A Week of Creativity!
Embark on a journey of self-discovery with friends! Professionally trained instructors guide campers in one discipline: art exploration. Fine Arts Camp focuses on educating young girls and developing their communication, critical, and analytical thinking skills. At the end of the week, campers present their work in a Performing Arts Forum on the O'Laughlin Auditorium stage at Saint Mary’s College.
Over five days, participants will explore five fine arts disciplines: music, dance, theater, puppetry, and art. Daily classes in these disciplines are combined with a performance class where each camper specializes in a specific art form. At the end of the week, families are invited to attend a performance of what the campers have been creating throughout the week.
We are excited to offer both residential and day camp options this summer! We encourage all young women with a passion for the arts—from beginners through experienced artists—to enroll in Saint Mary's Fine Arts Camp. The only requirement is the desire to learn and have fun!
2025 Camp Information
Fine Arts Day Camp
For girls entering grades 4-8 as of September 2025
Dates: June 23-27 (7:30 a.m. - 8 a.m. drop-off | 4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. pick-up EST)
Cost: $449
Financial Assistance Available
Fine Arts Overnight Camp
For girls entering grades 5-9 as of September 2025
Dates: July 20-25
Cost: $799
Financial Assistance Available
Pick your concentration — Experience them all!
At Fine Arts Camp, campers explore five fine arts disciplines: art, music, dance, puppetry and theatre. Based on the camper's preference, each camper will attend a daily performance class where they will work alongside our professionally trained instructors to create a piece of art within that discipline. At the end of camp, each camper will have the opportunity to present their art to family and friends in our Performing Arts Forum!
Take a look at what we offered in the Summer of 2024. Our classes for Summer 2025 will be posted soon, so check back!
ART
Daily Class: We will craft small stuffed animals using felt, fabric, and fluffy stuffing. Campers will learn the basics of hand sewing and can create a creature of their design or use a pre-made pattern for their animals.
Performance Class: We will explore how felt is made and what you can create with it. Campers will learn how to needle-felt and hand-felt to create fiber-based sculptures straight out of their imaginations!
MUSIC
Exploration Class: During the exploration class, campers will learn the history and the basics of playing the ukulele. Campers will have fun singing and playing popular songs on their instrument and might even learn how to make their own ukulele!
Performance Class: During the performance class, we will be singing a medley of Taylor Swift songs and even learn dance moves from "The Eras Tour!" Campers will also learn harmonies, melodies, and ways to improve musical technique through singing.
DANCE
Exploration Class: Choreography, or dance-making, is the creative process that begins with inspiration from what we see, hear, feel, and experience. Campers will participate in games and activities using various inspirations for exploring and improvising movement, learn how to design and shape those movements, and ultimately create their own unique dances.
Performance Class: Using the creative process of choreography learned in dance exploration class, campers will work together to create dances of all styles. The dances will be performed to music from the "Carnival of the Animals," composed by Camille Saint-Saens. We'll have bouncy kangaroos, synchronized schools of fish, graceful swans, and much more.
THEATRE
Performance Class: Have you ever been frustrated by all the sleeping and waiting in castles that princesses do in the old-fashioned fairy tales? Or maybe you think the fairy godmother gets a little too much credit? Or that perhaps it is the prince’s turn to be rescued? What would you do if you were given the chance to direct these princesses? The theatre performance class will focus on short fairy tales that the campers have chosen to rework into a princess story we can all support. They will work in small groups to change the settings, the course of events, the characters, or even completely rewrite the book to create a script, which they will act out during the parent showcase performance on Friday.
Exploration Class: All campers will explore the process of building a traditional character through the use of voice and movement to convey all the heightened qualities and emotions of a fairy tale world. We will use storylines as a beginning point before dismantling the myth of the perfect fairy tale world. We will work to emphasize the things we love about princesses and their friends but change the qualities that need some updating to be the true heroines of our stories. In our theatre classes, everyone is expected to participate in group movement work, partner and small group improv, and eventually, short group skits. We ease campers into performing by starting with low-pressure, whole group activities and then allowing them to choose whether they take on bigger or smaller roles in the subsequent activities, building confidence, a support structure, and trust as we work.
PUPPETRY
Exploration Class: Campers learn basic techniques in puppeteering a "Muppet" style hand and rod puppet. Campers will also design and create their own sock puppet.
Performance Class: This class will explore the use of puppetry in storytelling. Building on the fundamental skills of puppeteering introduced in the exploration class, campers will continue to experiment with vocal, physical, and imaginative skills in puppet performance by working with other styles of puppets, including marionettes and shadow puppets. The combination of these efforts will be demonstrated in a final group performance.
ART
Exploration Class: Campers will be exploring the magic of thinking small as we transform rocks into garden fairy doors and paper into mushrooms! Campers should bring their magical and mischievous minds to create items fit for a fairy garden.
Performance Class: Campers will find inspiration from the famous glass artist, Dale Chihuly! We’ll work with plastic and paint to create colorful glass-inspired sculptures and bowls! No actual glass will be used, so don’t worry about dropping these pieces of artwork!
Meet the Fine Arts Camp Directors
Michele Foust, academic co-director and dance instructor, is a professor in the Saint Mary’s College Program in Dance. She loves to do all forms of dance, from ballet to jazz to folk, and believes everyone can learn to dance! She also loves dogs, ginger ale, and camp t-shirts. If you’ve always wanted to dance, Fine Arts Camp is the place to give it a try. If you’ve always danced, Fine Arts Camp is the place to share that joy with your camp friends!
Michaela Duffy joined the Saint Mary’s faculty in 2006 as a professional specialist. She serves as the technical director, scenic designer, lighting designer, and scene shop supervisor for the programs of Theatre and Dance and the Department of Music. Her recent design credits at Saint Mary’s include She Kills Monsters, Legally Blonde, Twelfth Night, and Anne of Green Gables. Last year, she also directed a new theatre piece, By Campfire and Candlelight, a collection of short-story forms produced for young audiences. She also served as a projection designer for Lucky Stiff at IU South Bend. Michaela is also co-faculty lead for the Spark Lab, the maker space on Saint Mary’s campus. Michaela is a proud mother of two. She and her family are involved in the local Scouting community with Troop 122 of Osceola and Cub Scout Pack 108 of Mishawaka. She also serves on the Michiana committee for Wreaths Across America, which annually honors and remembers Veterans. She loves spending time with her family, Scouting, crafting, traveling, hiking, cooking, gardening, and storytelling. Michaela worked with the camp for several years as a stage technician and is excited to be joining the camp administration as a co-director this year.
Questions?
We know how important choosing a summer camp is for you and because of this, we are here to answer any questions that you have!
Call: (574) 284-4778
