South Middlesex Times

The Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University–New Brunswick is set to host its Summer Art Camp starting July 1. The camp, designed for children to explore their creativity and enhance their artistic skills, will offer weekly classes for two age groups: 7-10 (currently full with a waitlist) and 11-14. Sessions will run from July 1 through August 2 at the museum located at 71 Hamilton St., New Brunswick, N.J.

“This year we are bringing some new instructors into the fold which will enable us to expand our course offerings in terms of working with different media,” said Claire D’Amato, associate curator of education at the Zimmerli.

The museum plans to display some of the artwork created during the camp at the New Brunswick Heart Festival on August 10 at Monument Square Park.

Among this year's offerings is a new class titled “Comics, Clay and Cardboard: Imagination Unleashed!” aimed at students interested in drawing cartoons, superheroes, or other imaginative creations. Participants will learn about character design, color theory, and shape language while working in both 2D and 3D media.

Other classes include:

“En Plein Air” – This class introduces young artists to painting outdoors. Inspired by Impressionist artists like Claude Monet who painted en plein air thanks to paint tubes introduced in the 1870s, students will use nature and sunlight as their inspiration while exploring various artistic mediums.

“Experimental Painting and Weaving” – In this new class, students will experiment with materials such as paper, dry clay, textiles, collages, mixed media, and paints. The variety of activities aims to help young artists express themselves in diverse ways.

“Let’s Get Popping!” – Another new class where students can explore Pop Art by studying works from artists like Andy Warhol and Yayoi Kusama. The projects will incorporate bright colors, bold shapes, and fun designs. (Currently waitlist only.)

“The Zimmerli Art Museum believes that art is for everyone,” said D’Amato. She added that the camp “also enables us as a museum to connect with local families and get kids excited about art. We hope that our camp helps children find their creative voice and develop interests that will last a lifetime.”

Parents can register campers for full-day sessions or morning/afternoon classes. While many classes are filling up quickly, there are still spots available for ages 11-14. Registration can be completed on the Division of Continuing Studies course webpage by selecting "Zimmerli Art Museum" under the “Rutgers Department” field.

Weekly pricing covers one class (morning or afternoon) or two classes (full day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) including supplies. Discounts are available for Zimmerli members. For full classes, interested parties can email education@zimmerli.rutgers.edu to join the waitlist.

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