Bowdoin Summer Art Camp

About

Bowdoin Summer Art Camp is a fully supervised day in the art studio that nurtures creativity, community, and an appreciation for the creative process. No experience or expertise is necessary, just enthusiasm for the process of making art and a willingness to experiment with new ways of expressing creativity. Each session is designed to work as a separate unit, and children may enroll in up to two sessions for the summer. Most camp sessions will take place in the Edwards Center for Art and Dance on the Bowdoin College campus. As weather permits, some sessions will take place outdoors on the campus.

Each year the sessions are organized into three age groups, 6-7, 8-10, and 11-13. (You may register for the corresponding age group if your child is already the required age OR will be the minimum required age for that group on or before October 15, 2026.)

The camp day is from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Each day during your student's week-long session there is a different morning and afternoon session for each age group, with a lunch break in between. The goal is to provide a robust art experience with deep engagement and a sense of joy and belonging.

2026 sessions will take place during the last four weeks of July.

• July 6 - 10
• July 13 - 17
• July 20 - 24
• July 27 - 31

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Registration

Registration for the 2026 Bowdoin Summer Art Camp will open on Thursday, April 2 at Noon at the link below. BSAC uses University Tickets for our registration process. If you do not have a University Tickets account, it is recommended that you set that up ahead of time so as not to delay sign-ups during the registration process.

Due to a very high demand and our small group sizes each camper may register for a maximum of two weeks of camp to allow room for other families to participate. 

COMING SOON - Register for 2026 Summer Art Camp Here! 

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Tuition and Materials Fee

Tuition for each 5 day/all day session for 2026 is $400.
All art supply and reception costs are included in the tuition fee charged for any given week. Fees may vary for each session to accommodate the length of session, guest artists, and materials needed. Campers would need to bring their own snacks and/or a bagged lunch.

Session Descriptions 

2026 Art Camp descriptions coming soon!

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2026 Instructors and Assistants coming soon! 

 

Ted de Mille (he/him) and Susan Pelis (she/her)

Hi, I am Ted DeMille, a teacher, writer, musician, artist, a veteran of Art Camp for over twenty years . For forty years I have woven music, collage, painting, and drama into the curriculum of my elementary school classes in Massachusetts, Cape Elizabeth, The Center for Teaching and Learning in Edgecomb, Maine, and most recently at 317 Maine Community Music. In 2007, I published the critically praised book Making Believe on Paper for Heinemann Press about how to teach young children to write quality fiction literature. As a musician I have performed all over New England as a member of various roots music bands, and as a solo artist. I have also recorded several compact discs and written over one hundred songs for kids and grown-ups. Currently at 317 I teach Family Classes, ukulele, and guitar to musicians aged one to eighty-one. I will be joined by my trusted partner Susan Pelis. Susan is an experienced teacher and collagist who has collaborated with me at Art Camp for over twenty years. Susan currently teaches second grade in Western Massachusetts and is a skilled practitioner of the Responsive Classroom approach. We can’t wait to meet you and your emerging artists!

 

Yasamin Holland (she/her)

Teaching art is a joy. I have taught pre-school through high school visual art and arts integration in public, private, and charter school settings. I worked in the education and development departments at the Denver Art Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. I’ve worked as a freelance fashion stylist, designed children’s clothing, homeware, and co-produced a short film featured in Barcelona Arte Contemporaneo’s exhibition La Piel. When not teaching art or parenting my two children, I enjoy making sustainable embroidery, collage, and personal styling. I am interested in creating optimal conditions for learning, which includes an abundance of choice, positive support, community building, and an emphasis on the creative process. I have a longstanding passion for broadening young people’s perceptions of what art is and can be, what creativity is and can be. I have an MA in Educational Psychology from the University of Colorado, Denver and seventeen years of teaching experience. During the school year I am the art teacher at Friends School of Portland. It is a pleasure to return as the director of the Bowdoin Summer Art Camp for the fifth summer, along with an incredible team of artists and educators. I look forward to connecting with you this summer!