploration for families.
Cleo now designs and oversees arts-based programs that nurture creativity, cultural awareness, and community connection for youth in West Philadelphia. With a background in literacy and arts education, she is passionate about creating welcoming spaces where young people can truly express themselves
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Eva Samuels
Teacher
Eva (she/her) is a Brazilian, Jewish-American mixed-media artist born in South Florida, bringing whimsy and unrestrained exploration of form to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her creative journey is shaped by themes of childlike wonder guided by classic principles instilled throughout her completion of a BFA at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Eva’s reimagining of the bounds of reality is depicted across 2D and 3D mediums, with materials ranging from bronze to clay to pastels, all portraying a careful dance between rawness and refinement.
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Sofie Sierra
Teacher
Sofie (she/her) is a Philadelphia-based interdisciplinary artist exploring the shifting terrain of memory and fantasy. Drawing from childhood experiences, American cultural rituals, and her recent work with young children, she creates layered sculptural paintings using carved wood, paint, and paper, among other materials. Her work invites viewers into intimate scenes of humor, fear, nostalgia, and reflection. Sofia received her BFA in sculpture and painting from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
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Henry Murphy
Teacher
Henry (he/him) is a painter living and working in Philadelphia. He earned a BFA and a Painting Certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where he was awarded a Von Hess Memorial Travel Scholarship. Murphy paints primarily from direct observation but also implements principles from classical landscape traditions, folk art, and pre-photography sources. He has exhibited at Gross McCleaf Gallery, Philadelphia, PA; Cerulean Arts, Philadelphia, PA; Biz 187, Larchmont, NY; Van der Plas Gallery, New York, NY; Spring Break Art Show, New York, NY; and Stellarhighway, Brooklyn, NY.
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Jacob Davidson
Teacher
Jacob (he/him) is an artist and teacher in Philadelphia. His work has been shown in galleries locally and internationally. Trained at Rhode Island School of Design, where he received his BFA, his work is grounded in painting. He draws on observation of natural growth, ecological relationships, and memories; transmuting the literal into symbols, abstractions, and fables.
He has led workshops and taught arts at various schools and community centers for a range of students from children to adults over the past 5 years.
FAQs & Other Information
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Lunch is served at 12 PM. If a student gets dropped off later during the day, they can still receive lunch. We partner with Nutritional Development Services, which provides the lunch free of charge. If your child has any dietary restrictions, please let us know.
Snack is served at 4 PM. If a student gets dropped off later during the day, they can still receive a snack.
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Fourth graders and above can walk themselves from home to TAL and back. They must have written permission from their parent or guardian. Please email program@theartsleague.org to arrange this.
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All teaching staff and adults participating in the Young Artist Summer Camp are required to submit clearances as mandated by Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Law 23 Pa.C.S. Chapter 63 (Act 153 of 2014). Required clearances include:
Pennsylvania Child Abuse History Clearance
Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Record Check
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Criminal Background Check
These clearances must be current and on file prior to the start of camp.
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We are unable to offer full-ride scholarships at this time. However, Afterpay can be used at checkout to split the cost of camp into installments.