The DAC School offers FOUR camp programs between June 11 and August 21, 2026! Choose from Mini Camp, Cultural Camp, Cirque de Danse Intensive, or Teen Intensives. We also offer a Summer Arts Teen Volunteer Program. Learn more about the 5 Reasons Your Kid Will Shine at DAC Summer Arts Camps
Use the buttons below to navigate to the camps you’re most interested in, or scroll down to learn about them all!
Registration opens January 16, 2026 at 10AM
Summer Cultural Camps 2026
(Ages 5-12) – Take a journey across the globe during Cultural Camps! Each two-week session is a fun and in-depth exploration of the arts and culture of a country/region. Each session culminates in a camp exhibition and performance on the last Friday.
Choose from 3 separate tracks:
Age 5 & 6: Creative Kids – This camp offers storytelling, dance, music and fun age-appropriate art activities for our youngest campers.
Ages 7-12 – Visual Track (Classes include: 2D and 3D art)
Ages 7-12 – Performing Arts Track (Classes include: Dance, Theater, Music)
9:00am-3:00pm (Drop off starting at 8:00am)
Two-week camps: $500 ($470 per additional sibling of same household)
*You must register for both weeks of a two-week Cultural Camp.
June 15 – 26 (2 weeks, No Camp June 19, $450): Colorful Cuba
July 6 – 17 (2 weeks): Talented Thailand
July 27 – August 7 (2 weeks): Splendid Scotland
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Afternoon Adventures (Ages 5-12): Need full day care? Add the Afternoon Adventures program to your camper’s registration! Afternoon Adventures includes even MORE artistic fun, including visits by professional artists and themed days such as Mindfulness Monday, Talented Tuesday, and more. Campers enrolled in Afternoon Adventures will receive a pre-packaged afternoon snack. Campers with food allergies or sensitivities should bring extra snacks.
3:00pm – 5:30pm
Two-week Session: $200
Summer Mini Camps 2026
America 250 – Durham’s Common Ground (Ages 5-12): In 2026, America will commemorate 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the development of a new nation dedicated to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Durham County has selected the theme of ‘Common Ground’ to explore the state’s broader concepts: Revolutionary NC and When Are We Us? Places carry our stories of collective and individual creativity, struggle, and connection to one another. Common Ground in Durham includes a creative exploration of what we learn from historic spaces, regional culture, and the natural world as we strive to make our county a better place for all community members. Campers will participate in both visual and performing arts activities. Each week of camp will have different activities so campers can participate in one or more weeks.
9:00am-3:00pm (Drop off starting at 8:00am)
Weekly: $250 ($235 per additional sibling of same household)
June 11 – 12 (2 days, $100)
June 29 – July 2 (4 days, No Camp July 3, prorated $200)
July 20 – 24
August 10 – 14
August 17 – 21
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Afternoon Adventures (Ages 5-12): Need full day care? Add the Afternoon Adventures program to your camper’s registration! Afternoon Adventures includes even MORE artistic fun, including visits by professional artists and themed days such as Mindfulness Monday, Talented Tuesday, and more. Campers enrolled in Afternoon Adventures will receive a pre-packaged afternoon snack. Campers with food allergies or sensitivities should bring extra snacks.
3:00pm – 5:30pm
Weekly: $100
Cirque de Danse 2026 
Cirque de Danse: (Ages 7-12) In partnership with Triangle Youth Ballet, this summer dance intensive is for beginner and intermediate level dancers. Cirque de Danse includes creative movement, improvisational exercises, intro to ballet, jazz, and contemporary dance in addition to dance history and choreography. At the end of each session, there will be a fully costumed performance that brings the circus to life through dance!
9:00am-3:00pm (Drop off starting at 8:00am)
Weekly: $250 ($235 per additional sibling of same household)
July 20 – 24
August 10 – 14
August 17 – 21
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Afternoon Adventures (Ages 5-12): Need full day care? Add the Afternoon Adventures program to your camper’s registration! Afternoon Adventures includes even MORE artistic fun, including visits by professional artists and themed days such as Mindfulness Monday, Talented Tuesday, and more. Campers enrolled in Afternoon Adventures will receive a pre-packaged afternoon snack. Campers with food allergies or sensitivities should bring extra snacks.
3:00pm – 5:30pm
Weekly: $100
School Break Camps 2025-2026
(Ages 5-12)
Accommodating year-round and traditional school breaks and teacher workdays on Durham Public Schools calendars, campers participate in both visual and performing arts inspired by an awesome camp theme. Each week has different activities so campers can participate in multiple weeks! Save this: 2025-2026 School Break Camps flier.
9:00am-3:00pm (Drop off starting at 8:00am)
Weekly: $250 ($235 per additional sibling of same household)
Daily: $60 (Only Available for Single Day Option)
2025-26 Camp Dates:
Monster Mash! | Registration Opens July 25, 2025
September 22 (single day option) | September 22 – 26
September 29 – October 3
October 6 – 10
October 27
Fabulous Fashions | Registration Opens July 25, 2025
November 4
November 11
November 24 – 26
December 15 – 19
Architectural Marvels | Registration Opens October 3, 2025
December 29 – January 2 (No Camp January 1)
January 20
February 16
March 3
Protests & Parades | Registration Opens December 5, 2025
March 16 – 20
March 23 – 27
March 30 – April 3
April 6
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Afternoon Adventures (Ages 5-12): Need full day care? Add the Afternoon Adventures program to your camper’s registration! Afternoon Adventures includes even MORE artistic fun, including group games and movement. Campers enrolled in Afternoon Adventures will receive a pre-packaged afternoon snack. Campers with food allergies or sensitivities should bring extra snacks.
3:00pm – 5:30pm
Weekly: $100 | Daily: $25 (only available for single day camps)
Teen Intensives (Ages 13-18): Teen intensives are designed for middle/high school students that have experience with the arts and want to learn more about a specific topic or media in depth. Each intensive is one week and runs for 3.5 hours each day. Bundle a morning and afternoon intensive for a full day (teens in a full day program will stay for lunch). Teens should pack at least one snack per intensive each day and if staying for the full day, a packed lunch that does not need to be refrigerated or microwaved.
Morning Sessions: 9:00am – 12:30pm | Afternoon Sessions: 1:30pm – 5:00pm
Weekly: $140
Summer 2026
June 22 – 26: Comic Journaling | Sculptural Mask Making
June 29 – July 2 (no camp July 3): Plein Air Watercolors | Printmaking (4 days, prorated $112)
July 6 – 10: Scene Writing | Clay Hand-Building
July 13 – 17: Portraiture | Anime/Manga Sketching
July 20 – 24: Drawing Skills | Perspective Drawing & Design
July 27 – 31: Painting Like the Masters | Clay Wheel-Throwing
August 3 – 7: Oil & Chalk Pastels | Mixed Media Collage
Volunteer
Applications are live for 2026!
Summer Arts Camps provide teen volunteers in rising 10th through 12th grades the opportunity to assist camp instructors, work with DAC admin staff, and get creative with kids while painting, sculpting, crafting, performing and more!
This opportunity also provides teens with valuable resume-building experience and can count towards volunteer requirements that schools or membership organizations may have.
If you are interested in volunteering with us, please complete an application as soon as possible. Volunteers must be at least 15 years old by August 31, 2026.
When your application materials are all received, you may be emailed to set up a virtual interview time.
If you have any questions, please contact Wendy Leigh, Arts Education Assistant Manager, at wleigh@durhamarts.org.
Application Deadline: May 3, 2026. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and do not guarantee that every applicant will receive a volunteer position.
Scholarships
Partial scholarships are awarded on the basis of financial need for adult and youth students interested in classes and camps, as funds are available. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. To request a scholarship application, please email Arts Education Assistant Manager, Wendy Leigh, at wleigh@durhamarts.org. Please allow 2-3 weeks for application processing.
Scholarships for youth camps are generously provided by support from the Fox Family Foundation, the Durham Merchants Association Charitable Foundation, Sheetz, and individual donors.
Scholarships for visual arts classes for adults and youth are generously provided by the Arlene Hyman Visual Arts Scholarship Fund, established in 2014 following her passing. The fund is intended to help others — whether children or adults — discover or advance their love of the visual arts. Arlene Hyman, always a lover of the arts, was a member of the Pastel Societies of New Jersey and North Carolina and her work had been juried into numerous exhibitions. After relocating to Chapel Hill in 2011, Arlene continued her studies at the Durham Arts Council and elsewhere in the region. Additional support provided by individual donors.
Scholarships for other activities are generously provided by individual donors.
Donate to the Janet Bell Scholarship Fund here!
