Collection: Summer Camps

For ages 10-12 and 13-17, we call our summer camps "Art Camps for Promising Young Artists" because we love to support the creative development of students who have a keen interest in visual arts. Whether your child is passionate about a particular medium or interested in learning all kinds of art-making methods, we will encourage their growth as a creative, young person.

Shop owner Kristen Ashley directs each camp with the help of the Artist Shop team. Our lessons and activities will be led by an impressive roster of local artists with various specialties.

Each camp is unique, but each follows the same general structure. Every camp will feature lessons in drawing, painting, illustration, calligraphy, printmaking, design, color theory, collage, creative journaling, and visual story-telling. Our students will learn from some of Athens, Georgia's finest local artists, and we'll offer a bounty of supplies for them to try (plus they're welcome to bring their own supplies if desired). The vibe will be encouraging and supportive with lots of inspirational prompts.

Throughout the week there will be free time for games and reading, and the students will work both in small groups and solo. To make sure everyone gets their Vitamin D, we'll take the class to the North Lawn of UGA for plein air sketching each chance we get.

Each week will culminate in the making of one "final piece" that will incorporate several key lessons and takeaways from the camp. If your child would like, we will proudly display their work in our online gallery.

Each camp is held Monday through Friday for four hours each day. We offer two camps per day: an AM and PM session. Students who register for both AM and PM in the same week will receive a discount, and they're welcome to stay through the break.

AM Camps: 8:30am - 12:30pm
PM Camps: 1:30pm - 5:30pm
Full Day Camps: 8:30am - 5:30pm

2023 Schedule:

Week 1: June 5 - 9
Week 2: June 12 - 16
Week 3: June 19 - 23
Week 4: July 10 - 14
Week 5: July 17 - 21

Our summer camps are hosted inside the K. A. Artist Shop, located at 127 N Jackson Street in downtown Athens, GA. We have two classrooms which campers will call home for the week.

Please note: We are located on the second floor of a historic building without elevator access. If you are unable to attend a camps due to accessibility concerns, we encourage you to reach out! We'd love to accommodate you with a private or virtual class.

Half-day camps (individual AM or PM sessions) cost $250/week. That works out to $12.50/hour! Full-day camps (AM and PM sessions combined) cost $450/week. That works out to $10/hour!

All materials are included; there will be no additional costs.

For multi-class registrations, we recommend you take advantage of our rewards program. You're welcome to register in multiple transactions, using the rewards points earned to redeem discounts on additional classes.

To reserve your spot, add the week you want to your shopping cart and check-out online. Make sure you choose the age of the student as well as AM Session, PM Session, or Full-Day camp.

Once we receive your registration payment, we will be in touch with some additional info and a waiver form for you to sign. Please reach out if you have any questions. We can't wait to see you in camp!

We're sorry! Our camps are designed for middle-schoolers and high-schoolers, yet we do allow for 10 and 11 year olds to join in. We hope they'll join us next year when they are 10 years old.

Yes! If a discount will help your young person attend one of our summer camps, we invite you to reach out via hello@kaartist.com. We often have discounts and scholarships available.

For AM camps, each student will need to bring a bottle for water and a lunch.

For PM camps, each student will need to bring a bottle for water and a snack. 

We also recommend that campers bring a towel for when we sit outside. 

If your student has some favorite art supplies or a tablet and stylus for digital art, they may bring those as well. But other than that, everything is included!

As usual, our classrooms are disinfected and cleaned before each day. Masks are optional in our camps. We've got hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes in each classroom, and students are encouraged to help themselves whenever they need them. 

PLEASE NOTE: We ask that students refrain from attending camp if they are at all contagious. We are happy to offer make-up sessions as space allows or credit toward a birthday party to any student who needs to stay home due to illness. You'll need to let us know before camp begins that your student is unable to attend; we are unable to offer make-up sessions for no-shows.

We understand that things happen and you may not be able to attend the camp you purchased. If your plans change, please let us know at least 7 days before your scheduled camp begins. If you let us know with at least 7 days notice, we can issue a full monetary refund to your original form of payment or switch you to another camp at no charge.

We cannot offer refunds after the 7-day-mark, but we are happy to offer make-up sessions in other camps as space allows or a credit toward a birthday party to any student who needs to miss their scheduled camp.

Regretfully, we cannot issue refunds or make-ups for no-shows. Please reach out to us prior to camp if you need to cancel or reschedule.