Summer Camp at The Grammar School is a place where children explore in nature, experience athletic adventures, and study with professional artists in many mediums. It is the only camp of its kind. Whether sculpting with clay, tasting strawberries in the organic garden, biking through Putney, building with wood, or doing Chinese brush painting, there is something for everyone.

Campers enjoy the 60 acre campus and the chance to be part of a program that has its roots in over twenty years of wonderful summers. This program provides the same standard of excellence that the school provides year round.

One featured artist is Art Costa, who will be teaching Mask Masking. In this class, studio students will be constructing wearable and totem masks from recycled and found materials. Art Costa is a juried artist with the Vermont Arts Council and has been taking his craft into the classrooms and art centers throughout Vermont since 1997. His award winning masks have been exhibited from California to Vermont since 1979, most recently selected for this years Thorne-Sagendorph Biennial Regional Jurors' Competition at Keene State College.

Saxtons River artists, Julia Zanes and Donald Saaf, will be teaching painting/drawing/collage, garden arts, and sculpture classes, to name a few. Julia Zanes works primarily as a fine artist (painter) showing locally and nationally. Donald Saaf is an artist, a sculptor, and children’s book illustrator.

John Gurney, the author and illustrator of Dinosaur Train and illustrator of over 100 books, including the The Bailey School Kids series and The A to Z Mysteries series, will be teaching a class on cartooning. This class will be an exploration of the elements of creating cartoon characters. Students will explore how to draw expressive faces and how to use pictures to communicate a narrative. They will also have fun drawing silly pictures, and sneak in some fundamental principals of drawing.

Joan Peters will be teaching Clothing and Costume. In this introduction to garment design, students will choose fabrics, learn to use patterns and cut out and sew clothing and accessories. Joan Peters started making art quilts and hangings 35 years ago. From there she gravitated to costume design and the theater, and earned an MFA in theater design. She paints, sculpts, sews and enjoys working with young people on arts related projects. She is costume designer for Deerfield Academy department of dance and has her own business as a color consultant and interior designer.

Other artists and classes comprising the summer studio camps this summer include Dina Kail - Stained Glass and Mosaics; William Chambers - Garden Arts and Digital Art; Ginny Motes - Clay; Matt Lorenz - Woodworking and “Found Sound”, where junk and discarded materials are used to build instruments; Bob Rondeau - “Flying Things”, a course where students will examine insects, birds, kites and aircraft with demonstrations and experiments that explain the basic principles of flight; Amelia Struthers - Comedy Improvisation and Creative Dramatics; Nancie Schwartz - Marbling/Paper Making; Meredith Wade - a Design/Build studio utilizing wood, wheels lights and motors; Puppet Making with Jana Zeller; and Chinese Painting and Calligraphy with Cai Silver.

The Grammar School’s Summer Camp for children ages 6 through 12, runs from June 23 through July 18. Whether interested in outstanding athletic programs, learning survival skills from naturalist educators, or making art, there is something for everyone. Students may pick courses to create a mixed program that matches their interests. For more information or to receive a brochure: please contact William Chambers, Summer Program Director, at (802) 387-5364 or wchamber@tgs-putney.org. If you are interested in applying for financial aid please contact Ginny Motes, at (802) 387- 5364 or gmotes@tgs-putney.org.

The Grammar School, in Putney, VT is a 50 year old independent day school serving preschool through 8th grade. It enrolls 125 students from 25 towns and 3 states with a faculty and staff of 20 committed educators. Our campus encompasses 3 classroom buildings, as well as 60 acres of forest and field.