Children's Summer Art Camps

Make your summer a real art adventure and choose from a wide variety of summer camps offered at the Varley Art Gallery. Sign up today for our full day or half day summer camps.

Before and after-care at the McKay Art Centre (MAC) from 7:30 a.m.-9 a.m. and 4 p.m.-6 p.m. is available upon request for an additional charge of $11.00 per week for Before Care and $18.00 for After Care.

10% discount for Varley Gallery Members.
Early Bird registration starts on February 8-14, 2010.
Please note that there are separate fees for the before and after-care and Varley membership discounts do not apply. Early bird discount cannot be combined with the membership discount.

Summer Camp 2010 Price List  (24k/2p)
List of summer art camps, dates, prices and barcodes. See camp descriptions below.

Special performance for Campers!
Once a week, at lunchtime, Main Street Dance entertains and energizes the full day campers in a half-hour dance routine. www.mainstreetdance.ca

4 easy ways to register for art courses and camps:

1. Use EZ Reg to register online.
   
2. Call 905-475-4867 to use FAST TRACK automated registration system.
   
3. Fax completed Program Registration Form  
   to the Town of Markham Contact Centre at
   905-479-7767.
   
4. Contact gallery staff at 905-477-9511 ext.221,
   to process your registration over the phone.
   

A huge variety of programs await your child at the Varley Art Gallery. Explore imagination and and engage the mind through our hands-on sessions with our enthusiastic and professional summer staff. Each program is carefully designed to provide a fun, safe, educational environment.

ARTS AROUND THE WORLD
Ages: 7– 12 years

One of our most popular camps year after year! Join us on a journey around the globe! Follow in the footsteps of a culturally diverse group of art movements throughout time. Kids will learn about artistic traditions in painting, sculpture and crafts from the four corners of the globe, such as South America, Europe, Asia and Africa and how learn that despite the differences, art reaches and effects people the same way at the other side of the world.In the clay studio, campers will get a chance to create imaginative and expressive sculptures using the techniques and styles from around the world! All materials provided. Please pack your own nut-free snacks & lunches. _____________________________________________________________________________

CREATIVITY IN THE COMMUNITY PROJECT
Ages: 7 -12 years

This unique, collaborative initiative will surely be the project people will be talking about! Young artists will draw from their own personality, skill set and backgrounds to create an art installation which will be placed on the grounds of the gallery for the rest of the summer and into the fall. The camp will teach kids about how to plan and execute a project, work as a team and to harness and showcase their creativity, using a variety of objects and media. They will, as a group, communicate the power and beauty of art to, and for the community. All materials provided.

FIRED FOR COLOUR! REVISED!
Ages: 7 – 12 years

Summer is finally here and kids are invited to bring their artistry, imagination and flair for colour to the Gallery. Learn how to paint everything you see around you! You will have a chance to explore and have fun in a relaxed and creative environment while being introduced to the basic principles of drawing, painting, and printmaking. Kids will get a chance to create two colourful and unique pieces from scratch in the clay studio; that will be bright and shiny once it has been all fired up! All materials provided. Please pack your own nut-free snacks & lunches.

JUNIOR FASHION DESIGNERS REDESIGNED!
Ages: 9 - 13 years

Due to popular demand, this camp has been reformatted for a full day, so it’s twice the fun! For the fashion lover in your child, this camp takes the artistic approach to clothing and accessory design. Campers will produce a sketch book with a variety of designs including formal, hot trends, futuristic and theatrical costuming, as well as learn about proportion, form, and pattern creation. Discussions on past and current trends in fashion design will create a more rounded approach. No sewing experience required. All materials provided.

JUNIOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS
Ages: 9 - 13 years

Due to popular demand, this camp has been reformatted for a full day, so it’s twice the fun! Have you always wanted to design your dream bedroom? Aspiring designers will learn to draw and plan their ideal environment. Build a to-scale model, designed to the nines using fabric and paint samples. Kids will also learn interior design terminology and concepts to enhance their understanding. There will be some emphasis on understanding balance, scale and proportion in design, and learning about colour combinations. Discussions on past and current trends in interior design will create a more rounded approach. All materials included.

SCULPTURE ART - Beginner
Ages: 7 – 10 years

Dress for mess and have fun working with clay and other materials to create your own 3-D objects. Learn a different techniques for creating forms, including coil, pinch and modeling methods. Explore surface design and various decoration styles. Young artists will be introduced to both traditional and modern styles of sculpture and will inspire them to create their very own masterpieces. In the clay studio, campers will complete some hand-building and paint sculptural pieces that will be fired up! This camp is suitable for younger artists who are being introduced to the three-dimensional world of art and sculpture. All materials provided.

SCULPTURE ART - Intermediate
Ages: 9 - 13 years

Dress for mess and have fun working with clay and other materials to create your own 3-D objects. Ideal for the intermediate artist, campers will learn different techniques for creating forms, including coil, pinch and modeling methods. Explore surface design and various decoration styles. Kids will be introduced to both traditional and modern styles of sculpture and will inspire them to create their very own masterpieces. In the clay studio, campers will complete some hand-building and paint sculptural pieces that will be fired up! This camp is suitable for kids with some art experience and would like to explore their creativity further. All materials provided.

YOUNG ARCHITECTS
Ages: 7 – 12 years

From the Eiffel Tower, to the Parthenon & Pyramids of Egypt to Art Nouveau & Art Deco, kids will learn about architectural styles, terminology and concepts from around the world and through the ages. Hands-on construction projects will allow kids to use their new found knowledge to create a model skyscraper and a habitat from across the globe. In the clay studio, kids will create one work in a specific architectural style. All materials provided.

YOUNG SET DESIGNERS
Ages: 7 – 12 years

Kids learn the elements of design, how to come up with a design concept in three dimensions, and how to create a set design drawing. Campers will use a provided theme to create a short skit to be performed on the last day of camp incorporating the sets created. Kids will choose between “backstage crew” roles and “acting roles” in the final performance. During the week, time will be spent writing a short scene, planning the design, building and finishing the sets, and rehearsing for the performance. All materials included.

AHOY YOUNG ARTISTS
Ages: 5 – 6 years

Come aboard the SS Varley and have all kinds of fun and hijinks! Create masks, puppets, props and maps, and maybe even find some treasure! The call is out for pirate artists to come on deck and join our crew! All materials provided.

ANIMAL ADVENTURES
Ages 5 – 6

The Animal Kingdom comes alive at the gallery this summer. Kids will love creating artworks from their rich imagination using colour and texture. Explore printmaking, sculpture and painting and create your own furry and feathered friends! All materials provided.

ART IN THE PARK
Ages: 7 – 12 years

A playful introduction to art for all those who maybe intimidated by art but want to try an artsy camp! All materials provided. Classes are based at the Gallery, weather permitting students will explore nature and work outdoors around the Rouge River and Too Good Pond. All materials provided. Please, pack your own nut-free snacks.

ART TALES
Ages: 5 - 6 years

Paint epic tales and illustrate your own short storybook. Learn how colours, composition and the elements of design are used to create your own unique and treasured story. All materials provided. Please, pack your own nut-free snacks.

ART THROUGH THE AGES NEW!
Ages: 9 -13 years

Have you always wondered why art has changed so much through the years? Take a trip through time and find out about a different period in art history each day. Following the short lecture with visuals, kids will get a chance to create artwork characteristic of the studied period. The 4 topics covered are Pre-Historic Art, Medieval Art, Renaissance Art, and Modern Art. All materials provided. Please, pack your own nut-free snacks. Classes are based at the Varley Gallery.

ART TRAVELLERS
Ages: 5 – 6 years

Kids, pack up that suitcase and bring your sense of adventure and wonder as we “travel” and explore the world through art. Visiting different countries and continents, we’ll learn about the art of different cultures through painting, collage and three-dimensional creations. We’ll return from our trip around the globe with lots of souvenirs… so don’t forget your passport! All materials provided. Please, pack your own nut-free snacks.

ARTSY TOYS
Ages: 5 - 6 years

Youngsters will love this tactile camp where you will create your very own handmade toys using a variety of materials including fabric, wire, yarn, and more. Make whimsical games, puzzles and toys that are truly one-of-a-kind! All materials provided. Please, pack your own nut-free snacks.

BUDDING BUILDERS
Ages: 5 – 6 years

For the curious and tactile child, this camp introduces kids to the fundamentals of sculpture and invites them to let their imagination run wild by creating three-dimensional artwork using clay, paper products, recyclable materials and LEGO blocks. All materials provided. Please, pack your own nut-free snacks.

CARTOON ART
Ages: 9 – 13 years

Young Cartoonists - here is your chance to create your own cartoon characters and the situations in which they find themselves! You will learn how to draw settings, faces, perspective, and examine the use of line, text and colour. All materials provided.

CIRQUE DES ARTS NEW!
Ages: 5 – 6 years

The circus comes to Markham this summer! Kids will use their imagination to create of circus-themed art projects using a variety of media such as paint, clay and wire. Campers will be introduced and learn about the elements of art using concepts of shape, colour, texture and form in their creations. All materials provided.

DRAWING & SKETCHING 101
Ages: 7 - 12 years

The perfect camp for the creative child who would like to learn more about honing their drawing and sketching skills. Explore form, pattern, design and more through exercises and projects. Learn about the different types of drawing materials such as chalk, pencil, marker, conte and charcoal and how they can be better used. All materials provided.

ECO-ART
Ages: 7 - 12 years

Bring your imagination! One great way to recycle is to put used and found objects together in a new way. Bottle caps, cardboard tubes, aluminum cans, scraps of wood, bits of string, yarn, straws, , newspapers, glass jars; you name it, you can use it to create an environmentally friendly eco-art masterpiece. Take everyday objects and transform them into creative masterpieces! All materials provided.

FUN WITH FABRICS
Ages: 7 - 12 years

This hands-on and tactile camp explores a wide range of styles and techniques, to create colourful and graphic artworks. Projects will include fabric dyeing, watercolour batik, silk screening, and felting. A great way to end off the summer on a creative note! All materials provided.

IMAGINATION & FANTASY
Ages: 7 - 12 years

If your child has an active imagination and would like to explore it in a creative and non-traditional way, this is the camp for them. Children will learn through new and interesting exercises; one will have them paint while blindfolded from their imagination, using just one brush or a pencil in a continuous line, or completing unfinished paintings as well as other unconventional techniques to create artwork. Kids will be pushed to redefine their concept of what art is and how it is created. All materials provided

JUNIOR JEWELLERS
Ages: 5 – 6 years

Make the perfect gift for your mom and dad, brother or sister. Kids will make bright and colourful beaded Wearable art, like bracelets or key chains, beaded puppets, hair clips or ear rings, and funky sculpted rings as well! Each day will be a new design adventure! All materials provided. Please, pack your own nut-free snacks.

LOOK, LISTEN, TOUCH & FEEL
Ages: 5 - 6 years

A new and fresh approach to art! Young artists are encouraged to create artwork using their senses in a brand new way. Kids will paint and draw to different types of music to determine how mood and emotion affects art. Artwork will be created that allows the child to use objects and unusual materials to create texture and tactility. Kids will also experiment with art created using visual, auditory, nasal and oral cues. All materials provided.

MARVELLOUS MASKS & PUPPETS NEW!
Ages: 5 - 6 years

Let your child’s imagination run wild by creating fun and fantastic masks, using traditions from around the world. Learn about how masks were used in traditional ceremonies and create your very own versions. Young students will learn how to create their own unique puppets out of a variety of materials while exploring model building, pattern design and how to make their own props. All materials provided.

MEMOIRS & MEMENTOS NEW!
Ages: 7 -12 years

Kids will explore themes of identity and self-discovery as they create visual artworks of their family history and cultural traditions. Using techniques which can range from photo collage, sculpting, and silk screening, campers will learn how to visually record everyday experiences and moments in time in creative and imaginative ways. All materials included; campers are asked to bring in a selection of family photographs for use in the projects.

NATURE ART EXPLORERS
Ages: 5 - 6 years

Art is about observing and perceiving the world around you in new and different ways. Weather permitting, students will move beyond the confines of the studio and work outdoors. Use found materials, recycled items and natural materials from the great outdoors to incorporate into your artwork. Paint outdoor landscapes and produce architectural sketches and drawings.. All materials provided.

OPTICAL ART NEW!
Ages: 9 -13 years

Create all sorts of puzzling effects with colour and line, inspired by artists such as Escher and Vasarely. Make your creations wobbly and wave, and give your eyes the time of their lives. Optical Art is a mathematically-themed form of Abstract art, which uses repetition of simple forms and colors to create vibrating effects, Foreground-background confusion, an exaggerated sense of depth, and other visual effects. Sure to be one of our most popular summer camps this year. All materials provided.

OUTER SPACE ART ADVENTURES
Ages: 5 - 6 years

If your young one is interested in how the world works, and the mysteries of outer space, then this is the artsy camp for them! Kids will let their imagination run wild as they create their very own art work for their ceiling of the stars and the moons; it will be the last thing they see before they go to sleep! Other projects will include a planetary mobile, and rocket ship sculptures. All materials provided.

PAINTING & PRINTING 101
Ages: 7 -12 years

Painting is so much more than putting brush to paper! Learn about fabulous techniques and styles of painting, and how it has changed through the years. Still life, landscapes, portraits and abstract styles will be taught in a fun and creative environment. Campers will also learn about the different types of printmaking and try their hand at relief printing and serigraphy or stencil printing. Prepare for mess and heaps of fun. All materials provided.

PETIT PAINTERS
Ages: 5 – 6 years

The perfect class for the youngster who loves to paint and explore colour! Find out about the fundamentals of design, colour mixing an brushwork and examine various painting techniques and mediums. Students will work in watercolour, acrylic and tempera paints to create various types of 2D and 3D paintings. All materials provided.

PHOTOGRAPHY FOR PRE-TEENS
Ages: 9 -13 years

This fun and interactive camp puts campers behind the lens of a camera. Learn about visual composition, flash and non-flash photography and photograph outdoor landscape scenes and wildlife around Toogood Pond, heritage architecture on Main Street, people and action shots, Participants must bring their own digital and/or single lens reflex camera(s), and are responsible for printing out their own photographs on Thursday for the Art Show on Friday. Some materials provided.

PLANES, TRAINS, AUTOMOBILES
Ages: 5 – 6 years

Kids are fascinated by the speed and movement, and how we get from A to B so quickly! Speed up their imagination and create themed mobiles, fancy kites, and paper or clay sculptures. Keep your kids on track this summer with a fun and moving summer camp! All materials provided.

PLAY WITH CLAY
Ages: 5 – 6 years

Clay is an ancient and fascinating material to explore. Younger children can investigate the textures and malleability of clay and begin to create sculptures. Let their tiny hands explore and discover the limitless possibilities of 3-D art! All materials provided.

POP ART NEW!
Ages: 9 -13 years

Pop Art is style of art which seeks its inspiration from commercial art and items of mass culture such as comic strips, popular foods and brand name packaging. Kids will be introduced to this exciting art style and create their very own pop art creations, inspired by influential artists such as Andy Warhol and Roy Liechtenstein, known for the Campbell Soup imagery and comic strip art respectively. Kids will get a chance to learn about the techniques artists use in this style that originated in the 1950s in London and New York and work with silk screening, printmaking and create their own large scale pop art masterpiece! All materials included.

UNDERWATER EXPLORERS
Ages: 5 – 6 years

Put on your flippers and explore our world under the sea. Using a variety of media, kids will make wild and wonderful sea creatures, and make the ocean come alive ! Make a fun and creative marine mobile and an aquarium diorama too! All materials provided.

YOUNG MURALISTS NEW!
Ages: 7 -10 years

Young artists will get an opportunity to create a large scale mural for the community to appreciate and be inspired by. Campers will be involved in the brainstorming, project planning and execution of the mural using appropriate materials and techniques. The program encourages creative freedom, imagination and teamwork. All materials provided.