Tampa Museum of Art Adds Creative Flair To Summer Camp Schedule

Over the span of six weeks, the Tampa Museum of Art will attempt to inspire the artistic side of Tampa youngsters with its Summer Art Camp program.

The camp will be broken down into age groups and teach disciplines ranging from drawing, painting, sculpting and comic book illustration. The camp is a good opportunity for young artist to spread their wings in a day and age of withering arts programs in school.

"Most schools have at least one art teacher still so I think we're more of a supplement to what those teachers are doing," summer art camp director Dawn Johnson said. "We do an exhibition of the kids art work before they take it home and people really like it. The reaction to our camps has been very good which has led to a lot of return campers so we've had to accomodate different age groups."

Ages 6-8 will comprise the first weeks which will run from June 20-July 15. Ages 9-11 and 12-14 will follow in the weeks after and will cover themes directed at their age group.

"We develop the curriculum based on feedback from prior years and whatever current exhibition the museum has," Johnson said. "We always have gallery activities as well as classroom activities."

Morning and afternoon sessions are available as well as full day sessions. The camp includes snacks, but students enrolled in full day sessions are required to bring a brown bagged lunch.

The camps are taught by Hillsborough County art teachers and have become so popular that advanced registration and payment is required.

For museum members, the cost is $125  per week for half day sessions and $200 per week for full day sessions. For non-members, the cost is $150 for half day sessions and $225 for full day sessions.

For more information about the museum's Summer Art Camp programs, visit www.tampamuseum.org or call 813-421-8373.