Fine Arts.Ceramics.Upcycled Art.Handmade Products.Branding.Marketing.Sales.

Fine Arts.Ceramics.Upcycled Art.Handmade Products.Branding.Marketing.Sales.

Artist Rising Kids Summer Program

This Is Not Your Average Summer ProgramWelcome to Artist Rising!

Our Youth Entrepreneurial Workshop Series is crafted for kids ages 9–14 who are bursting with creativity and eager to explore exciting career paths in the arts.

Guided by professional artists from diverse mediums, participants dive into hands-on art creation while mastering essential skills like branding, marketing, and sales.

This one-of-a-kind experience empowers young visionaries to create, grow, and thrive in the artistic world like never before! This program takes place for eight weeks, from June through August. Kids can participate in one week, or all eight!

We offer sliding-scale subsidized pricing so that all of the families in our community can take advantage of this fantastic program.

How Artist Rising Works

Your Kid’s An Artist

Each week of our program features a different professional artist ready to share their expertise and guide your kids in creating high-quality products and artwork. Not only will they take pride in what they make, but they'll also have the chance to showcase and even sell their creations at a special market event at the end of the program.

Your Kid’s An Entrepreneur

Your kids will have the chance to learn from real artists who have turned their passion into successful careers! We'll guide them through the fundamentals of branding, marketing, customer relations, sales, and how to set up a thriving shop at their own Creative Market event!

Your Kid Has An Art Show

Our West Side Creative Market is a vibrant venue where artists and the community come together to enjoy live music, dance, food, drinks, and shop from local artist vendors. Now, your kids will get to experience their own market! At the end of each 4-week program, students will host their very own market, showcasing and even selling their art to friends, family, and our amazing community!

Artist Rising FAQs

How each week works.

Each day the children will have an entirely different experience. Our Working Artist Mentors will provide lessons and activities for 2-3 hours and our team delivers a “free-create”, “body movement”, and “Entrepreneur workshop” that evolves each day.

Daily Schedule

10:00AM - Drop Off

10:00-11:00 Free Create • Open time for Kids to Create without direction

11:00-12:00 • Artist Workshop Part 1

12:00-1:00: Lunch & Movement • Kids eat a packed lunch etc

1:00-2:00: Artist Workshop Part 2

2:00-3:00: Entrepreneur Workshop

3:00PM: Kiddo Pick Up

Artist Rising Cycle One

  • Fine Art with Natalya Stegura June 23- June 26

    This week the children will work with artist Natalya who will guide them in creating artful masterpieces using a variety of acrylics, watercolor, and oil mediums.

  • Ceramics with Bethany Tyndall June 30-July 3

    This week, Bethany will guide your kids through the creative process of working with clay. They'll explore various techniques and create a range of art pieces, both functional and decorative.

  • Upcycled Art with Ryan Vai July 7- July10

    Let's explore the secret life behind everyday objects! This course introduces simple, eco-friendly techniques that yield BIG results. Students learn how to create wearable art & accessories using natural pigments and mixed media techniques.

  • Handmade Goods with Travis Bower and Sharon Davis July 14 - July 17

    This week, your kids will learn from two expert artists, each sharing their unique mediums. They'll explore the art of fiber, working with a variety of silks and wools, and dive into the basics of woodworking, learning how to construct and finish both functional and aesthetic pieces.

  • Artist Rising Group Art Show July 19

    All of the children from the first four weeks of Artist Rising will have a group art show, rain or shine!

Artist Rising Cycle Two

  • Fine Art with Natalya Stegura July 21- July 24

    This week the children will work with artist Natalya who will guide them in creating artful masterpieces using a variety of acrylics, watercolor, and oil mediums.

  • Ceramics with Millie Crotty July 28- July 31

    Students will learn to create their own unique pieces using the pinch pot and slab building techniques. They will also decorate their pieces with colorful underglaze. The instructor will fire the pieces in her home studio and return them to the students once finished.

  • Upcycled Art with Ryan Vai August 4- August 7

    Let's explore the secret life behind everyday objects! This course introduces simple, eco-friendly techniques that yield BIG results. Students learn how to create wearable art & accessories using natural pigments and mixed media techniques.

  • Handmade Goods with Gracie Schlapo and Laura Gaeng August 11 - 14

    This week, your kids will learn from two expert artists, each sharing their unique mediums. They'll explore the art of macrame, beading, and resin learning how to construct and finish both functional and aesthetic pieces.

  • Artist Rising Group Art Show August 16th

    All of the children from the first four weeks of Artist Rising will have a group art show, rain or shine!

Money should never be a barrier.

We offer a sliding-scale subsidized payment option for our community members who can use support. Our incredible Artist Rising Program sponsors have made this possible. If you want to contribute to our subsidized programming, donate to support us.

Meet Our Working Artist Mentors

  • Bethany Tyndall • Ceramics

    Bethany is a lifelong creative! She started taking art classes as a kid, specifically clay camps offered in the area. She then focused on art throughout high school and went to college for psychology and art therapy. It was during that time that she found the therapeutic benefits of playing with clay! She found so much enjoyment in creating with clay that it naturally formed into a business. Bethany has pieces all over the world! Canada, Germany, France, and Denmark to name a few. She’s also in the process of building and finishing a studio space!

  • Gracie Schlapo • Handmade Goods • Macrame

    Gracie started her small handcrafted business from home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and absolutely loves to create one of a kind macrame pieces! She prefers to use locally sourced & natural materials to make her macrame such as crystals from the local shops, driftwood found on the beach, and even natural antlers from ethical sources. Creating timeless pieces of keepsake jewelry using sand from local area beaches, custom sand from memories from all over the world, and even remembrance jewelry from lost loved ones. 

    Starting Summer of 2023, Gracie began offering permanent jewelry and has had such a wonderful time branching out her craft and business. 

  • Laura Gaeng • Homemade Goods • Beading and Resin

    Laura is a local artist who started her own handmade jewelry and accessories business in late 2020. After being stuck in bed with health issues for over a year, La La Liz by Laura, was created. Laura’s work is showcased in various local shops and events throughout southern Delaware. Her one of kind pieces are designed to be grouped together and personalized to each customers individual style. Her unique color combinations draw inspiration from the vibrant natural beauty of the coastal landscape.

  • Ryan Vai • Upcycled Art

    Ryan is a professional Artist and creative career consultant. She studied at Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia and has worked with hundreds of Artists over the past ten years. Ryan specializes in the mentorship of Emerging Artists- developing artistic talent into sustainable creative careers. Her work is featured in permanent collections with Jefferson Hospital (Philadelphia) and Capital One (Wilmington).

  • Natalya Stegura • Fine Artist

    Natalya is the artist behind Studio Stegura. Growing up she always loved creating things, trying new mediums, and took her inspiration from the colors of the nature that surrounded her. Natalya grew up in the blue ridge mountains, in the Shenandoah Valley. While she may have moved from the mountains to the beach, the colors of the natural world around her have continued to inspire her work. Her most recent works have been focused on the colors of the sky at sunrise and sunset, and she has played with the colors she sees within watercolor, acrylic, and oil mediums. Painting, in whatever medium she chooses, helps to remind her to focus on the beauty that surrounds her and remain positive and focused on all the good there is in the world. Natalya has been a special education teacher in the Cape Henlopen school district for 4 years.

  • Millie Crotty • Ceramics

    Millie is a working ceramic artist, who has a degree in ceramics from Alfred University in New York. She has a home studio where she produces her work, and has had her own business making and selling her wares, Miss Millie Ceramics, since 2011.

  • Travis Bower • Homemade Goods • Woodworking

    As a lifelong educator, Travis has always enjoyed exploring the natural world and sharing it’s unique and natural beauty. As a woodworker, he continues sharing its beauty with the pieces he creates. Using the unique grain patterns of various wood species, as well as other natural elements, Travis creates truly one of a kind pieces that celebrate nature’s splendor.

  • Sharon Davis • Handmade Goods • Fiber Artist

    Sharon Davis, of Davis Crafted, is a professional fiber artist. She creates home and holiday decor, gifts and wearable art from sustainable, renewable wool, using the art of wet felting. Sharon works with local art leagues and guilds to bring her passion to the community. Many of her creations can be found at local vendor shows. In her spare time, Sharon enjoys travel and spending time with her two college-age children.

Safety is Our Priority

All of our DAC staff and Working Artist Mentors have gone through background checks as well as Child Safeguarding Training. There is always a CPR-certified and first-aid trained staff member on site at all times. We select Working Artist Mentors that are experienced with working with children to ensure the highest level of safety for your children.

Sign Your Kiddo Up Now!