Not Your Typical Summer Camp

I attended summer camp twice, although I suppose you could argue that I went six times if you include the band camps I participated in as a student. That's an entirely different animal from the type of camp you go to if you're looking for the kind of experience all of your eleven year-old friends will be jealous of when you tell them stories of horseback riding and sailboating and campfires, however, we'll count those week-long stints for the sake of calling it a formative experience. This is not your typical camp experience - however if I were 11 and my best friend came home from camp and told me about what she did during the summer, I would be very, very jealous.

Can't beat the view!

I'm here in Sitka, a place that I never could have imagined spending a summer, and it's amazing to see the students, counselors, and faculty who are involved with this camp. There are kids here who, as middle schoolers, are in their third, fourth, fifth year with the camp. Some of them are from Sitka, so they've been involved with the camp in some capacity for a decade or more - literally, parents taking infants to the nightly Art Shares. There are also kids who have never left their villages of fewer than 500 people until this camp, kids from out of state, kids who are here to focus on one discipline, and kids who are sampling five radically different classes. Kids who have never painted before next to kids whose work is hanging in the statehouse, kids who have been dancing their whole lives partnering with kids who had previously been told (I kid you not, unfortunately) that they don't have the body to be a dancer. 

And you know what? Every last kid is having a fantastic time. Every last kid is making friends, smiling in class, learning things they didn't expect to learn, and talking voraciously every time I ask them what they did yesterday or what they're working on. I've never seen anything like it. 

Part of my job is gathering data about the camp, then putting it into words and work samples so that grantmaking organizations (read: the NEA) come to know and understand what it is that makes Sitka Fine Arts Camp so incredible. It's funny, because in my interviews in Cleveland and over the phone with Roger (director of the camp), from my research on the website, and in talking to people even remotely associated, you get the feeling that this place is some sort of haven. Like you can't even begin to imagine how incredible this camp is. Take the quote from the home page, for example: "I spend 50 weeks out of the year wishing I were at camp. The other two I relish!" When I read that, I thought to myself, No way, no way is that a kid saying that. I'm sure camp is great and it's clever marketing, but it can't be that great, can it? 

After spending some time here, I've realized that that comment is genuine, and this place really is all that great. I wish I had come to Fine Arts Camp! A smattering of the courses available in the middle school session should help you understand what I mean: Guitar Knuckle Busters, African Dance, ballet, partner acrobatics, watercolor painting, thrown pottery, orchestra, Athabaskan beading, modern dance, drawing fantasy creatures, B&W photo, fantastic fiction. Yes, you can take all of that. As a 12 year old. There are over 60 classes for the middle school session, each as bad ass as those, and watching the kids in their classes is the best part of my job. I'm watching teachable moments happen, I'm watching kids grow from shy and unsure to confident and creative and committed! They proudly wear clothes from the camp store stamped with the artist print on it, and think of themselves accordingly. The teachers (OH THE TEACHERS!) are all about process vs. product and experiencing risks and trusting your instinct and the students buy into it 110%. As a result, campers are lovely, creative, reflective, and caring human beings. We need more of this. 

Ta-da!

I'm also continually stunned with the quality of the people who teach here. This is not your run-of-the-mill summer camp. We are talking serious talent. University professors and traveling freelancers and passionate teaching artists and people who have FAN CLUBS (one of the visual arts teachers designed the Magic: The Gathering cards) and they are awesome. Take a look at the site to read some bios. They're even more impressive in person, PLUS they're easy to work with and love what they're doing. 

My kind of people! The other interesting factor is that you've got counselors and faculty sitting in on other classes and participating because they love learning and want to learn new things. The kids see their mentors taking risks and trying new things, and in turn, the kids are more willing to jump when a teacher says "jump."

African drumming class

I'm lucky in that I'm also co-teaching the brass masterclass during this middle school session. The other instructor (who is a crazy-talented, multi-dimensional, mostly-jazz artist based out of NY) does most of the work (which is mostly by ear...interesting), but for the first half of the 80 minute class, I take the low brass. We do warm-ups, fundamentals, fun experimental things, and talk about playing brass instruments. There's a guy named George Jones who will be attending Oberlin for trombone in the fall, and he's been helping out and sitting in. He's from Sitka, is a former camper, and is also great to work with! It's nice to be teaching, especially in an atmosphere like this, ESPECIALLY when you get to see the kids for such long stretches of time, every single day. You can get a lot done. 

Needless to say, I'm having a good time and enjoying the experience. The work is challenging but fun, and although the weather is pretty yucky and changes at the drop of a hat (definitely not the type of person who enjoys mid 40s and rain in the summer!) it's worth it.