Summer Art Camp for Kids Ages 5-14

Celebrate Art, Creativity, and Friendship

Youth and Families

Summer Art Camp offers weekly artistic adventures and celebrations of creativity, friendship, and fun. Campers enjoy art making of all kinds in a safe, accessible environment with highly skilled instructors.

A variety of thematic camps are designed for different age groups and involve painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, comics, and mixed-media projects in the historic studios of the oldest art school and museum in the United States.

Summer Camp 2025 Registration

Looking for summer activities for high school students? Check out Summer Academy our advanced arts program for high schoolers.

Each week of camp has a theme, and you can register for a specific week or for the whole summer, whatever works best for your family. Sessions also include age-appropriate creative play and rest times, reading and storytelling, and socializing. Campers visit museum galleries for tours led by art educators, and occasionally take walks to the nearby park (weather permitting). Every Friday, campers prepare for an Art Exhibition where their work from throughout the week is on view and family and friends of the campers are invited to the exhibition.

Review Camp refund policy in Youth and Family Programs Policies and Procedures before registering.

Email artcamp@pafa.org or call 215-972-2054 if you have any questions.

Support for Summer Camp at PAFA is provided by the Hassel Foundation.

Art Camp 2025

Dates: June 23-August 8 | Mon-Fri

Time: 9 AM - 3 PM. Early drop off is at 8:30 AM. We are unable to provide child care before 8:30 AM and after 3 PM.

Ages: 5-7 | 8-10 | 11-14

Location: PAFA’s Hamilton Building. 128 N. Broad Street

PAFA is easily accessible by public transportation. For information, driving directions and parking information please go to the Plan Your Visit page.

Cost: $400 per week

PAFA Household Membership tuition is $340 per week. (You must be an active member throughout the camp period. Renew or Become a Member Now).
Multi-Camp discount: Register for 3 or more weeks of camp at one time and get $10 off per camp (great deal for sibling campers!) Please note, later additions to camp registration do not qualify for the discount.
Payment plan is available.

Register Now

Art Camp 2025 Schedule by Age Group

Check the registration website to see current status of camps availability.

AGES 5-7

Week 1	Art Explorers	6/23/2025	Discover a variety of art-making techniques, while learning new artistic and social skills. Let us draw, paint, collage, and sculpt, make friends, and have fun.
Week 2	Animal Kingdom	6/30/2025	Draw, paint and sculpt furry, feathery, and scaly creatures! Animals large and small will feature as subjects all week. Roaring, squeaking, barking, and quacking are welcome while we make wild, and wildly creative artworks.
Week 3	Color Wonders	7/7/2025	Get creative AND messy as you discover the multiple qualities of color! Invent insane color combinations and make phenomenal, unique art projects.
Week 4	Under the Sea	7/15/2025	Cool off and dive down deep into the world of sea creatures. Have fun with ocean-themed art and creative play.
Week 5	Art Detectives	7/21/2025	Put on your detective’s hat and grab your magnifying glass as you uncover the secrets and solve the mysteries of PAFA's historic museum.
Week 6	Superheroes	7/28/2025	Create a multiverse of fantastic art inspired by your favorite movies, comic characters or games. Design your own superheroes and share their stories with new camp friends.
Week 7	Mix and Match	8/4/2025	Unleash your imagination and let it lead you to creating the most outstandingly impossible artworks and things fathomable.

AGES 8-10

Week 1	Intro to Comics	6/23/2025	Learn about the artistic tradition of comic books. Develop your cartoon drawing skills while creating your own heroes and villains to design an eye-catching cover for your own comic book.
Week 2	Intro to Sculpture	6/30/2025	Develop the ins and outs of painting as you propel your creativity! Invent and play with surprising color combinations. Use them to make a rainbow’s worth of art projects.
Week 3	Intro To Painting	7/7/2025	Embark on a creative journey into the art of painting. Learn about tools, basic color-mixing, composition, and form. Try your hand with acrylics, watercolors, as well as tempera paints.
Week 4	Intro To Drawing	7/14/2025	Turn your doodles into artworks! Learn to draw human figures, animals, and nature, creating scenes from both observation and imagination.
Week 5	Experimental Art	7/21/2025	Experiment with materials, tools, and techniques of art-making to create exciting and unexpected outcomes.
Week 6	Mixed Media	7/28/2025	Dive into a variety of art-making tools and techniques and nurture your creativity to make art beyond pencils on paper.
Week 7	Print-Making 101	8/4/2025	Stamp, carve, and print as you explore the many ways to transfer images, from traditional block printing to experimental one-of-a-kind methods you can replicate at home.

AGES 11-14

Week 1	Intro to Comics	6/23/2025	Learn about the artistic tradition of comic books. Develop your cartoon drawing skills while creating your own heroes and villains to design an eye-catching cover for your own comic book.
Week 2	Intro to Sculpture	6/30/2025	Develop the ins and outs of painting as you propel your creativity! Invent and play with surprising color combinations. Use them to make a rainbow’s worth of art projects.
Week 3	Intro To Painting	7/7/2025	Embark on a creative journey into the art of painting. Learn about tools, basic color-mixing, composition, and form. Try your hand with acrylics, watercolors, as well as tempera paints.
Week 4	Intro To Drawing	7/14/2025	Turn your doodles into artworks! Learn to draw human figures, animals, and nature, creating scenes from both observation and imagination.
Week 5	Experimental Art	7/21/2025	Experiment with materials, tools, and techniques of art-making to create exciting and unexpected outcomes.
Week 6	Mixed Media	7/28/2025	Dive into a variety of art-making tools and techniques and nurture your creativity to make art beyond pencils on paper.
Week 7	Print-Making 101	8/4/2025	Stamp, carve, and print as you explore the many ways to transfer images, from traditional block printing to experimental one-of-a-kind methods you can replicate at home.

Download PDF Schedule

Artwork on display for campers and their parents

Additional Information

Masks: Optional

Lunch and Snacks: A mid-morning nut-free snack is provided.

Campers bring their own lunches every day. Note: we are not able to refrigerate or heat lunches. Please label your camper’s lunch bag with their name.

PLEASE supply nut-free lunches.

Water: Campers bring their own water bottles. Camp staff will supply filtered water to refill the bottles.

Supplies: All supplies are provided for each camp.

Monday: Campers check into their camps on Monday mornings between 8:30 and 9am. A brief introduction and orientation to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts takes place, and campers tour the buildings with their individual camps.

Wacky Wednesdays: Fun themed up day!

Friday Exhibition: As always, the campers will stage an End of Week Camp Exhibition.

Clothing: Art camp may get messy! Please dress appropriately. Staff will make every effort to keep campers neat and clean, but campers should wear clothing that can get dirty. Also, campers may want to bring a sweater or sweatshirt in case they feel cold in the museum.

Lost and Found: There will be a Lost and Found kept in the Camp Office. Please email artcamp@pafa.org or call 215-972-2054 if you need assistance in finding a lost item and/or to arrange the pickup. All items must be picked up before September 1, otherwise they will be discarded.

PLEASE label your child's belongings with their name.

Daily Schedule

Monday
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM - Arrival and Check-in
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM - Orientation and Camp tour for campers
9:30 AM – 10:15 AM - Session 1
10:15 AM - 10:30 AM - Snack Break
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM - Session 2
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM - Lunch
1:15 PM – 3:00 PM - Session 3
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM - Dismissal

Tuesday-Thursday
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM - Drop Off
9:00 AM – 10:15 AM - Session 1
10:15 AM - 10:30 AM - Snack Break
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM - Session 2
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM - Lunch
1:15 PM – 3:00 PM - Session 3
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM - Dismissal

Friday
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM - Drop Off
9:00 AM – 10:15 AM - Session 1
10:15 AM - 10:30 AM - Snack Break
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM - Session 2
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM - Lunch
1:15 PM - 2:00 PM - Session 3: Exhibition Preparation
2:15 PM – 2:30 PM - Week-at-a-Glance camp highlights slideshow at the Auditorium
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM - Camp exhibition in the Cast Hall studios
2:55 PM – 3:15 PM - Artwork pick-up and dismissal (we ask not to remove your camper’s artwork before 2:55 PM so all families can enjoy the show)

Contact Us

PAFA offers programs for artists and art lovers of all ages and skill levels who want to learn about and make art.