Summer Art Camp for Ages 12–14
Build skills, explore new media, and develop your artistic voice.
Summer Art Camp for Ages 12–14 at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art is designed for middle school students who are ready to dive deeper into materials, techniques, and ideas. Whether your teen is brand new to art or already developing a creative practice, these camps offer space to experiment, build foundational skills, and explore personal expression in a supportive, studio-based environment.
Campers work alongside professional artists and art educators, learning technical processes while also spending time in the galleries to study how artists across history and today approach photography, painting, and sculpture. This age group is encouraged to take creative risks, collaborate with peers, and begin thinking critically about their work—leaving camp with both new skills and finished pieces they’re proud of.
June 22 - June 26,
Ages 12-14
Get a crash course in polaroid photography at our week-long experimental photography camp! This course is all about film photography and the many ways you can manipulate it. Students will use polaroid cameras while learning fundamental photography techniques and how to manipulate polaroid film to create truly unique works of art. By the end of the week, students will go home with multiple polaroid masterpieces and custom DIY frames.
June 29 - July 3
Ages 12-14
Get a crash course in painting at our week-long painting summer camp! This course is all about painting and the many ways you can manipulate it. Students will use different types of paints while learning fundamental painting techniques, like mixing color and creating texture. Campers will also explore painting techniques by great artists in the museum galleries. Campers will learn that understanding the different types of painting techniques can be a doorway to personal expression and creativity!
July 20th- July 24
Ages 12-14
In this fun and creative camp, campers will explore sculpture using a variety of materials like plaster, recycled objects, model magic, and more. Campers will learn basic handbuilding techniques, experiment with texture and shape, and discover how artists turn simple materials into amazing artworks. With plenty of time to explore the galleries, and create, students will collaborate on projects with their fellow campers and also take home sculptural masterpieces of their own!
Camp Experience Highlights
- Hands-on art-making with professional artists and educators
- Daily gallery visits for inspiration and exploration
- Multiple projects each week, with artwork to take home
- A welcoming environment for beginners and experienced young artists alike
- Opportunities to build confidence, friendships, and creative independence
Schedule & Pricing (Full Day Camp)
Camp Hours: 8:30 AM–4:30 PM
- Drop-off: 8:30 AM (families may arrive as early as 8:00 AM)
- Pick-up: 4:30 PM
Cost:
- Full Day: $375
- Member Full Day: $290
Lunch Option
Lunch is available for full-day campers only for $45 per camper, per week.
If you’d like to purchase lunch, select YES during registration. Families will be contacted in April to complete payment.
Spots are limited—register now and let your child's creativity shine this summer!
Questions or comments? Please direct inquiries to: Ali.Bush@brooksmuseum.org.
We have even more ways to learn with the Brooks Museum. See our programs below.
Learn moreArt Therapy Access Program
Art therapy is defined by the American Art Therapy Association as a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by a masters-level art therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem.
Learn MoreHomeschool
The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art offers free Homeschool Days for homeschool students of all ages and their families. Homeschool Days occur six times a year - three in the fall and three in the spring. Each of these days explores the museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions through a specific theme.
Learn MoreInside Art
Inside Art is Tennessee’s only family gallery dedicated to visual literacy – the ability to make meaning from the images you see. Teachers, parents, and caregivers alike will love each thoughtful element and its profound learning objectives. Children of all ages will relish in the sounds, sights, and textures as they pose, climb, create, relax, and explore.
Learn More2026 Mid-South Scholastic Art Awards
The Mid-South Scholastic Art Awards is an annual juried student art exhibition presented by Brooks Museum League with major support Pinnacle Financial Partners with support from the Art Now Collective
Learn MoreArt Therapy Access Program
Art therapy is defined by the American Art Therapy Association as a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by a masters-level art therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem.
Learn MoreField Trips
School tours are designed to engage students in critical thinking about art and to support students in developing visual literacy skills. Students of all ages are invited to explore the rich collection of the Brooks Museum on a tour.
Learn MoreHomeschool
The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art offers free Homeschool Days for homeschool students of all ages and their families. Homeschool Days occur six times a year - three in the fall and three in the spring. Each of these days explores the museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions through a specific theme.
Learn MoreHomeschool Activities
Upcycled Sketchbooks
Materials
Materials Needed:
-An old book you are allowed to draw in
-gesso
-scissors
-pens and pencils
-markers
-paints and brushes
-glue
-binder clips, chip clips, or rubber bands
-washi tape, painters’ tape, or scotch tape
-junk mail, magazines, or other paper for collage
Lesson Plans
Browse our lessons for teachers to connect their students’ museum visit to the classroom.
Lesson plans with objectives based on Bloom’s Taxonomy are available for themed tours of the permanent collection and special exhibitions. They’re designed to provide information about artworks, vocabulary, online resources, suggested curriculum standards, and pre- and post- museum visit activities for the classroom.
The Environment
Grades PreK-1 (ages 4-6)
Explore themes from the environment, including seasons, animal habitats, and weather patterns through interactive gallery discussions and art-making activities.
Science - Technology - Engineering - Art - Math
Grades 3-8
Use art from our permanent collection as a launching point to explore STEAM concepts.
Arts of Global Africa
Grades K-12
An introduction to the rich artistic expressions of Africa, which are as varied as the continent itself.
Lesson Plan Attribution
Gaston Lachaise, United States, born France, 1882-1935, Two Floating Nude Acrobats, 1922, Bronze, 11 1/2 x 2 3/4 x 7 1/2 inches, Private collection, Courtesy of Gerald Peters Gallery © Gaston Lachaise Foundation
Hassan Hajjaj, (b. Larache, Morocco, 1960), Afrikan Boyem, 2012 from the series My Rock Stars Volume 2, Metallic Lambda print on 3mm Dibond in wood frame with Geisha maquereau tins, Courtesy Private Collection
Roger Brown, American, 1941 – 1997, Clouds Over Alabama, 1994, Oil on canvas, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art purchase; funds provided by the Thomas W. Briggs Foundation Community Service Award in honor of Kaywin Feldman, with additional support from Mimi Loeb 2006.22. © School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Brown Family
Thomas Hart Benton, American, 1889 - 1975, Engineer's Dream, 1931, Oil on panel, Eugenia Buxton Whitnel Funds, 75.1. © T.H. Benton and R.P. Benton Testamentary Trusts/ UMB Bank Trustee/VAGA, New York, NY
Carroll Cloar, American (active in Memphis), 1913 - 1993, My Father Was Big as a Tree, c. 1955, Casein tempura on masonite, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Morrie A. Moss, 55.24. © Estate of the artist
Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal), The Grand Canal from the Campo San Vio, 1730-1735, Oil on canvas, Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 61.216.
Isaac Soyer, American (b. Russia), 1902 - 1981, Cafeteria, c. 1930, Oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. E. R. Brumley, 45.12. © Estate of the Artist
Chakaia Booker, American, b. 1953, Untitled, 2002, Rubber tire and wood, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art purchase; funds provided by Wil and Sally Hergenrader, 2006.33. © Chakaia Booker
Elizabeth Catlett, American, 1919 - 2012, In Harriet Tubman I Helped Hundreds to Freedom from The Negro Woman, 1946, Linocut, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art; Gift of AutoZone, Inc. 2001.15.1i © Elizabeth Catlett/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
German, Saint Michael, c. 1450-1480, Limewood, polychromed and gilded, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art Purchase with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Ben B. Carrick, Dr. and Mrs. Marcus W. Orr, Fr. And Mrs. William F. Outlan, Mr. and Mrs. Downing Pryor, Mr. and Mrs. Richard O. Wilson, Brooks League in memory of Margaret A. Tate, 84.3.
Red Grooms, American, b. 1937, Tennessee S Curve, 2001, Enamel on epoxy on Styrofoam, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art purchase; Morrie A. Moss Acquisition Fund 2001.10. © Red Grooms / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Lesson Plans
Browse our lessons for teachers to connect their students’ museum visit to the classroom.
Lesson plans with objectives based on Bloom’s Taxonomy are available for themed tours of the permanent collection and special exhibitions. They’re designed to provide information about artworks, vocabulary, online resources, suggested curriculum standards, and pre- and post- museum visit activities for the classroom.
The Environment
Grades PreK-1 (ages 4-6)
Explore themes from the environment, including seasons, animal habitats, and weather patterns through interactive gallery discussions and art-making activities.
Science - Technology - Engineering - Art - Math
Grades 3-8
Use art from our permanent collection as a launching point to explore STEAM concepts.
Arts of Global Africa
Grades K-12
An introduction to the rich artistic expressions of Africa, which are as varied as the continent itself.
Lesson Plan Attribution
Gaston Lachaise, United States, born France, 1882-1935, Two Floating Nude Acrobats, 1922, Bronze, 11 1/2 x 2 3/4 x 7 1/2 inches, Private collection, Courtesy of Gerald Peters Gallery © Gaston Lachaise Foundation
Hassan Hajjaj, (b. Larache, Morocco, 1960), Afrikan Boyem, 2012 from the series My Rock Stars Volume 2, Metallic Lambda print on 3mm Dibond in wood frame with Geisha maquereau tins, Courtesy Private Collection
Roger Brown, American, 1941 – 1997, Clouds Over Alabama, 1994, Oil on canvas, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art purchase; funds provided by the Thomas W. Briggs Foundation Community Service Award in honor of Kaywin Feldman, with additional support from Mimi Loeb 2006.22. © School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Brown Family
Thomas Hart Benton, American, 1889 - 1975, Engineer's Dream, 1931, Oil on panel, Eugenia Buxton Whitnel Funds, 75.1. © T.H. Benton and R.P. Benton Testamentary Trusts/ UMB Bank Trustee/VAGA, New York, NY
Carroll Cloar, American (active in Memphis), 1913 - 1993, My Father Was Big as a Tree, c. 1955, Casein tempura on masonite, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Morrie A. Moss, 55.24. © Estate of the artist
Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal), The Grand Canal from the Campo San Vio, 1730-1735, Oil on canvas, Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, 61.216.
Isaac Soyer, American (b. Russia), 1902 - 1981, Cafeteria, c. 1930, Oil on canvas, Gift of Mr. E. R. Brumley, 45.12. © Estate of the Artist
Chakaia Booker, American, b. 1953, Untitled, 2002, Rubber tire and wood, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art purchase; funds provided by Wil and Sally Hergenrader, 2006.33. © Chakaia Booker
Elizabeth Catlett, American, 1919 - 2012, In Harriet Tubman I Helped Hundreds to Freedom from The Negro Woman, 1946, Linocut, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art; Gift of AutoZone, Inc. 2001.15.1i © Elizabeth Catlett/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY
German, Saint Michael, c. 1450-1480, Limewood, polychromed and gilded, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art Purchase with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Ben B. Carrick, Dr. and Mrs. Marcus W. Orr, Fr. And Mrs. William F. Outlan, Mr. and Mrs. Downing Pryor, Mr. and Mrs. Richard O. Wilson, Brooks League in memory of Margaret A. Tate, 84.3.
Red Grooms, American, b. 1937, Tennessee S Curve, 2001, Enamel on epoxy on Styrofoam, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art purchase; Morrie A. Moss Acquisition Fund 2001.10. © Red Grooms / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York