Young people will soon be able to flex their creative muscles, and maybe even develop new artistic talents, at the Henry Arts Alliance Summer Arts Camp.

  Sessions for the camp will be held June 17-20 at McDonough Presbyterian Church, 427 McGarity Road, and June 21 at the Henry County Performing Arts Center, 37 Lemon St.

  The event will culminate with a free performance June 21 at 7 p.m., at the PAC.

  The camp will offer instruction in music, dance, theatre and visual arts.  Level 1 campers – those who have completed kindergarten through third grade – will participate in the camp from 9 a.m., to noon. Level 2 campers – those who have completed fourth through eighth grades – will participate from 9 a.m., to 3 p.m.

  Lynna Schmidt, president of the Henry Arts Alliance, has worked with the camp for 25 years, and serves as its artistic director. She said the camp carries numerous benefits for its participants.

  “Being part of a camp that focuses on the arts – both performing and visual – is exciting and challenging,” said Schmidt. “For younger campers, say they love dance or music or drama but they get to try it all in Exploring The Arts.

  “There are two visual arts programs going on at the same time – Level 1 and 2,” she continued. “If a child is interested only in the visual arts, we have amazing teachers who let them try all kinds of mediums – watercolor, drawing, pottery, printing, photography and so much more.  And that gives them a chance to try something that they might not try in school. They might discover a passion for visual arts that they didn’t know they had. I love that.”

  Schmidt said this year, the Arts Camp will feature a mixture of familiar elements to engage its young participants.

  “Our theme is ‘Celebrate Good Times,’” she said.  “And we will be doing scripts from past years – Disney, Dr. Seuss, Charlie Brown and others. The arts will be wild and creative and fabulous.”

  The fee for the camp is $125 for Level 1 participants, and $175 for those in Level 2. Schmidt said the cost is “really inexpensive” when

considering what comes with it.

  “It’s an amazing value for the level of teachers, coaches and staff that work with these campers,” said Schmidt. “I have researched other camps in Atlanta and, for what we do, other camps across the ATL charge as

much as $400-500 a week, and they don’t get a performance at a major performing venue like we do at the Performing Arts Center. We keep our camp at this low cost to make it available to more people.”

  Campers in Level 1 will take part in Exploring the Arts, which covers drama, dance, and music. This group will also learn about literary and visual arts, such as painting, drawing, block printing, pottery and photography. Level 2 Performing Arts campers, said Schmidt, will learn a full musical in one week.

  “If you think that’s crazy, you should be there as we hop into the rehearsal every day,” she said. “It’s a blast. And these children really go for it. They are excited to try anything, and even if they can’t do something, they are willing to try and learn it. I’m not looking for professional actors, singers or dancers. I’m looking to have a great time with these kids. I want them to discover the joy of the arts.

  “Because it’s a theatrical production, it requires everyone¹s input,” added Schmidt. “You never know what kinds of campers you will get, what level of talent they have or what they will find interesting. It’s a

wonderful challenge and forces all of us to bring our ‘A’ game.”

  Campers in Level 2 will also explore several visual arts including

painting, drawing, pottery, photography and block prints.

  Schmidt said she is proud of the long-lasting impact that the camp has on its participants.

  “I think what I’m most proud about is, I have kids who come back to me and have kids of their own, and they say, ‘arts camp is the best thing I ever did,’” said Schmidt. “As long as they come away from our camp with an appreciation for performing and visual arts, that’s all I care about.”

  Some former campers, she said, have gone on to pursue careers in the arts as adults.

  “One of the most valuable lessons that these young people take away from the camp is an appreciation and love for all areas of the arts,” said Schmidt. “I hope they take this love and get involved in the arts as adults by attending concerts, theater, dance programs or by going to gallery openings, or buying art. I hope they will expose their children to programs like ours and build their own future audiences.”

  Schmidt voiced high praise for the Master Teachers in this year’s Arts Camp, most of whom are teachers or former educators in Henry County, or operate a studio in the area. She relishes the creativity that her campers and Master Teachers bring to the camp each year.

  “Every year I bring a new challenge to my Masters,” she said. “They get a new theme, I have ideas that I want them to create and I’m not sure how to make it happen. And they always find a way to make those creative experiences happen and to make it work for all of our campers.”

  Brittney English, 18, of Stockbridge is a senior at Woodland High School. She has participated in the Arts Camp for 11 years – first as a camper, then as a coach.

  English said she is grateful for the effect that the camp has had on her life.

  “Working with Lynna has brought joy to my June,” said English. “She has contagious energy that brings life to camp.  I have met so many new friends and I can’t wait for more years to come.”

  Ellie Pavlichek has been a camper, coach and Master Teacher for a total of 17 years. She  teaches children with special needs in Savannah.

  Pavlichek said her memories of the Arts Camp are “flooded with the laughter and lessons”  from working with Schmidt.

  “Arts camp taught me it was awesome to be unapologetically myself, how to work hard to improve on things that I wasn’t always the best at – dancing – and how to befriend anyone and have the time of my life,” said Pavlichek. “When I think about it, though, those are all qualities that Lynna herself just seems to embody as a person. Growing up with that as a model every summer shaped me as a person, and helps me go on to shape the lives of other children as I teach them in my classroom.”

  Participation in the camp is limited. In Level 1, there is a limit of 75 campers for Exploring the Arts, and 15 for Visual Arts. In Level 2, the limit is 40 campers for Performing the Arts, and 25 for Visual Arts camp.   For more information, visit Henryartsalliance.org.