Summer art camps in the Denver metro-area are adding new programs and challenges for kids to help fill the gaps left by shrinking school district budgets.
Parents especially look to camps offered by cities, non-profit groups and others after seeing their own neighborhood schools slash art programs, said Nathalie Renfroe, cultural programs director for the
“I think parents really want that kind of experience for their kids that’s maybe not offered in school anymore,” said Renfroe. “Depending on the school, an art class may be offered once or twice a week for 30 minutes or so, while we can offer something really cool for half a day or even make it a full day.”
Kids can take multiple classes during the summer or concentrate on one heavy-maintenance type of pursuit, like clay modeling, for up to two weeks, Renfroe said.
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“Art camps can also be flexible, you can take a class in the morning, study magic in the afternoon or you can do a full-day theater class,” she said. “There are lots of options.”
Lakewood, like other cities, adds classes based on today’s popular trends. This summer, culinary classes are being offered for ages 7-14 for kids who want to emulate what they see on the Food Network.
“We offered our culinary classes for the first time last winter, and it filled up in less than a week, so we extended it into the summer,” Renfroe said. “Seems like everyone wants to cook now.”
Classes over the summer are just an extension of what is offered during the rest of the school year at the said Executive Director Rachel Basye.
“We offer our courses to school kids to help fill that void,” Basye said, adding League instructors often team with schools in low-income neighborhoods to offer various courses.
School-age kids can take as many courses as they want during the summer, thanks to various scholarships offered by the League, Basye said.
Finances, she said, should not be a hurdle for kids who want to make their living painting, story telling or drawing.
“Many kids come to our programs who want to attend art school. And we want to provide them with a professional quality of instruction that will allow them to pursue their dream,” Basye said.
During the last two summers, the League has collaborated with the program to boost literacy skills. Kids read this year’s selection and then meet the author of the book to discuss it, Basye said.
“We are really hoping the get people to understand that the arts are much broader than the visual arts,” she said.
Meanwhile, fashion design is among the newest summer camp choices. Kids also want to learn old-fashioned photography techniques used decades ago.
“They are interested in photo processing from yesteryear,” Basye said. “They seem to be fascinated with that era and we help them with that.”
