Summer Camps
Explore camp offerings below. Fee-based camps come at a minimal cost and require students to provide their own materials. The Bowman Free Summer Camps are completely free with supplies provided. Please direct any questions to educ.marketing@wcmfa.org.
All camps and programs are virtual.
In You and Around You: Making Magical Wands and More
June 1-5
10 – 11 AM
Instructor: Kelsi Dean
Capacity: 20 students
Age group: 5-8 years
Students will create wands and other magical artworks using techniques such as wax resist, and using materials such as glitter and gemstones.
Cost: $55
Shadow Stories: Symbolism and Storytelling
June 8-12
10 AM – 12 PM
Instructor: Samir Razzak
Age group: 8-12 years
Capacity: 20 students
Students will create a paper mâché object or creature that is symbolic of you on the outside. They will then create a shadow that symbolizes who they are on the inside. Students will write a short story to go with their creations.
Cost: $75
Let’s Go Wild
June 15-19
10-11 AM
Instructor: Priscilla Howard
Age group: 7-12 years
Capacity: 20 students
Students will create bright, colorful works of art with neon chalk animals, straw blowing portraits, and simple circular weaving.
Cost: $75
Investigation of Portraiture Styles: Johnson to Warhol
June 22-26
10 AM – 12 PM
Instructor: Melissa Gibson
Age group: 6-10 years
Capacity: 20 students
Students will create their own artistic portraits and discover different styles of portraiture from the time periods of Andy Warhol to Joshua Johnson.
Cost: $75
Identity and Community
June 29 – July 3
10 AM – 12 PM
Instructor: Samir Razzak
Age group: 8-13 years
Capacity: 20 students
Students will create a bust using four portraits that answer different questions about identity. The portraits will be combined to create a full-round display of the person’s different identities.
Cost: $75
Expressive Cubist Self-Portraits
July 6-10
10 AM – 12 PM
Instructor: Ruby Bassford
Age group: 8-10 years
Capacity: 20 students
Students will explore emotions and channel them into a colorful, cubist self-portrait that expresses who they are, feelings they are experiencing, and what they love. Inspired by the artists from Ashcan to Abstraction, on view at the Museum, portraits will be divided into four sections, each with different expressions and angles.
Cost: $75
Future Vision
July 13-17
10 AM – 12 PM
Instructor: Samir Razzak
Age group: 8-13 years
Capacity: 20 students
Students will learn how to use the digital art tool Kleki to create vision board. This can be done on paper, as well.
Cost: $75
Surrealism and Perspective
August 10-13
10 AM – 12 PM
Instructor: Virginia Warwick
Age group: 10-13 years
Capacity: 20 students
Students will explore and learn about perspective techniques, while at the same time touching on themes of Surrealism. In this class, students will have the opportunity to understand the guiding principles of perspective and create drawings that are dream-like and inspired by their subconscious minds.
Cost: $75
Free Bowman Summer Camps
The Free Bowman Summer Camps come at no cost to you and all supplies are provided. All camps will be virtual via Zoom. Children may be registered for one camp. Registration is first come, first served. Children must be in elementary school (grades 1 – 5) to be registered for the Free Bowman Summer Camps. This program is sponsored by the Mary K. Bowman Historical and Fine Arts Fund.
How to register:
Download the registration form.
Email your form to educ.marketing@wcmfa.org.
Email subject line MUST be “Bowman Camp Registration Form”.
You will receive confirmation from the museum.
Joshua Johnson: Portraits
Tuesday, August 3
10 – 12 AM
Instructor: Payton Brown
Age group: Grades 1-5
Capacity: 20 students
Students will learn how to draw portraits by creating self-portraits including symbolism that emphasizes important aspects of their identity. Joshua Johnson was a portrait artist who included a great deal of symbolism into his works and the artists in this camp will be doing the same thing! These artworks will be unique to each person, giving them the opportunity to develop artistic skills and create an artwork that represents who they are.
Colorfully Collaged Beetles
Wednesday, August 4
10 – 12 AM
Instructor: Melissa Gibson
Age group: Grades 1-5
Capacity: 20 students
Identity and Community
Thursday, August 5
10 – 12 AM
Instructor: Samir Razzak
Age group: Grades 1-5
Capacity: 20 students
Abstract Scenic Landscapes
Friday, August 6
10 – 12 AM
Instructor: Virginia Warwick
Age group: Grades 1-5
Capacity: 20 students
Let’s Go Wild! Animals and the great Outdoors
Saturday, August 7
10 – 12 AM
Instructor: Priscilla Howard
Age group: Grades 1-5
Capacity: 20 students
Meet the Camp Instructors
Ruby Bassford
They/Them
Hello, I am Mx. Ruby! I have a background instructing art to preschool age children and am a practicing artist who dabbles in painting, children’s illustration, and photography. I look forward to seeing your self-portraits!
Payton Brown
Payton Brown is an artist and worked for the museum as the Jean Cushwa College Intern in 2020.
Melissa Gibson
Melissa Gibson is an artist and art teacher based in Hagerstown. She has been the teacher of the museum’s Saturday Morning Youth Program for over ten years, as well as countless other children’s art classes.
Priscilla Howard
Priscilla Howard is a visual art educator in Washington County, Maryland. She currently teaches at Clear Spring and Maugansville elementary schools. She has 26 years of experience with all age levels. Priscilla is an artist specializing in enamel and acrylics paints on a broad range of surfaces from canvas, walls or everyday objects. She enjoys sharing the diversity of art with her students.
Samir Razzak
He/Him
I have been teaching art for over 6 years and have worked with people of all ages and backgrounds. I am a recent UMD graduate with a BA in Studio Art and a BA in Art Education. I specialize is Assemblage art and paintings with sculptural elements. Art is my biggest passion next to teaching. I bring high energy with fun and creative lessons that inspire and elevate artistic creations.
Virginia Warwick
She/Her
Virginia Warwick was born in 1982 and grew up in Frederick, Maryland. After graduating from the University of Maryland, College Park, she soon entered Rinehart School of Sculpture and was part of the Artscape Outdoor Sculpture Competition for two consecutive years. Since graduating from Rinehart she has been showing consistently. Virginia currently lives in Frederick, where she creates and teaches art. She also teaches art at Visarts at Rockville and throughout the DMV areas.
