SUMMER CAMPS
Art For All
Art Explorers! Summer Camp at Riverside Arts Center
Registration is open now!
Week 3 – Comics and Superheroes
Unleash your imagination by designing original superheroes and comics. Learn to create dynamic characters, plots, and action-packed panels!
- Monday
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- A Guest Speaker will dive into Comics and superheroes with our campers! Learn about hero and villain origin stories, motivations, and basic hero/villain costume design.
- Learn how to draw action and expressions
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- Tuesday
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- Create your own superhero mask and cape (costuming with paper)
- Create your own villain (drawing)
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- Wednesday
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- Create a dueling Hero vs Villain Agamograph (drawing)
- 3D Action words: make action words really POP (paper relief sculpture)
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- Thursday
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- Larger than life comic panel: create a dynamic black and white setting and colorful superhero, villain, and action foreground inspired by the pop art movement.
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- Friday
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- Create your own original comic using a variety of strategies we learned this week, telling your superhero story!
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Now Introducing Drop-In Days!
Are you and your art explorer looking to fill one day of creative fun? Sign up for a single-day drop-in of RAC’s Summer Camps!
Drop-in Options open 7 days before the start of each week and will be available for all weeks, with the exception of Cute Critters week.
Details
$75 a day, 10am- 3pm Monday-Friday. For ages 6-12.
Week 2 – Public Art Week
July 7 – 11
Discover how art transforms public spaces! Campers will collaborate on large-scale projects like murals, sculptures, and installations for the community to enjoy.
- Monday
- A Field trip to Riverside Park to view the Embracing Our Differences’ 2025 outdoor public gallery.
- Tuesday
- Sculpt with paper mache and create bead silhouette sculptures!
- Wednesday
- Garden Stones – working with concrete and mosaic.
- Thursday
- Design a mural with fellow campers!
- Friday
- Create mini art galleries! Learn about the importance of public art museums and galleries.
Above: Pow! paper relief sculpture example for Wednesday activity.
Below: Dueling hero vs. villian agamograph example for Wednesday activity.
Art for All
Art Explorers! Summer Camp at Riverside Arts Center
Art is for everyone! Be an Art Explorer this summer at Riverside Arts Center, with this year’s theme, Art For All. Each week offers a unique artistic adventure: craft stories in Storytelling, discover art in Ypsilanti during Public Art, design action-packed adventures in Comics and Superheroes, celebrate animals in Cute Critters, collaborate on group art in Make it Together, and explore fiber arts and 3D mediums in Threads and Textures. Perfect for your young art explorer, this camp fosters imagination, teamwork, and hands-on fun all summer long! For art explorers ages 6 – 12.
This is a camp for true art enthusiasts—kids who can’t get enough painting, sculpting, crafting, and creating all day long. Our program is designed for campers who thrive in a creative environment, with a focus on hands-on projects and artistic exploration. If your child loves art and is able to spend the majority of their day at camp creating art, they’ll fit right in.
Details:
There are six weeks of camp to choose from! Each with a different theme, running from June 23rd to August 8th.
Art Explorers! Summer Camp at Riverside Arts Center is for campers ages 6 – 12.
Camp sessions are Monday- Friday from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm.
Camp fees are $300/weekly for non-Ypsilanti residents, and $285/weekly for Ypsilanti residents via a discount code.
A free opt-in option for RAC provided lunch and snacks will be provided daily.
Camp fee can be paid all at once or in installments with $100 due at registration.
Cancellation Policy:
- 30 or more days before the start of camp:
- Full refund minus a $10 processing fee
- 7 to 29 days before the start of camp:
- 50% refund minus a $10 processing fee
- 6 or fewer days before the start of camp:
- No refund available
Meet your Camp Director – Ms. Rachel!
Riverside is excited to announce that we have selected Rachel Anderson as our new Camp Director for our “Art Explorers! Summer Camps.” We recently interviewed Rachel to get to know her a bit more and this is what she had to say.
RAC: Please introduce yourself!
Rachel: “Hi! My name is Rachel Anderson. I am a sixth-year teacher at Ypsilanti International Elementary School. I am currently teaching kindergarten and loving it, but I have experience teaching K-5. When I’m not teaching I can usually be found creating- painting, sewing, making shirts, crocheting, and more. I’ve recently been exploring printmaking! I love a chill night in with my cat (Pickles) or traveling to new places with my family and friends. I am a new(ish) homeowner and enjoy doing home projects, taking bounce classes at the Mix Studios, and enjoying the sunshine at Rutherford Pool! I am looking forward to an amazing summer with your young artists!”
RAC: What excites you the most about being the “Art Explorers! Summer Camps” Camp Director?
Rachel: “I am so excited to be “Art Explorers! Summer Camps” Camp Director for the chance to connect with my community in a new way and help foster love and skills for creation and expression. I am most looking forward to seeing all the amazing ideas and creations these young artists come up with throughout the summer. “
RAC: Why are you passionate about teaching?
Rachel: “One of my core values as an educator is to create safe spaces for children where they can feel comfortable being themselves, learn how to use their voice, and more importantly understand that their voice has power- whether it’s sharing ideas, advocating for themselves and others, or anything else. I am enthusiastic about making sure students are able to communicate in many different ways and that they understand communication looks different for everyone. I am grateful for this chance as Camp Director to help these young artists explore new ways to communicate their emotions, ideas, and values.”
RAC: And lastly, what’s something new or exciting campers can look forward to this summer?
Rachel: “Me! (just kidding…kind of) But seriously, campers can look forward to a summer full of opportunities to learn, explore, create, and have fun! We are excited to meet and learn more about our campers and can’t wait to see the unique twists and perspectives they bring to the fun we already have planned!”
TESTIMONIALS
“Our girls had the best time at the Riverside Arts Center Summer Camp. The stain glass project was a favorite, and they made new friends who they continue to see regularly. The camp is well organized and easy for parents. We love RAC’S camp!”
“My full throttle, super energetic boys really loved their first week at camp last week and were totally looking forward to their return today for their second week of camp. Thank you! Y’all understood that the boys have unquenchable curiosity and you endured their many questions and expectations. Perhaps best of all, they now LOVE rocks and can recite a lecture worth of information to all of us about the differences from one type of mineral to another and how rocks are made and on and on. We went for a 2 mile hike together looking at nature and rocks this weekend because of the RAC camp and it was one of the best days of my whole motherhood. Thank you for this ultimate gift. You’re rockin’ it!”
“I want to thank you for a wonderful week of camp!! My son loved it! He didn’t want it to end. I will be looking Into FLY at YIES for the upcoming school year. He said the favorite part of camp was going to Rock Island and getting rocks and building the fort. You guys included everything he needed. Art, science, educational, exercise and fun. All of these things make his week memorable.Thank you again for the scholarship so he could be a part of this week at camp! We will be watching for camp info next summer!”
