2024 Summer Camps
are Now Open for Registration
CMA members get 20% off. Join today!
Most camps sold out in 2023, so reserve your spot early!
Art + Ingenuity
This summer, the CMA is offering a variety of unique camps to capture the interest of any young artist. Having your child participate in summer camps is a great way for them to think creatively, practice problem-solving skills, and have fun!
Summer Camp FAQs
- Which age group should I register my child for?
The CMA offers camps for the following age groups: 4-6, 7-9, 10-12, 13-18.
- What happens if the week of camp I want to sign up for is full?
Please reach out to Dana at dwitkoski@columbiamuseum.org to be put on a waitlist.
- What is the cancellation policy?
The CMA has worked diligently to meet changing protocols and to protect the health and safety of our staff and your young artists. If your child is registered for a camp that the CMA has been forced to cancel, staff will reach out to you. We will make every effort to alert you to any changes at least one week before the camp is scheduled to begin. You'll have three choices for your registration fee:
- Receive a full refund
- Choose a different camp to apply the registration fee towards
- Support the CMA by letting your registration fee become your donation to the museum
The CMA reserves the right to cancel any camp that does not meet minimum enrollment (five campers) or for other unforeseen circumstances. We will do our best to notify families at least one week prior to the start of a camp session if a particular camp is canceled. Any payments made toward a week of camp that the CMA cancels will be eligible for a refund or can be applied to another camp if space permits.
- Can I sign up my child for more than one week?
Absolutely! Registration is by week, and each week of camp is a separate session with its own theme. You are welcome to register your child for as many weeks as you like.
- Do you offer before care or aftercare?
We do not offer before or aftercare.
- Should my camper bring a lunch?
Only campers signed up for Lunch Buddies bring their own nut-free brown bag lunch, must be registered for both morning and afternoon camps, and pay a $25 fee. As always, food sharing is never permitted at camp. Campers not attending Lunch Buddies are asked to eat their lunch either before or after camp each day.
- What does my child need to bring and wear?
We encourage campers to dress for a mess in clothing that they are comfortable creating in. Close-toed shoes are encouraged but not required. Some inside areas can get chilly so some campers may want to bring a sweater or cardigan.
- Where do I drop off and pick up my child and what are the drop-off and pickup times?
Drop-off and pickup is on Hampton Street in front of the museum, using the bus lane. Staff will be curbside ready to assist you. For morning camps, drop-off begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 9:00 a.m. and pickup is at noon. For afternoon camps, drop-off begins at 12:45 p.m. and lasts until 1:00 p.m. and pickup is at promptly 4:00 p.m. Caregivers of teen students can elect to sign a driving authorization form so that they can check themselves in and out. Please have your ID ready for every pickup so that CMA staff can verify your identity.
- What should I do if my child is ill?
Any signs of illness should be taken seriously, and the camper must be kept at home. Please consult your pediatrician for treatment advice based on your child’s symptoms. If your child is diagnosed with COVID-19 after attending camp, please alert CMA staff.
- Where and when should I drop my child off for camp? What is the pickup/sign-out process like?
Drop-off and pickup is on Hampton Street in front of the museum, using the bus lane. Staff will be curbside ready to assist you. For morning camps, drop-off begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 9:00 a.m. and pickup is at noon. For afternoon camps, drop-off begins at 12:45 p.m. and lasts until 1:00 p.m. and pickup is at 4:00 p.m. Please have your ID ready for every pickup so that CMA staff can verify your identity. We ask that you be patient as we implement these safety measures, which we have incorporated into the daily curbside drop-off for your convenience. Caregivers of teen students can elect to sign a driving authorization form so that they can check themselves in and out and will fill out their own health questionnaire with caregiver consent.
- What if my child leaves their lunch or gets sick during camp and I must pick up my child?
Please call the Welcome Desk at 803-799-2810 and let them know of the situation. CMA staff will bring your child to be signed out or will meet you at the Welcome Desk to pick up their lunch.
- How will you ensure handwashing happens throughout the day?
Campers will be required to wash their hands after restroom breaks, before and after lunch/snack breaks, and between art activities.
- Will activity spaces be sanitized?
Yes. All spaces will be sanitized after each use.
- Can my child bring nuts or food containing nuts to camp?
No. Due to sensitivity to nut allergies, CMA camps are nut-free. If anyone in your child’s camp has a severe allergy to a particular food item we will alert you prior to the first day of camp to ensure everyone’s safety.
- Will the CMA be providing lunch or snacks for campers?
The CMA provides a nut-free snack during each camp. The CMA does not provide lunch, but some camps for ages 7 – 12 have the Lunch Buddies option, which means these campers can stay all day from morning camp through afternoon camp. Lunch Buddies bring their own nut-free brown bag lunch, must be registered for both morning and afternoon camps, and pay a $25 fee. As always, food sharing is never permitted at camp.
- Can my child bring a refillable water bottle?
Campers will need to bring a water bottle each day labeled with their name. We will have bottled water on site in case a camper forgets their water bottle that day.
- Where will my child eat snack/lunch?
If your camper is signed up for our Lunch Buddies program, they will eat lunch in the Theater. Snack breaks take place in the Theater, Salon, Reception Gallery, or Boyd Plaza.
- Will my child have access to galleries during camp?
Yes, all campers will have access to the galleries during camp.
2024 Instructors
Wilson Bame is manager of engagement at the Columbia Museum of Art. He has an undergrad degree in media arts and a master's degree in arts administration. He has worked with youth in an array of educational roles, from coaching youth soccer to working as a guitar instructor and camp counselor. He has served as a CMA camp instructor since he began working at the museum five years ago. He also manages programs like Chamber Music on Main, Arts & Draughts, and opening talks, panel discussions, and film screenings. Bame enjoys exploring contemporary ideas in art and introducing campers to new ways of creating original work of their own.
Glenna Barlow is the curator of education at the Columbia Museum of Art. She has a Master of Science in elementary education from the University of Mary Washington as well as a Master of Arts in art history from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has more than 15 years of experience teaching children of all ages in various daycare centers, schools, and museums and has been teaching summer camps and workshops at the CMA since 2015. Barlow also leads Gladys’ Gang, the CMA’s signature preschool program, and has developed interpretive materials for children and families throughout the museum. In 2020 she was named the South Carolina Museum Educator of the Year by the SC Art Education Association.
Sarah Beth Davis has taught visual art for the past four years in the Richland Two and Lexington Two school districts and currently teaches in Richland One. Davis attended Winthrop University and is currently working towards her doctorate in education at USC. She enjoys painting, drawing, and playing with her dogs.
Addison Graham is a fine artist from Fort Smith, Arkansas. She earned her B.F.A. from Arkansas Tech University in 2020 and is currently working on her M.F.A. at the University of South Carolina. Graham was a member of the Arkansas Society of Printmakers and has exhibited in multiple cities in her home state. In 2019, she became the first student solo exhibitor at the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum. In the summer of 2022, Graham interned at The Half and Half, the award-winning screenprinting company in Columbia specializing in music merchandise and fine art reproduction. During the school year she works as a graduate instructional assistant for beginning and intermediate painting classes at the USC School of Visual Art and Design. Graham has taught CMA summer camps since 2023.
Katrina Hampton has over two decades of experience teaching visual art to school and community groups. The Columbia-based artist works primarily in printmaking, photography, and surface design and has been an instructor for the CMA since 2013. Hampton was awarded the 2023 MacArthur Goodwin Award for her work in visual arts education.
Mary Hendrix earned a B.S. degree in art from East Tennessee State University and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the University of South Carolina. She has taught art in a myriad of institutions including senior citizens centers, hospitals, private schools, and public schools. Hendrix has taught workshops at the CMA since 2013.
Kaitlyn Martin is a multimedia artist from Columbia, South Carolina. She is a recent graduate and holds a B.F.A in art education from the University of South Carolina. In 2023, she was awarded the Ethel S. Brody scholarship and was funded to attend a two-week workshop at the Penland School of Craft, where she extended her artistic practice to papermaking. Martin was a CMA summer camp intern in 2022 and has been a visitor experience associate at the museum's welcome desk for over a year.
Raina Mills is a University of South Carolina student majoring in studio art with a minor in anthropology. She has interned with the Columbia Museum of Art since June 2023, working in most of the camps that summer, and continues to work on various programs in the Education & Engagement department. Mills has experience working in a wide variety of different summer camps. She loves collage, photography, drawing, painting, mosaics, and mixed-media art.
Tabitha Ott earned her M.F.A. in jewelry & metals from Kent State University and her B.F.A. in sculpture with a concentration in jewelry & metals from Winthrop University. Originally from Orangeburg, she now resides in Cayce with her partner, Gil. For eight years Ott served as a faculty member at Claflin University, where she taught a variety of fine art and craft classes, and from 2020 to 2022 she was the interim chair of the Department of Art there. She recently completed a monthlong artist residency in rural Nebraska at Art Farm. For three years her studio was located at Tapp’s Arts Center on Main Street; after the center closed in 2019, Ott relocated to her current studio at Tapp’s Outpost in Five Points, where she creates one-of-a-kind art, jewelry, and sculpture.
Pari Patel currently attends the University of South Carolina, where she is majoring in public health and minoring in studio art and psychology. She has experience working with youth as a tutor, regular babysitter, and a CMA summer camp intern in 2022 and instructor in 2023. Patel’s favorite mediums to work with are clay, fiber, and jewelry.
Austin Reynolds is from Orangeburg, South Carolina. His work has been exhibited throughout the U.S., including shows at The Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, S.C., Collectors Choice in Camarillo, C.A., and ArtFields in Lake City, S.C. His most recent works have been created under the Emerging Artist Grant from the SC Arts Commission. Reynolds is based in Rock Hill, S.C., as an M.F.A. candidate at Winthrop University.
Ariana Smoak is a photographer based in Columbia with a passion for working with kids. She has worked as a lead counselor at the YMCA in Lexington and a site lead at EdVenture Children’s Museum and has taught CMA summer camps since 2020. Smoak has been featured in multiple magazines such as Mustard Magazine in 2019, 9 To 5 Magazine and Surj Magazine in 2020, and Antifragile Zine in 2020 and 2021.
Tristan Thorvaldson is a ceramics B.F.A. student at the University of South Carolina. He has always been involved in the arts between school programs or pushing for more arts in his community. He previously interned for the CMA and is looking forward to teaching and learning at the museum and to making art as fun and rewarding as possible for all ages.
Dana Witkoski is the engagement specialist at the Columbia Museum of Art. Originally from Columbia, Witkoski has a Bachelor of Arts degree in public relations from the University of South Carolina and is completing a master’s in arts administration from Winthrop University. Witkoski oversees summer camps and workshops at the CMA and has taught workshops at the CMA since 2016. Her favorite mediums to work with are fiber, jewelry, and printmaking.
Lunch Buddies
Some camps for Ages 7 to 12 have the Lunch Buddies option, which means these campers can stay all day. Lunch Buddies bring their own nut-free bag lunch, must be registered for both morning and afternoon camps, and pay a $25 fee.
More Information
Prices
Ages 4 – 6: $175 / $140 for Solo members and above
Ages 7 – 9: $200 / $160 for Solo members and above
Ages 10 – 12: $200 / $160 for Solo members and above
Ages 13 - 18: Prices vary
Drop–off and pickup
Drop-off and pickup is on Hampton Street at Boyd Plaza in front of the museum, using the bus lane. Staff will be curbside ready to assist you. For morning camps, drop-off is 8:30 – 9:00 a.m. and pickup is at noon. For afternoon camps, drop-off is 12:45 – 1:00 p.m. and pickup is at 4:00 p.m. Parents of teen students can elect to sign a driving authorization form so that students can check themselves in and out.
Photography
The museum sometimes takes pictures of students participating in classes for promotional use. If you have concerns about your child being photographed, please inform us upon registration.
Registration and Refund Policy
Please note that registration is required for all camps and fees are nonrefundable.
Summer Camp Forms
Looking to get ahead on your paperwork? Here are some forms you'll need to fill out for your camper:
Scholarships
The CMA offers need-based scholarships for summer camps. You can help a child in need attend summer camp by adding any additional amount to your total, which will go directly to the CMA Summer Camp Scholarship Fund. Call 803-343-2170 about donating to the fund or applying for scholarships.
Deadline: May 16
Supported by
This project is funded in part by the South Carolina Arts Commission which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts. This project is supported by funding provided to the South Carolina Arts Commission from a partnership with the S.C. Department of Education from American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds.