
Young Artist classes a la carte is back for 2022: Build your own art camp at the Center For Creative Exploration
Friday, April 22nd, 2022
This Summer the Center for Creative Exploration (CCE) is offering a buffet of diverse opportunities for weeklong and multi-day, youth art classes on the PCA&D campus and beyond. Students in grades 1-9 have the opportunity to piece together morning and afternoon classes along with a selection of intergenerational classes for the whole family. A mixture of classes and subject matter is offered in each timeslot, allowing students to curate an experience unique to their interests. The daily schedule allows time for supervised lunches and snack breaks on campus between classes.
“I love that we offer families the opportunity to build a camp that works for the kids in their lives and their interests!” says Salina Almanzar-Oree, Program Coordinator for CCE. “I’m particularly excited about the opportunities we have for Grades 7-9 in Photo, Video, and Adobe programs.
A selection of partnered youth camps also offers families an opportunity to experience more of what Lancaster City arts has to offer. From Making to Museum for Grades 2-6 kicks off in Week 1 in partnership with the Lancaster Museum of Art. This new camp where students will mine the permanent collection of Lancaster Museum of Art for inspiration and to learn a bit about museum studies. Ultimate Art Camp with Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen for Week 2 and Week 4 returns with a crafting lineup of fine art exploration, glassblowing, needle felting and more.
Almanzar-Oree says she’s also especially excited for partnerships such as the Making to Museum Camp, noting that it gives instructors a chance to catch “youth early and show them the magic of museum work and cultural preservation while also asking them to think like artists and create work inspired by others.”
Apart from foundational classes in painting, drawing, sculpture, and printmaking, this summer features diverse and bite-sized offerings such as:
- Exploring Puerto Rico: Masks and Music for Grades 1-3 with actress and artist Kathy Rodríguez
- Animal & Specimen Drawing for Grades 4-7 with illustrator Jessica Steigelman
- Clay Creations for Grades 1-4 with instructor Lisa Wilson
- Fundamentals of Photograph for Grades 7-9 with photographer Adam Leitzel
- Urban and Public Art for Grades 7-9 with artist Adam Serrano
- Peacocks Esports Camp for Grades 7-10
Altogether, says CCE Director Natalie Lascek, “we wanted to maintain a (schedule) ‘stacking’ option for parents that needed something close to an all-day experience on top of weaving in partnerships that also build a full-day option.”
Note: You can see a week-by-week schedule to enable “stacking” summer class options here for students in Grades 1-9 and here for high school-age students.

Students in Adam Serrano’s Urban & Public Art class, in Summer 2021, created this mural which then stood in PCA&D’s Art Garden.
In addition to grade-specific classes, the Center for Creative Exploration also is offering a large selection of intergenerational studio classes that welcome students of almost any age. These classes meet once a week in the early evenings and offer a unique opportunity for siblings, grandparents, neighbors, parents, and friends that cross generations to create together. Options include:
- Intergenerational Studio: Ages 11 – Adult: Botanical Watercolor with Jessica Steigelman
- Intergenerational Studio: Ages 11 – Adult: Observational Drawing with artist Zack Cade Wilkinson
- Intergenerational Studio: Ages 12 – Adult: Illustration and Cartooning with artist Zack Cade Wilkinson
- Intergenerational Studio: Ages 8 – Adult: Collage Exploration with artist Nichole Madonna
Registration is open now at www.pcad.edu/cce and a complete week-by-week schedule can be found here: https://pcad.edu/creative-exploration/young-artist-schedule/. Scholarships are available. For more information, contact ce@pcad.edu.