What if 125 youth and adults gathered at beautiful Upham Woods for a weekend of art, camping, and endless fun?
That “what if” became a vibrant reality from October 2–4, as campers and counselors representing 37 counties came together to explore their creativity. Guided by this year’s theme, “What If?”, participants dove into six art-based tracks, traditional camp activities, and exciting new challenges.
Artistic Exploration & New Innovations
Campers chose from tracks in Movement, Communication Arts, Visual Arts, Fiber Arts, Sustainable Arts, and a brand-new Lego integration track. Highlights from the weekend included:
- Collective Building: Indigenous artist Shane Funmake led the Sustainable Arts track, where youth collaborated to build a lodge.
- Fiber Traditions: Campers in the Fiber Arts track learned about natural fiber transitions and created holiday-themed pieces.
- Twisted Classics: The Visual Arts track challenged youth to alter iconic artwork. One imaginative camper transformed Grant Wood’s American Gothic into a superhero masterpiece.
Thrilling Team Challenges
This year debuted the ART GLUED Challenge. Color groups received identical boxes of art supplies and had to collaborate to build a cohesive, narrative-driven work of art. Adult team members judged the entries on creativity, collaboration, and storytelling.
The spirit of friendly competition was high all weekend as teams hunted for roaming gnomes and vied for the famous Spirit Cup. Judged on kindness, punctuality, creativity, teamwork, and engagement, the Blue Group ultimately took home the trophy!
Youth Leadership & Community Support
The true stars of the weekend were the 32 youth counselors. They ensured a safe, inclusive environment by leading committees focused on Belonging, Campfire, Design, and All-Camp Activities. To support campers needing a quiet moment to recharge, the team also introduced a Regulation Station.
This unforgettable weekend was made possible by the dedicated support of adult volunteers, teaching artists, chaperones, professional staff, and the phenomenal Upham Woods staff, who seamlessly supported registration, meals, and campfires.
The camp wrapped up with shirt signings, photos, evaluations, and a closing program where parents learned the official Arts Camp cheers! Arts Camp 2027 is less than 350 days away!
