Museum Summer Camps Offer Unique Opportunities

The one-week camps run Mondays through Fridays during June and July

William Bouldin, Julia Lowe-Lewis and Elanor King create their own masterpieces as part of the UM Museum summer camps. This year’s camps are open for registration and will cover everything from ancient Greece to Mississippi artists. / Photo Courtesy of University Communications

OXFORD, Miss. – Museum summer camps at Ole Miss offer children opportunities to explore nature and art on the trail, learn about science, travel back in time to the ancient world, create art inspired by the collections and view rarely seen artifacts from the Museum vault.

“The Museum’s summer camp program provides a unique opportunity for children to explore their own creativity while viewing thousands of years worth of art and artifacts, said Emily Dean, curator of education for the UM Museum. “Among the most affordable in town, our summer camps promise to engage young learners while also providing hours of fun!”

The cost for the camps is $50 for museum members at the family level and $75 for those who are not museum members. The cost covers one participant for each weeklong camp and includes all supplies and snacks for that camper.

The first five weeks of camp are for students entering first through fifth grades, with sessions running Monday through Friday 9-11:30 a.m. Parents can pick up a registration form at the Museum or download a copy here.

This year, the Museum is offering a new “Meet Me at the Museum! Mini Masters Summer Camp” for children ages three to five on July 22-26. There is also a week-long camp for children in middle school which will enable students to explore a wide range of art forms and to be inspired by the Museum’s art and artifacts. The “All About Art: Middle Edition” runs from July 15-19.

“Nature and Art Camp” on June 10-14 will allow campers to explore nature along Baileys Woods trail, make a field journal and create art inspired by nature and the Museum’s collections.

“Ancient Civilizations Camp,” begins June 17 and ends June 21. Students will be “time traveling” to explore the art within the ruins of the Greek city of Olynthus and will recreate coins from ancient Rome, encounter ancient Chinese culture and create art inspired by the tribal traditions of centuries ago in Africa.

“Coast to Coast: American Art,” kicking off on June 24 and ending June 28, will focus on American art with campers learning about the great artists featured in the Museum including art from the west coast, New York City and pieces from Southern folk artists.

“Made in Mississippi” runs July 8-12, and students will create 2-D and 3-D art inspired by Mississippi artists of the past and present.

The final week, “Museum Mysteries: Out of the Vault,” will run July 15-19. Each day of this camp, children will see a rarely-seen artifact from the Museum’s collections and create art inspired by that mystery object.

For more information about the Museum’s 2013 Summer Camp, visit http://museum.olemiss.edu/summercamp/ or contact Emily Dean at esdean@olemiss.edu. –– Alyssa Yuen, Membership, Events and Communications Coordinator, University Museums

Email Alyssa Yuen at awyuen@olemiss.edu