This story was originally published by ArtsATL.
The summer months are a great time to immerse kids in the arts. Organizations across disciplines offer children-specific arts programming and camps. Some offer scholarships to offset tuition.
Here are upcoming programs and performances for kids and families in the Atlanta area.
ART+DESIGN
Museum of Design Atlanta’s newest exhibit, “Level Up: Pixels, Play & Progress,” explores video game design and how today’s games can help make the world more inclusive and interconnected. Through Sept. 17. General admission, $10. Students, $8, museumofdesign.org.
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Chastain Arts Center offers activities for toddlers to teens. Weekly summer camps run through Aug. 4. Prices, $120-$300 weekly, ocaatlanta.com/chastain.
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High Museum of Art offers free admission for all visitors and family programming from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. the second Sunday of each month, including June 11, July 9 and Aug. 13. Families can enjoy art-making activities and performances as well as the current exhibits. The museum offers events for toddlers (15 months to 3 years) every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on the first Saturday each month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., free for members and museum pass holders and $18.50 otherwise. The museum has some spaces left in its summer camps that cost $350 (members) or $450 (non-members) per week, high.org.
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The latest monument of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was unveiled this spring at the Rodney Cook Sr. Peace Park on Vine Street Northwest in the Vine City neighborhood. It commemorates the 55th anniversary of his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech and is a great way for families to talk about King’s legacy and the history of the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta and beyond, atlantaga.gov.
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Black Art in America will host its Family Reunion: Juneteenth Celebration, June 16-19. The East Point gallery will present lectures, panel talks, networking opportunities and an old-fashioned family cookout. Opening night, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., will include cocktails and live jazz. Free. The gallery also offers community art and gardening programming for children and seniors, blackartinamerica.com.
MUSIC
Music for the Very Young, a program by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in partnership with The Music Class, offers a seven-week education program aimed at babies, toddlers, preschoolers and their grown-ups. The classes last through the summer months and include classic children’s songs played by ASO musicians. Classes are $147, themusicclass.com.
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The Music Class offers seven-week youth music education programs across Atlanta at various times and days. Classes are $147, themusicclass.com.
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Chicago Joe’s Rock and Blues Summer Camp immerses budding musicians into the world of blazing Stratocasters and honking saxophones. The camp is intended for teens who have already progressed past the beginner stage on their instrument or as a vocalist. The weeklong camps, with installments through July, culminates in a live concert by student bands. Classes are $615, and scholarships are available, rockandbluescamp.com.
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Atlanta Music Project hosts summer programs for students in fourth grade and above. The programs are tuition-free. Some experience with a musical instrument is required, atlantamusicproject.org.
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Music Studio Atlanta has locations in Vinings and East Cobb and hosts music classes for mixed ages throughout the summer. Try a class for $20, musictogethermetroatlanta.com
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School of Rock Atlanta offers music camps for young, aspiring rock stars throughout the summer, with courses that range from Pop Legends to Metal to Pop Punk. Camps are $500, schoolofrock.com.
FILM+TV
The 16th annual Atlanta Children’s Film Festival runs June 9-25. The festival includes workshops for children, teens and industry professionals. Tickets for workshops and in-person screenings at the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library (Central Library), One Margaret Mitchell Square, Atlanta, start at $10. The films will also be available for free streaming, kidsvideoconnection.org.
BOOKS
Little Shop of Stories hosts weeklong camps throughout the summer, with themes that range from exploring mythology to solving puzzles to learning about nature. Weekly camps are $400, littleshopofstories.com.
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Virginia Highland Books offers a Kids’ Summer Reading Program for K-6 students. The shop will recommend books. There are prizes for reading a certain number of books. Free, vahibooks.com.
DANCE
Atlanta Ballet offers summer day programs for children of all ages and levels, including creative movement, ballet, music tap, jazz and arts and craft. Programs take place at the Buckhead and Virginia Highland locations. No audition necessary. Prices vary, atlantaballet.com.
THEATER
The Center for Puppetry Arts offers weeklong Puppet Summer Camps in June and July, where kids ages 5 to 9 can write and build their own puppet shows. And don’t miss two puppet shows geared toward little ones: “Captain Healthy and Safety Dog,” June 14-25, and “Hungry Garden,” July 6-9. Camp is $395 for one week, and puppet show tickets are $27, with discounts available, puppet.org.
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Dad’s Garage offers weekly youth improv sessions June 12-July 28. Kids can explore the art of improv each week and perform for their families at the end of each session. Registration is $375, and scholarships are available, dadsgarage.com.
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Youth Creates at 7 Stages Theatre gives teens the opportunity to build a theatrical production from scratch, June 26-July 30. Over the course of one month, workshops on playwriting, music, set design and performance are taught by theater professionals. Tuition is $2,000, and financial aid is available, 7stages.org.
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The Shakespeare Tavern will produce two family shows this summer, and both include special performances for kids with sensory issues. “Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood” runs through July 3, and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is on stage July 8-30. Tickets are $20, shakespearetavern.com.
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The family experience company CAMP has opened at the Ashford Lane mall in Dunwoody. CAMP currently features an immersive experience of Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” with new shows opening every few months. Packages start at $35, camp.com.
Credit: ArtsATL
Credit: ArtsATL
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