Are you ready for the summer? Are you ready for the good times?
Well, say you’ve got one or more children. For most of these wee ’uns, the school year ends after the first week of June.
…Oh, Holy Mother of God, then what?
Don’t panic, parents. Y’all know your tykes are artistic powerhouses, right? Always with the stickers, and the kazoos, and the macaroni finery, and the “Mom, watch this!” bench-top dance routines, and the life-size Pietá sculptures made of butter. Wha? Well, given a summer of total leisure, your kids might just resort to that kind of artsy acting-out … or at least Wild Style-tagging your pets (y’all’s cats, especially, will hate that).
Here are some options for fun and creative summer-camp experiences your kids will likely enjoy, and you will likely need in order to avoid disaster. Look for more recommendations on sacurrent.com as summer looms!
Note: These are all local day camps. For sleepaway camps, consult the American Camp Association (acacamps.org), and research whichever camp you send your little people to — make sure it is fully accredited, safe, and reputable. For Texas camps, check out kidscamps.com/camps/texas-overnight-camps.html to find options for girls and boys, tots, tweens, or teens. There are camps oriented toward many religious affiliations, special needs, and focuses (horses, tennis, swimming, etc).
Camp Showbiz at the Magik Theatre
A real-life working professional dramatorium, Magik Theatre hosts a camp where kids can write, produce, and act in mysterious whodunits (for thespians aged 10-12), Twilight Zone-inspired sci-fi fantasies and moviemaking basics (for the 13-to-17 set), and Superhero Boot Camp for 6- to 8-year-olds. This list just scratches the surface. Sessions start on June 7; check out magiktheatre.org or call (210) 227-2751 to request a pamphlet.
Artpace Summer Art Camps
The high-energy, creative, and megacool Katie Pell — educator, half of the Zubiarte art space, and renowned local artist — will lead the creative activities for the 6 to 12 set. Alex Freeman, Artpace’s Educational Coordinator and innovative new-mediateer will lead the teen camp. Think of it as hipster training, at the very least, and maybe, even likely, an eye-opening introduction to making and understanding art, for real. It all starts at artpace.org.
The Teen Arts Puentes Project Summer Arts Intensive 2010
The Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center hosts a demanding and superfun workshop for adolescents to build skills in film, poetry, visual art, and theater with an emphasis on positivity and activism. Does this not sound fun? Well, it seems to us that the recent GCAC renaissance, what with its new focus on contemporary art and experimental, genre-busting interaction and performance, bespeaks the potential for greatness. Session starts June 7; go to guadalupeculturalarts.org for registration deets.
AnArte Summer Workshops
AnArte Gallery had traditionally offered a highly-regarded, fun, painting-intensive art workshop. This year, however, they’ve added hands-on papier-mâché taught by San Antonio master artmaker Daniel Saldaña and a watercolor workshop centering on painting technique and the architecture of London! Check anartegallery.com; be sure to gaze at their arteKids Artwork page for inspiration.
The Young Playwright’s Lab and Festival at the Overtime Theater
This local theater company, noted for its creative zaniness and family-friendliness (it was also voted Best Theater Company in our Best of San Antonio reader’s poll!), opens its doors to young playwrights (ages 6 to 11) in this five-day July workshop. The Overtime has always placed an emphasis on local, original works of theater art; we’re psyched to see that they’re extending their reach even further. theovertimetheater.net for info!
The Southwest School of Art & Craft Summer Art Camps
The almost-unbelievable roster of sessions offered by SWS makes us wanna go to camp, Mom. Photography! Soft scultpure! Stained glass, mobiles, fiber collage, stonecarving, batik, puppetry, jewelry-making, soundscape, sock monkeys, printmaking, robots, and, OMG, something called “mermaid treasures!” With instructors such as Saleta Gomez (a fifth-grade district-wide “Teacher of the Year,” sound genius Justin Boyd, printmaker Cruz Ortiz, and photographer Melanie Rush Davis, your kid will be going to Kid Art College. Only don’t tell them that. swschool.org
The Rose Theater Company Theater Camps
Showin’ some drama love on the North Side, this professional purveyor of edu-tainment aims to teach our youth to put on their own show, including one-act plays and the holiest of holies: Sketch comedy. You guys, summer-camp sketch comedy may or may not have been the gateway drug that led a certain reporter to, well, not be a lawyer or something stupid like that. Can you afford to miss this opportunity! NO. Go look at therosetheatreco.com/theater_ca •
