Summer Art Camp Wraps Up Another Year

Jul 11, 2026 by editor

Another Summer Art Camp has come and gone. The dust is settling, everything is cleaned up, and I’m finally getting back to something resembling normal!

This year, for a full week we welcomed 52 amazing young artists, ages 5–12, to the Town Hall-the heart of our little hamlet. Together we completed more than a dozen art projects, displayed our creations in the 2nd Annual Summer Art Show, and proudly rode our very own float in the Fourth of July parade. To help keep the creativity going all year long, every child who attended went home with a box full of art supplies to explore and practice until we return next summer.

This magical week only happens because of our incredible, caring community:

First and foremost, thank you to the Mokelumne Hill Community Historical Trust for your wholehearted support through funding and volunteerism. Summer Art Camp simply would not happen without you. ❤️

Our teaching team was absolutely tremendous this year. You worked tirelessly through a very busy and exhausting week, and I am so grateful for each of you. Thank you to Marianne, Susan B., Susan K., Jeanne, Amy, Marta, Heather, and Delaney.

A special thank you to our wonderful assistants, Al and Danielle. You’ve been with us for the past two years, and you know how much we love and appreciate you.

To my fellow lead teacher, Shawna—thank you for always being my positive influence. You’re the one who reminds me that we can do it…and if we can’t, we’ll pivot! Thank you for everything you do for our “littles.”

Thank you to our parent helpers—Katy, Eric, Asella, Trevor, and Rel—for always answering the call and lending a hand whenever needed. Thank you also to the crew who helped with setup and cleanup. Your hard work behind the scenes makes everything possible.

A heartfelt thank you to Christine for developing and maintaining a new registration process, and to our librarian, Shona, for supporting the art program and securing the lunch program that helped feed our kids throughout the week. To my dear friend, Mary Anne and her family who built our float, thank you!

We are also incredibly grateful to our talented guest artists, who brought so much creativity and joy to our older kids:

Susan Komure and the Band of Strummers (Drawing Music)
Anne McKeown (Paper Making)
Samantha Iacobello (Painting with Mud)
Lori Hale (Watercolors)
Anne Cook (Mosaics)
Nicole Erickson (Leatherwork)

If I’ve unintentionally forgotten anyone, please know how grateful we are for every person who helped make this week such a success.

As you can see, it truly takes a village to create Summer Art Camp, and I don’t believe there is a more caring, generous, and loving community than ours. Thank you for believing in this program and for supporting our efforts year after year.

If you’d like to help ensure Summer Art Camp continues for years to come, donations may be sent to:@

Mokelumne Hill Community Historical Trust

P.O. Box 375

Mokelumne Hill, CA 95245

And finally, the biggest thank you of all goes to our 52 young artists. You showed up with curiosity, courage, and imagination. You tried new things, learned new skills, and some of you even discovered your favorite artistic medium. That is exactly why we do this.

Now go out into the world and create beauty in everything you do.

We’ll see you next summer!

❤️ Cathy Bourland