Three Weeks of Summer Fun at Franconia
Every July, Franconia hosts three weeks of summer camp for kids ages 8-17.
This year, generous support from the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation went toward scholarships for campers. Nearly half of Franconia’s campers utilized scholarship funds and no one was turned away due to lack of funds.
Week 1: Art in the Wild | Age 8-12
At Art in the Wild campers explored the connection between science and art and transformed their scientific observations into works of art with painting, sculpture, and nature journaling (including a giant collaborative mural)! They also learned about the importance of stewardship and taking care of the earth. On Thursday campers helped Prairie Artist-in-Residence, Torey Erin, pull weeds at her asteraceae field and learned about native and invasive species.
“Our daughter absolutely loved Art in the Wild! There were so many wonderful art and nature activities, with plenty of education rolled in. The teachers were kind and knowledgeable and the staff were so communicative and helpful.” – Parent
Art in the Wild is a partnership between Franconia Sculpture Park and Wild Rivers Conservancy, the official nonprofit partner of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.
Week 2: Teen Week | Age 12-17
“What is something you think is important that you think others should care about as well?”
During Teen Week campers had the opportunity to create a piece of artwork about something important to them. With guidance from teaching artist Jillian Gryzlak, campers created large flags to hang in the park. They spent Monday thinking about what inspires them and narrowing that inspiration down to one concise concept. On Tuesday, they translated that concept to an abstract design, limited to three colors and two repeated shapes. The rest of the week was spent learning the basics of machine and hand sewing, and making those ideas come to life! Their work was celebrated with friends and family on Friday afternoon.
If you want to see the flags created by Teen Week campers, stop by before the end of September! They are installed in the trees behind the old amphitheater.
Week 3: Kids Make Sculpture | Age 8-12
Our first-ever full day camp! During Kids Make Sculpture campers built works of art out of anything they could get their hands on– paper bowls, pine cones, popsicle sticks, cellophane, and more! They started with small individual projects and ended the week with a large collaborative sculpture.