Three Parents on How Their Children Thrived in Otis College’s Summer Youth Camp

“My son spends most of his time playing sports, but after going to Otis he asked for art supplies and now spends hours painting and illustrating.”

Even though summer is a few months away, it’s camp-planning season right now for most parents. Summer Youth Camps at Otis College of Art and Design offer young creatives ages five to 14 an opportunity to explore art and expression at one of the nation’s top art and design schools. Our weeklong camp sessions provide fun opportunities for young artists to learn and discover a variety of topics such as drawing, painting, 2D animation, cartooning, graphic design, and more, all in a creative, collaborative setting. Classes are offered in week-long sessions that run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, with a supervised hour-long lunch break in between. Summer Youth Camps courses introduce the elements and principles of art and design while encouraging personal expression and exploration. They are taught by experienced educators who are practicing artists and designers and who develop each class specifically for different age groups and experience levels. 

Three parents whose children attended Otis’s Summer Youth Camps recently shared their experiences and why they’ll be enrolling their children in Summer Youth Camps again this summer.  

Maia Wapnick

My kids love art—especially my daughter—and I loved the idea that they would be taught in a college environment where they would learn fundamentals with a sense of rigor. I also loved that my kids could be in the same class despite their two-year age difference. We went through the curriculum together and the kids chose their classes. They love building things and creating 3D art. My kids loved their classes and still have their sculptures and creations proudly displayed on their desks a year later. I knew my daughter would love the classes, but I was surprised by how much my son took to them. He spends most of his time playing sports, but after going to Otis he asked for art supplies and we created an art corner in his room. He now spends hours painting and illustrating. I think the college campus was a bit intimidating for my daughter, who was only six years old at the time, but she’s asked to re-enroll this summer. The kids often bring up how much they want to go back to Otis.

Jen Clark

My daughter is an avid artist. Finding classes at Otis that were different from classes she’s taken in prior years was exciting. In particular, she was excited about the graphic novel/comic class since she had created her own comic book characters. She was excited to learn new techniques to use for her characters and settings. I was excited that the age range for Summer Youth Camps was a little older, hoping there would be more kids my daughter’s age—she was 12 last summer—rather than her always being in classes with seven- to 10-year-olds. There was a good variety in the classes offered—fashion, art, etc.—but only art interests my daughter. I would love to send her to more classes at Otis, as I’d love for her to be exposed to more kids her age who share her interests. She did make a friend last summer who she has since met up with beyond camp. I have seen some new ideas incorporated into the drawings she does at home that she took from her learnings and techniques in her class. I know she didn’t especially like it, but I loved that the students had to share their work with the class and parents. Public speaking is always a good skill to have, especially for shy “art kids!” 

Lesia Dallimore

I was looking for a real art camp. I wanted my kids to learn art techniques and the why behind them. I wanted them to come out of camp with some new skills—having had a great time—and some artwork they could be proud of! The quality of the programming and authenticity of the teachers, the facilities, the tools, and the practices taught were all a huge selling point for me when choosing Otis Summer Youth Camps. One of my favorite classes my daughter took was a photography course in which she made cyanotype art. We have her prints framed and hung in our house. They are so cool! Before summer I usually sit down with my kids and talk through the Summer Youth Camps course options with them, then choose the courses based on their interests. I love how the courses are thoughtful around the students’ age ranges, how varied the options are, and how they build on one another. The curriculum is thoughtful and curated and tends to evolve each year so that I can keep sending my kids and there’s always something new they’ll learn. After camp they’ve shown increased confidence in their creative skills, a better understanding of the creative process, a love of learning, and they have really cool output and art! I also love that class runs from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., which is really helpful for working parents.