Summer Camps
Registration for 2025 is now open!
AUArts' teen courses and kids camps provide an open and supportive environment for you to try new creative activities, explore your unique ideas, and learn through hands-on techniques on our campus in Calgary, Alberta.
| Summer Teens (ages 12 - 15) | Summer Kids (ages 9 - 12) |
* Parents, please register for summer camps using your child's name and date of birth.
Spark your imagination with one of AUArts' studio-based summer art and design courses. You will work with talented creators who enjoy helping young people master new skills and express themselves through a variety of media. Along with making art and learning new skills you'll hang out and meet other like-minded, creative people.
Supplies are included in fees unless otherwise noted.
For more information please contact the Continuing Education office by email.
Animation Studio
Discover the fun world of non-digital animation using more experimental techniques like cutouts, stop motion, and pixelation. You will produce your own short animation project individually or in a small group. Watch short video clips for inspiration and get your creative juices flowing.
Note: This is not a digital animation course but you will use digital technologies to record and edit your animation in 2D or 3D.
Register for Animation Studio:
Ceramics Studio
Get your hands dirty in the ceramics studio! Focus will be on hand building and learning good practices and techniques to create functional and sculptural pieces.
You will also get introduced to different surface treatments, including decoration with slip and underglazes, and firing. Work through projects designed to give you a foundational skill-building practice.
Register for Ceramics Studio:
Drawing Studio
Focus on improving your drawing skills while you experiment with different types of drawing media including: graphite, charcoal, and conte crayons.
You will continue to improve your understanding of the art elements and principles as you focus on composition and a variety of drawing techniques.
Think about what you are communicating with your drawings and develop your ability to speak about your work during critique session each class.
Register for Drawing Studio:
Faces + Figures Studio
Learn how to draw the human face and figure from direct observation.
You will study proper proportions of both the face and the figure as you test out a variety of drawing techniques.
Start each class with quick gesture drawings to get warmed up and then move into longer, sustained poses for a complete, detailed rendering. Participate in daily critique sessions at the end of each class.
Register for Faces + Figures Studio:
RE: Fashion Studio
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to look great! Your instructor will take you thrift shopping* and help you pick out interesting clothes to take back to the studio, where you will learn how to deconstruct and then reconstruct them into styles that are fresh, fun, & fashionable!
*Bring something from home to work on Monday, thrifting trip is on Tuesday, and you will need to bring your own money.
Register for Fashion Studio:
Manga Studio
Learn the basics for hand drawing manga and anime comics, including manga proportioning and stylization of figures, with a focus character's head, hair, and eyes.
Work on developing characters, their poses and expressions, as you create environments and layouts to tell your story.
You will work with a variety of media including pen and ink, marker, pencil and water-based colour.
Register for Manga Studio:
Painting Studio
Get serious about painting! Spend time in the studio developing your painting skills as you work at your easel.
Take your skills to the next level as you improve your understanding of composition, colour mixing, and a variety of painting techniques.
Work on your own ideas and begin to consider what you are communicating with your paintings. You will develop your ability to speak about your work during critique sessions throughout the week.
Register for Painting Studio:
Photo Studio
Taking interesting pictures is more than just pressing a button on your camera. Learn about composition, how to control light and depth of field, good editing, and using Photoshop to process your images.
Work with your digital camera and get some experience with alternative techniques.
Students must have their own digital camera and transfer cable to use for the week.
Register for Photo Studio:
Kids Camps
Kids Camps are for youth ages 9 to 12.
(9-year-olds must be entering Grade 4)
Kids Camps run from Monday - Friday (except holidays) from 9am - 4pm, on our campus located in Calgary, AB.
For your convenience we also provide complimentary before and after care for your young ones.
Drop them off between 8:30 - 9am on your way to work and we'll keep an eye on them after the camps from 4 - 5pm.
Grow your child’s imagination this summer at one of our theme-based children's art camps! All camps are taught by talented, fun-loving artists. Children will have fun experimenting with a range of traditional or new art media, playing active games, and seeing their art displayed at our Friday afternoon exhibitions.
Supplies are included in fees unless otherwise noted.
For more information please contact the Continuing Education office by email.
Animate It!
Work in small teams in the AUArts animation suite to create a visual story that you tell through a unique cast of characters that you bring to life through original drawings to create a stop-motion animation.
Learn how to convey movement as you create a character-based narrative.
Once all is done, sit back and watch them on a big screen.
Register for Animate It!:
Crazy for Cats
Are you crazy for cats?!
Join us and other cat crazy kids for the week and learn about different breeds and their characteristics as you draw, paint, and sculpt cats and even create a miniature cat house or condo!
Register for Crazy for Cats:
Draw Cartoons
If you love creating original, quirky characters, then you will want to draw cartoons!
Look at lots of examples and learn how to tell a story, as you create and draw characters, and learn proper proportions of the human figure and different animals.
Work on your own, unique cartooning style that you can continue to build upon.
Register for Draw Cartoons:
Painting Party
Come paint with us!
Learn about different painters and painting styles from history and create your own masterpieces.
You will discuss how to properly mix colours and try out different paint application methods throughout the week such as, monochromatic painting, using just a palette knife.
Register for Painting Party:
Video Game Crafts
Whether you are into Pokemon, Roblox, Minecraft, or Animal Crossing, you love video games and playing them.
Share your best gaming stories with fellow campers as you create several crafts throughout the week based on your favourite characters.
You will work with mixed media as you stitch and fill a little felt stuffie, string together bead pets, sculpt a bowl for holding things, and draw and paint!
Register for Video Game Crafts:
What's next?
Learn more
Everything you need to know about you child's summer camp in one read.
Summer Camp Parent Guidebook