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Coastal Virginia – Hard to believe it’s the end of the school year and students are home for the summer. To encourage creativity and a sense of exploration, the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts is offering four award-winning summer camps in VISUAL ART, STORYTELLING & MOVEMENT, THEATER, and  S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math). Campers in grades three to six receive immersive, hands-on instruction from Arts for Learning’s professional teaching artists whose expertise allows the Suffolk Center to bring the very best instruction to campers, www.Arts4LearningVA.org. Suffolk Center has partnered with Arts for Learning, the Virginia affiliate of Young Audiences, since 2013. This year’s Summer Camp theme is ‘EXPLORE THE WORLD,’ which weaves throughout all four camps.  

Visual Art Camp kicked off our summer camp lineup, June 17-21, 2024. In this week-long camp, students explored the world’s continents through art-making activities. Campers started with Africa, making African masks that are deeply connected to the spiritual world. They learned that traditional African masks are worn in ceremonies and rituals across west, central, and southern Africa and may represent supernatural beings, ancestors, and imagined figures. Some societies also use masks to resolve disputes and conflicts. Then campers virtually traveled to Asia to learn Japanese origami, Chinese calligraphy, and Korean Bojagi patchwork. Inspired by Europe, campers created self-portraits and still life paintings. Then campers headed down under to Australia to experience Aboriginal dot painting and traditional weaving. Finally, their focus returned to America to explore pop art and Haida printing. Proud campers delighted in the Friday art exhibition, showcasing their art works to family and friends in a special end-of-camp exhibit.

 Our Storytelling & Movement Camp starts this week, JUNE 24 – 28, 2024. Campers will explore how different cultures create and share stories. They’ll start in Germany, taking a Grimms’ Fairy Tale and rewriting it for modern audiences. Next, campers will go to Ghana and create stories with moral lessons, modeled after traditional Anansi stories. Then they’re off to India to learn about Kathakali, a form of storytelling through movement. That’s followed by a journey to Turkey to examine Arabian Nights stories, featuring Aladdin as the best-known tale, with campers writing their own captivating narratives. The week ends with campers exploring Native American legends before showcasing one of their creations in a special performance for family and friends.

Theater Camp is a great chance for kids to perform on stage in our 500-seat Birdsong Theater, August 5 – 9, 2024. Campers will learn about the ways different countries approach theater. Starting off in Italy, they’ll explore commedia dell’arte. Then they’ll journey to Japan to discover and perform Kabuki. Next, in merry old England, campers will explore Shakespeare and create a small dialogue in old English. Then, going further back in time to Ancient Greece, campers will learn about Greek theater and design Greek masks. Campers top off the week by performing a cabaret for family and friends, with different scenes reflecting the countries they explored and their own unique styles.

The summer closes with S.T.E.A.M. Camp, August 12-16, 2024. Starting with a focus on transportation, campers will explore modes of travel through model plane design and construction. Next, they’ll investigate architecture and build models of the world’s famous buildings. Then they’ll learn ways in which weather influences travel before moving on to a look at how math and art are connected, from arabesque geometric designs to African Kente patterns. Finally, campers will explore photography to capture the best of their travel experiences. The week’s highlight comes when campers showcase their designs for family and friends.

Suffolk Center’s Summer Camp registration is $250 for one-week. Camps meet Monday – Friday, 8:30 AM – 3 PM and include all materials and provided snacks. Campers are asked to bring lunch and a beverage every day or they can pay $25/week to have lunches provided each day by our on-site restaurant, Arts Kitchen

Reserve your spot today! Enroll online at https://suffolkcenter.org/summer-camps-2024-2/. You can also call Ishta Hurtado, Education Manager, at 757-923-0003, ext. 103, or email her at Ishta.Hurtado@suffolkcenter.org. The Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts is located in historic downtown Suffolk, 110 W. Finney Ave., Suffolk, VA 23434.