The Art Effect's summer programs will light the creative spark in young artists and help them dive deeper into various art mediums! Each fun-filled summer program will have your child explore new materials, master artistic skills, and create works of art they can be proud of. Professional Teaching Artists are ready to guide your student on their creative journey. Whether your child is a messy, experimental maker or more seriously pursuing the arts, there's something for everyone this summer! At our Dutchess and Ulster Arts Camps, your child will paint, perform, tie-dye, paper mache, and play! Students in the Summer and Junior Arts Institute will experiment with printmaking, hone their fine arts skills, and create digital masterpieces to elevate their portfolios!
Dutchess Arts Camp at Oakwood Friends School
Creativity will flourish as campers explore their artistic abilities, play games, and make lasting friendships at Dutchess Arts Camp! Your young artist will enjoy beautiful outdoor spaces, ceramic kilns, a theater, art studios, and other creative spaces!
Our experienced and friendly Dutchess Arts Camp counselors and teaching artists will support fun, hands-on art-making with various mediums including painting, sculpture, ceramics, collage, animation, and performance, based on engaging weekly camp themes. The pieces created at camp will portray your child's individuality, tapping into each camper’s specific interests.
Daily schedules include opening and closing circles, structured art instruction, snacks, lunch, and outside play. A weekly showcase will occur at the end of each week and is an opportunity for your camper to shine! All of their work from the week will be on display during the showcase and they’ll get to show off their learned performances to family and friends.
Interested in early drop-off and/or late pick-up? Early drop-off is available for an additional $25/day (no earlier than 8:15 AM). And late pick-up is also available for an additional $25/day (no later than 5:15 PM). Please email abby@thearteffect.org or call 845-471-7477 to sign up for early drop-off and/or late pick-up.
Week One: Stars & Spacesuits! Students will blast off to space in our interstellar first week of camp, taking inspiration from the beauty of our universe with art projects like glow in the dark galaxy paintings, alien self-portraits, and paper mache space helmets.
Week Two: The theme for Week Two is Pixels & Prisms! Explore the wonders of art and science and where they intersect! Draw with sunlight, create digital animations, and craft colorful mobiles!
Week Three: The theme for Week Three is Myths & Magic! Discover the magic of art! During this week of camp, students will collaboratively build a castle, magical creatures out of clay, and design their own fairy masks.
Week Four: The theme for Week Four is Trinkets & Treasures! This week of camp is all about nature's treasures. Students will draw and paint their collected trinkets, make leaf and bark prints, and create mixed-media terrariums!
Summer Art Institute
The Summer Art Institute is an intensive portfolio-building program that takes your talented student’s skills to the next level! During this session, students will be educated in advanced fine art and digital art-making -techniques, as well as contemporary concepts that will help them develop unique and engaging works of art. Students will receive feedback and guidance from a diverse staff of working artists, participate in portfolio reviews with college representatives, and create a network of like-minded peers while exploring new materials, and expanding their artistic knowledge!
and digital art-making techniques, as well as contemporary concepts that will help them develop unique and engaging works of art. Students will receive feedback and guidance from a diverse staff of working artists, participate in portfolio reviews with college representatives, and create a network of like-minded peers while exploring new materials, and expanding their artistic knowledge! Students are asked to bring a sketchbook. All other materials are included.
Junior Art Institute
The Junior Art Institute is a 2-week skill-building program meant to take art lovers and make them into future artists! During this session, students will learn to use complex fine art and digital art techniques to develop their very own body of work. Students will receive feedback from working artists in the industry, create a community of peers, and explore new materials while expanding their artistic knowledge!
