deCordova Day Camps

Registration for summer camp is open for EVERYONE (including non-members).

Many camp sessions are close to selling out! 

Become a Family Member before or during registration to save $100 off each week of camp for each of your campers AND register early. 

Before registration, please read through our new program information on this and subsequent pages.

WHERE: deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln is a 30-acre Sculpture Park featuring 60 modern and contemporary sculptures made by a diverse array of artists in a wide variety of materials, content, and scale. deCordova is surrounded by forested conservation lands that partner with the Sculpture Park to inspire the endless creativity and innovation of deCordova’s art and nature camps. In addition, our camps build on The Trustees’ expertise in nature conservation, collections care, and preservation and celebration of cultural heritage.

WHAT: Every day, campers enjoy activities that align with our educational mission and environmental ethic. Inspired by a teaching philosophy based in inquiry, play, imagination, process over product, and a strong sense of place, camper creations embody creativity, curiosity, and community. Rather than campers sitting individually mastering techniques in a studio, they can be found experimenting with natural and unconventional materials together on a lawn or in the woods. As they make connections to their own lives, campers see the world in new ways, learn to collaborate and problem solve with others, and emerge transformed by a celebration of diversity.

The Hive (ages 5-12): The Hive provides an ideal atmosphere for young explorers to make connections to contemporary art, artists, nature, and ideas as well as to each other. Using the studios as a home base, campers venture through  the Sculpture Park and the natural landscape to discover how artists use artistic, scientific, and social tools to investigate ideas about self, community, and the environment.

A week at The Hive is more than artmaking. It’s about communicating, experimenting, seeing from new perspectives, and coming together as a group to design and construct collaborative sculptures. Each camper’s personal interests and unique abilities are welcomed and complement those of new friends while everyone learns from each other. The campers’ joyful pride in their collective accomplishments is shared with family and friends during each week’s Friday Celebration in the Sculpture Park. 

HIVE WEEKLY THEMES: See this summer’s inventive weekly themes connected to the upcoming exhibitions and artists on view.

Summer Studio for Teens (ages 13-16): Summer Studio offers a space for participants to refine and expand techniques and explore new mediums as they dive into theme-inspired projects. They hone individual skills and their unique artistic voice while also collaborating on projects with peers inspired by sculptures in the 30-acre Park. Whether a participant is new to making at deCordova or a long-time Hive camper, each week will bring their creative endeavors to new heights in a weekly Studio Showcase of individual and collaborative projects.

WHO: deCordova Camps are designed for campers who love the outdoors, making things from unexpected art materials, using their imagination, being part of a collaborative community, and creatively expressing themselves. Passionate and experienced artists and art educators support campers and teens in taking on challenges, solving problems, discovering themselves, and delving into visual culture and the natural world.

If you have any inquiries about whether your camper will thrive at deCordova Camps, please contact the camp office.

WHEN: For dates and tuition rates, proceed to The Hive Schedule & Pricing and Summer Studio for Teens