Flyer by Naomi Rose @na0mir0se
Summer Arts Camps at Rhizome, in Takoma! Be creative, learn something new, make new friends, have a blast! These will be small, friendly, relaxed camps facilitated by working artists. The focus will be on creative collaboration and open-minded engagement with the subject matter in a fun, zero-pressure environment. Fees include all materials.
Email info@rhizomedc.org with questions.
Scholarships available if the cost is a burden. We can also offer a sibling discount of 20%.
Registration form HERE.
June 17-21 * 10am-2pm * Art of Puppetry * $240 * Ages 8-14
This camp will be dedicated to building hand puppets, including (not all at once!) drawing, recyclables, papier mache, sanding, painting, gluing, sewing, wigging, and costuming. Basic puppet manipulation will also be explored, to begin to bring our puppets to life! Instructor: Rachel Gates
June 24-28 * 9am-4pm * Summer Art Experiments * $420 * Ages 8-12
Campers will explore various materials, drawing from the season and our environment for inspiration. They may make found-object faces after gathering materials outside, sun prints on a clear day, or melted watercolor paintings on a rainy one. Campers will play collaborative art games like pass the portrait, as well as build on their own individual projects throughout the week. Experiments will include traditional art materials like oil pastels, ink or charcoal, as well as more unconventional mark makers such as grass or sticks from the yard. We will look at subjects in the summer light to spark ideas and make new things - the rainbows in a sprinkler or soap bubbles floating past. Instructor: Caroline MacKinnon
July 1-3 [3 days, M-W] * 9am-4pm * Inspiring Art [includes Field Trips] * $250 * Ages 10-14 [[FULL / WAITING LIST]]
Campers will observe selected works of art in museums in Washington, DC, then return to Rhizome to work on their own related projects. They will try out different techniques such as block printing, assemblage or abstract painting, sharing ideas and at times collaborating on projects. Campers will need a prepaid MetroCard and are encouraged to bring their own sketchbooks. Instructor: Caroline MacKinnon
July 8-12 * 9am-Noon * TBD
Morning camp TBD. Morning camp participants will be able to stay through lunch to attend the afternoon camp.
July 8-12 * 12:30-4:30pm * Theater of Puppetry * $240 * Ages 8-14
Character development, script writing, staging, musical accompaniment, rehearsals, performance - we will do it all, with puppets! We hope families can join us for a culminating performance Friday afternoon. Great for Art of Puppetry participants who want to bring their new puppets to life, and for all others with an interest in storytelling and performance. Instructor: Rachel Gates
July 15-19 * 9am-4pm * Fibers and Threads and Textiles, Oh My! * $420 * Ages 9-12
Campers will try out different kinds of fiber arts including weaving on our own hand-constructed looms and hand sewing with found and recycled materials. They will try out upcycling – turning old textiles into new items like embroidered patches or pouches – as well as painting, dyeing and altering cloth in other ways. Instructor: Caroline MacKinnon
July 22-26 * 9am-4pm * Printed Matter * $420 * Ages 8-12
Campers will explore basic printmaking techniques such as monoprints, collagraphy and stamps. They will also self-publish their own zines and chapbooks and try different layouts and bindings. A camp for young writers and artists alike, they will read and talk about different art books – and make their own! Instructor: Caroline MacKinnon
July 29 - August 2 * 9am-1pm * Exploring D.C. History [includes Field Trips] * $240 * Ages 12-14
Local D.C. history professor and researcher Amanda Huron will lead participants on a week-long kinesthetic investigation of D.C. history through field trips. Each day, we will visit a different part of the city, and learn about a different era of the city’s history through exploration of the built and natural environment. Each day will begin and end at Rhizome. Participants should bring loaded metro cards, water, and snacks. Instructor: Amanda Huron
August 5-9 * 9am-3pm * Graphic Novel Camp * $360 * Ages 10-14
Local cartoon artist Nami Oshiro brings Graphic Novel Camp to Rhizome. Camp combines story craft and illustration to support campers as they create their own graphic novels. Daily routine will include graphic novel reading, sharing, and shared analysis, as well as creative writing and drawing, storyboarding, and project composition. Breaks or off-site work sessions will take us to the parks within a few blocks of Rhizome, weather permitting. Instructor: Nami Oshiro
August 12-16 * 9am-3pm * Graphic Novel Camp * $360 * Ages 10-14
Local cartoon artist Nami Oshiro brings Graphic Novel Camp to Rhizome. Camp combines story craft and illustration to support campers as they create their own graphic novels. Daily routine will include graphic novel reading, sharing, and shared analysis, as well as creative writing and drawing, storyboarding, and project composition. Breaks or off-site work sessions will take us to the parks within a few blocks of Rhizome, weather permitting. Instructor: Nami Oshiro
August 19-23 * 9am-noon * Natural Dye Camp * $210 * Ages 10-16
Join us for a week-long introduction to natural dye! Campers will get hands-on lessons on natural dye through foraging, eco-printing, and dyeing their own camp shirts. Instructor: Fatima Janneh
August 19-23 * 12:30-4:30pm * Electronic Music Camp * $240 * Ages 10-16+
Learn to create electronic music. Open to all levels of experience, including none. Camp will be structured around a daily song challenge - for example, construct a beat out of sounds you record on site. A laptop and headphones will be necessary - please let us know if you need us to provide. Beginners will download a free trial version of Ableton Live and start with the basics; more experienced musicians can use other software if preferred and will be supported at the level they’re at. Instructor: Chris Helzer
NOTE for August 19-23:
Morning camp participants will be able to stay through lunch to attend the afternoon camp.
About the facilitators:
Chris Helzer is a telecommunications engineer and amateur electronic musician. In addition to occasionally teaching courses in the workplace, he has taught physics and computer programming in a homeschool cooperative, and enjoys sharing his enthusiasm for various subjects with his students. He facilitates Rhizome’s Youth Electronic Music Lab every other Sunday.
Rachel Anthonisen Gates is an award winning puppeteer who founded Rhizome Puppet Lab, now in its fourth year. She is also an educator for MCPS (Stonegate Elementary School), and a parent in Takoma Park, Maryland.
Amanda Huron is an associate professor at the University of the District of Columbia, with expertise in urban geography and D.C. history. She has led field-trip-based D.C. history classes for UDC students, and enjoys working with learners of all ages. She is well-known for her creative teaching, and received UDC’s 2023 Award for Teaching Excellence. Amanda is also a musician who performs regularly at Rhizome. She is a native of Washington, D.C.
Fatima Janneh is a Gambian American fiber and textiles artist. Based in DC, she works primarily with natural dye and is an avid knitter. Currently teaching dye workshops and selling at markets around the city.
Caroline MacKinnon is a parent, artist and educator who lives in Takoma Park, MD. She teaches ceramics classes to children and adults at the Takoma Park Community Center. She also holds art workshops for small groups in area schools and has previously run arts camps at Rhizome. She likes meeting people, making art, and collecting things.
Nami Oshiro is an artist based in the Washington DC-Metro area. She attended the Corcoran College of Art + Design, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Art in Fine Art in 2012. She has been publishing her own comics independently since 2013, while her first professionally-published comic book is scheduled to be released by Holiday House in 2023.