Summer Art Camp for Kids Ages 5-14

Celebrate Art, Creativity, and Friendship

We are excited to offer another summer of creative play in our Historic Landmark Building!

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.

Watch our Art Camp Virtual Open House 

See the camp schedule by age group or download the camp weekly schedule.

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

Register Now

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.

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 2023

Dates:  June 26-August 11 | Mon-Fri

Time: 9am - 3pm. Early drop off is at 8:30 am. We are unable to provide child care before 8:30 am.

Ages: 5-6 | 7-8 |9-11 | 12-14

Location: PAFA’s Historic Landmark Building. 128 N. Broad Street

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

Cost: $400 per week

  • PAFA Family Level Members $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 once and get $10 off per camp (great deal for sibling campers!) 
  • Payment plan is available.

After Camp Club

While camp is over,  adventures continue in the after camp club. Register for the full week or for a selected days, in advance or the day of. If you need to register for selected  individual days, please email artcamp@pafa.org.

Time: 3:00pm-5:30pm.

Cost: $150 per week. Single day registration - $35 per day.

Art Camp Adventures

3 kids looking at paitings on the museum wall
Visiting the Museum galleries
older campers sitting around camp tables
Making art in camp 10-14
younger campers making collage
Making art in camp 6-9
Camper in red shirt painting
Just another day in art camp
older campers listening to a museum guide
Visiting Special Exhibition on a tour with Museum Educator
child showing his collage
Artist in the making
4 children working on an art project
Making art, making friends
group of campers sketching in the museum
Museum drawing session, sketching in the galleries
Drawing by a camper
The Art of Drawing camp - portrait by Alice
child showing his scratch-art
Exploring different media - the fun of scratch-art
campers behind easels paiting landscape
The Art of Paiting Camp. Painting in Bob Ross' style
tables arranged in circle with art projects on them
The Art of Mythology Camp - Mythological Creatures Dinner
camper near artworks on an easel
The final camp exhibition
group of children in the Cast Hall
Older Campers visiting Younger campers Final Exhibition, in the Cast Hall

Additional Information

Masks: Optional

Lunch and Snacks

  • A mid-morning nut-free snack is provided.

  • Campers bring their own lunches every day; PLEASE supply nut-free lunches. Note, we are not able to refrigerate or heat lunches. Please label your camper’s lunch bag with their name.

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 dress 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 LABEL YOUR CHILD’S BELONGINGS WITH THEIR NAME! 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.

Daily Schedule

Monday

8:30-9:00- Arrival and Check in

9:00-9:30 - Orientation and Camp tour for campers

9:30 – 10:15 Morning Session 1

10:15 -10:30 Snack Break

10:30 – 12:00 Morning Session 2

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch

1:15 – 3:00 Afternoon Session

3:00 – 3:15 Dismissal

Tuesday – Thursday

8:30 – 9:00 Drop Off

9:00 – 10:15 Morning Session 1

10:15 -10:30 Snack Break

10:30 – 12:00 Morning Session 2

12:00– 1:00 Lunch

1:15 – 3:00 Afternoon Session

3:00 – 3:15 Dismissal

Friday

8:30 – 9:00 Drop Off

9:00 – 10:15 Morning Session 1

10:15 -10:30 Snack Break

10:30 – 12:00 Morning Session 2

12:00– 1:00 Lunch

1:15 - 2:00   Exhibition Preparation

2:00 -3:15  Exh. and Dismissal

Scholarships

NOTE: The scholarship applications list is currently full. You can still submit your application for consideration, in case of any additional funding becoming available.

It is our sincere desire that no child be denied the opportunity to attend camp because of financial difficulties. Thanks to our generous donors, PAFA is able to offer a limited number of partial scholarships (maximum 80% of the one week of camp).

The decision is based on the following criteria:

  • Financial need
  • Commitment to attend the program at PAFA
  • Potential for growth and development through the PAFA experience
  • Space availability
  • Age (must be 5-14 years old)

Fill out camp scholarship application. Please allow 4-5 weeks for processing.

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


Contact Us

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