Our camps are designed to promote mental health and inspire creativity. The benefits of an art practice will be taught on a small-scale by our talented teaching artists during your week-long camp. Your young artist will have the opportunity to see art and be inspired by working artists on view in our galleries.
Young artists are invited to develop their creativity in a museum setting through our popular Art Camps. During each one-of-a-kind week of project-based camps, young people have the opportunity to explore various art materials, acquire new art-making techniques, and develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills under the guidance of a teaching artist.
Each summer, ICA San Diego hosts six sessions camps offering different art experiences based on current art trends. Beyond progressing in their art, students spend time outdoors either exploring Balboa Park (ICA San Diego / Central) or around our 6-acre of natural preserve (ICA San Diego / North), meet new friends, and leave each day with lifelong memories.
Scholarships available here!
Scroll down to select a week
Monday – Friday
9:00 am – 2:00 pm (Drop off begins at 8:45)
June 20, 2023 – August 11, 2023
(no camp on Monday, June 19 in honor of the Juneteenth holiday, no camp the week of July 4)
Keep the fun going with an artsy Aftercare, includes one extra craft activity and a snack.
Weekly Price: $80 / 4 Days $70 / 1 Day: $20
ICA Member save 10% – Log in and use ICAMEMBERSAVE code
If you are not an ICA Member you can sign up here. After your membership purchase, you will receive your 10% unique discount code with you membership confirmation email. (Different from the one published here).
Early Bird discount (through February 28) save 5% – Use EARLYBIRDCAMP code
Purchase 2 or more camps and save an additional 5% each – Use MULTICAMP code
Discounts can be combined. Apply discount codes at the bottom of your shopping bag page before checkout.
We believe art has the power to inspire change and create a better future for all of us. Welcoming all campers, parents, grandparents, and members of the community for an unforgettable summer event with the family to view work by campers and enjoy music, entertainment, food trucks, and more!
Our End of Summer Camp Celebration at ICA San Diego / North located in Encinitas includes work by artists from the ICA San Diego / Central and ICA San Diego / North camps.
1550 S El Camino Real Encinitas, CA 92024
Summer Art Camp at our North location in Encinitas includes access to our 6-acre property including our beautiful garden and Sculpture Trail hikes. Please click on the (+) sign to choose a week and then click register here.
Week 1: June 20 – 23 - Sold Out!
This imaginative camp will focus on creating underwater seascapes and the creatures that live within. Campers will use painting, drawing, stamping, and sculptural techniques to create underwater scenes. Dip into this watery week of fun, art, and more!
Learn how to engage in self-directed, creative art-making.
Make art or design with various art materials and tools to explore marine life, personal interests, and curiosities.
Perceive and describe aesthetic characteristics of one’s natural world and constructed environments.
Use observation and investigation in preparation for making a work of art, and brainstorm to generate multiple approaches to an art or design problem.
$280 / $252 ICA Members
Includes materials
Week 2: June 26th - 30th - Sold Out!
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
In this camp kids will learn about fantastic animals used by famous artists in paintings, sculptures, and photography. They will be able to create their fantasy adventures and let their imagination soar.
Skills:
Week 3: July 10th - 14th
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
For nature lovers, this adventurous week will take campers on an exploration of San Diego’s beautiful and unique ecosystem, hiking across campus. Under supervised instruction, campers will observe local plant and animal life while producing artistic journals, collages, and plein air painting.
Skills:
Week 4: July 17th - 21st - Sold out!
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
A wonderful spot to spend the summer! Before diving into an ocean teeming with fascinating sea life, virtually explore the seashore’s tidal pools, sandcastles, and seashells inspired by the beautiful beaches and spectacular sunsets of San Diego while learning collage techniques, painting, miniature installations, and more.
Skills:
Week 5: July 24th - 28th
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
Campers will jump into a world-wide expedition, virtually exploring the different types of biomes that make up our world – forests, deserts, tundras, and how to help preserve them! They will draw inspiration from these biomes to produce their own artworks, using a variety of materials including paint, sculpture, and found objects.
Skills:
Week 6: July 31st - August 4th - Sold out!
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
Instruments made by campers will represent the numerous nations they virtually travel to. Drawing, painting, collage, and instrument-building will be done with traditional and mixed media.
Skills:
Week 1: June 20th - 23th - Sold Out!
Price: Price: $280/$252 ICA Members (includes materials) (Only 4 days )
Campers in this week will explore the innovative side of art! Using a variety of approaches, students will create functional art projects that utilize materials in a new way. Old t-shirts into tote bags, birdhouses out of milk bottles, bottle caps into necklaces, and so much more!
Skills:
Week 2: June 26th - 30th - Sold out!
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
Campers will create masterpieces inspired by famous artists such as Henri Matisse, Vincent Van Gogh, Georgia O’Keeffe, Louise Bourgeois, Yayoi Kusama, and our own artists-in-residence! A little bit of art history with a contemporary twist and a lot of hands on art-making.
Skills:
Week 3: July 10th - 14th - Sold out!
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
Enjoy fun and games? This camp is all about creating your own good time! Campers in this week will craft original toys, games, decorations, and more. Lots of hands-on activities for the playful at heart.
Skills:
Week 4: July 17th - 21st - Sold out!
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
Do you enjoy comics or graphic novels? Do you ever wonder how artists create them? Learn how to create stories, characters, collaborative stop-motion movies, and publish your own fantastic comic creations. Set your inner cartoonist free!
Skills:
Week 5: July 24th - 28th - Sold out!
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
Discover the inspiring process of handling clay! Campers will create cups, animal figures, boxes, and more. The week will guide campers through a variety of sculpting techniques, including how to coil, slab, and pinch your clay. Campers can also round out their learning by experimenting with paper mache, mold making, and vivid glazes!
Skills:
Week 6: July 31st - August 4th
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
Who’s your hero? Campers in this week will create their own superheroes, using a variety of artistic techniques to build all things super. From superpowers to supervillains, costumes to gadgets, campers will explore all the ways a hero can be represented.
Skills:
Week 1: June 20th - 23rd
Price: $280/$252 ICA Members (includes materials) (4 days only)
***Pre-teen and teenagers will have a unique chance to take this combo 2 in 1 art-camp. The mornings will be spent with the 11-13 group in an art class and the 14-17 group in the ceramics lab, in the afternoon the groups will switch.***
Printmaking camp invites students to experiment with techniques and processes used in historical and contemporary printmaking, while examining these processes in the light of current social issues. Students will learn about the power of graphic design in confronting and communicating political questions. Campers will also get to dive into the world of ceramics, spending half of their time in the ceramics lab experimenting with pottery and sculpture.
Skills:
Week 2: June 26th - 30th
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
***Pre-teen and teenagers will have a unique chance to take this combo 2 in 1 art-camp. The mornings will be spent with the 11-13 group in an art class and the 14-17 group in the ceramics lab, in the afternoon the groups will switch.***
Literature, comic books, photography, movies, illustration: our visual art–Zine Camp is for students who love all of these and want to learn how to edit, create, and distribute art into DIY magazines. A zine is a self-published book or booklet that can be reproduced to share or sell. Potential zine content is all-inclusive and can go beyond conventional material. Activities include photography, screen printing, written word, drawing, collaging, and more. Campers will also get to dive into the world of ceramics, spending half of their time in the ceramics lab experimenting with pottery and sculpture.
Skills:
Week 3: July 10th - 14th
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
***Pre-teen and teenagers will have a unique chance to take this combo 2 in 1 art-camp. The mornings will be spent with the 11-13 group in an art class and the 14-17 group in the ceramics lab, in the afternoon the groups will switch.***
Art and Fashion camp invites students to explore how art and style go hand in hand! Create your own designs using a variety of techniques. From crochet to sewing, fabric paint to embroidery, the possibilities are endless! The week will culminate with campers putting together their own fashion show. Campers will also get to dive into the world of ceramics, spending half of their time in the ceramics lab experimenting with pottery and sculpture.
Skills:
Week 4: July 17th - 21st
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
***Pre-teen and teenagers will have a unique chance to take this combo 2 in 1 art-camp. The mornings will be spent with the 11-13 group in an art class and the 14-17 group in the ceramics lab, in the afternoon the groups will switch.***
Explore the beginnings of animation with this storyboarding and concept-art camp! Campers will learn to effectively tell a story through art. We will practice planning out action sequences, creating original characters, and world-building. Campers will also get to dive into the world of ceramics, spending half of their time in the ceramics lab experimenting with pottery and sculpture.
Skills:
Week 5: July 24th - 28th
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
***Pre-teen and teenagers will have a unique chance to take this combo 2 in 1 art-camp. The mornings will be spent with the 11-13 group in an art class and the 14-17 group in the ceramics lab, in the afternoon the groups will switch.***
Get hands-on experience producing your own paper in this innovative Paper Making camp! Campers will learn the design choices and processes of creating their own paper, then use their new materials to create journals, manuscripts, and original works of art. Campers will also get to dive into the world of ceramics, spending half of their time in the ceramics lab experimenting with pottery and sculpture.
Skills:
Week 6: July 31st - August 4th
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
***Pre-teen and teenagers will have a unique chance to take this combo 2 in 1 art-camp. The mornings will be spent with the 11-13 group in an art class and the 14-17 group in the ceramics lab, in the afternoon the groups will switch.***
Painting Fundamentals Camp is for students looking to learn the important foundations of painting. Campers will explore the importance of color theory, value, and proper material care over the course of a week. They will also get to dive into the world of ceramics, spending half of their time in the ceramics lab experimenting with pottery and sculpture.
Skills:
Week 1: June 20th - 23rd
Price: $280/$252 ICA Members (includes materials) (4 days only)
***Pre-teen and teenagers will have a unique chance to take this combo 2 in 1 art-camp. The mornings will be spent with the 11-13 group in an art class and the 14-17 group in the ceramics lab, in the afternoon the groups will switch.***
Printmaking camp invites students to experiment with techniques and processes used in historical and contemporary printmaking, while examining these processes in the light of current social issues. Students will learn about the power of graphic design in confronting and communicating political questions. Campers will also get to dive into the world of ceramics, spending half of their time in the ceramics lab experimenting with pottery and sculpture.
Skills:
Week 2: June 26th - 30th
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
***Pre-teen and teenagers will have a unique chance to take this combo 2 in 1 art-camp. The mornings will be spent with the 11-13 group in an art class and the 14-17 group in the ceramics lab, in the afternoon the groups will switch.***
Literature, comic books, photography, movies, illustration: our visual art–Zine Camp is for students who love all of these and want to learn how to edit, create, and distribute art into DIY magazines. A zine is a self-published book or booklet that can be reproduced to share or sell. Potential zine content is all-inclusive and can go beyond conventional material. Activities include photography, screen printing, written word, drawing, collaging, and more. Campers will also get to dive into the world of ceramics, spending half of their time in the ceramics lab experimenting with pottery and sculpture.
Skills:
Week 3: July 10th - 14th
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
***Pre-teen and teenagers will have a unique chance to take this combo 2 in 1 art-camp. The mornings will be spent with the 11-13 group in an art class and the 14-17 group in the ceramics lab, in the afternoon the groups will switch.***
Art and Fashion camp invites students to explore how art and style go hand in hand! Create your own designs using a variety of techniques. From crochet to sewing, fabric paint to embroidery, the possibilities are endless! The week will culminate with campers putting together their own fashion show. Campers will also get to dive into the world of ceramics, spending half of their time in the ceramics lab experimenting with pottery and sculpture.
Skills:
Week 4: July 17th - 21st
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
***Pre-teen and teenagers will have a unique chance to take this combo 2 in 1 art-camp. The mornings will be spent with the 11-13 group in an art class and the 14-17 group in the ceramics lab, in the afternoon the groups will switch.***
Explore the beginnings of animation with this storyboarding and concept-art camp! Campers will learn to effectively tell a story through art. We will practice planning out action sequences, creating original characters, and world-building. Campers will also get to dive into the world of ceramics, spending half of their time in the ceramics lab experimenting with pottery and sculpture.
Skills:
Week 5: July 24th - 28th
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
***Pre-teen and teenagers will have a unique chance to take this combo 2 in 1 art-camp. The mornings will be spent with the 11-13 group in an art class and the 14-17 group in the ceramics lab, in the afternoon the groups will switch.***
Get hands-on experience producing your own paper in this innovative Paper Making camp! Campers will learn the design choices and processes of creating their own paper, then use their new materials to create journals, manuscripts, and original works of art. Campers will also get to dive into the world of ceramics, spending half of their time in the ceramics lab experimenting with pottery and sculpture.
Skills:
Week 6: July 31st - August 4th
Price: $350/$315 ICA Members (includes materials)
***Pre-teen and teenagers will have a unique chance to take this combo 2 in 1 art-camp. The mornings will be spent with the 11-13 group in an art class and the 14-17 group in the ceramics lab, in the afternoon the groups will switch.***
Painting Fundamentals Camp is for students looking to learn the important foundations of painting. Campers will explore the importance of color theory, value, and proper material care over the course of a week. They will also get to dive into the world of ceramics, spending half of their time in the ceramics lab experimenting with pottery and sculpture.
Skills:
1439 El Prado San Diego, CA 92101
Summer Art Camps at ICA San Diego / Central in Balboa Park include access to partner museums (TBD) and time outdoors enjoying the park. Please click on the (+) sign to choose a week and then click register here.
Week1: June 20th - 23rd
Price: $220/$198 ICA Members (includes materials) (4 days only)
This imaginative camp will focus on creating underwater seascapes and the creatures that live within. Campers will use painting, drawing, stamping and sculptural techniques to create underwater scenes. Dip into this watery week of fun, art, and more!
Skills:
Week 5: July 24th - 28th - Sold Out!
Price: $275/$247.50 ICA Members (includes materials)
From dragons to unicorns, mermaids to gnomes, this camp is all about imagination. We’ll make a variety of creations for the kids to enjoy, including puppets using dyed fabrics, wands made out of fibers, kaleidoscopes, and more.
Skills:
Week 4: July 17th - 21st
Price: $275/$247.50 ICA Members (includes materials)
Do you enjoy comics or graphic novels? Do you ever wonder how artists create them? Learn how to create stories, characters, collaborative stop-motion movies, and publish your own fantastic comic creations. Set your inner cartoonist free!
Skills:
Week 6: July 31st - August 4th
Price: $275/$247.50 ICA Members (includes materials)
Who’s your hero? Campers in this week will explore the world of graphic design and illustration, creating original superhero logos, posters, and all things super. From superpowers to supervillains, costumes to gadgets, campers will explore all the ways a hero can be represented.
Skills:
Week 3: July 10th - 14th
Price: $275/$247.50 ICA Members (includes materials)
Campers will remix and reinterpret photography and printmaking processes. They will design, create, and capture images, by using a mix of old and contemporary methods. They will capture interesting natural and urban environmental elements by touring Balboa Park. Create realistic or abstract portraits and still life by utilizing studio setups, mixed media installations, and projections.
Skills:
Week 2: June 26th - 30th
Price: $275/$247.50 ICA Members (includes materials)
Literature, comic books, photography, movies, illustration: our visual art–Zine Camp is for students who love all of these and want to learn how to edit, create, and distribute art into DIY magazines. A zine is a self-published book or booklet that can be reproduced to share or sell. Potential zine content is all-inclusive and can go beyond conventional material. Activities include photography, screen printing, written word, drawing, collaging, and more. Campers will also get to dive into the world of ceramics, spending half of their time in the ceramics lab experimenting with pottery and sculpture.
Skills:
