From Paintbrushes to Performances: Two Summer Camps Bring the Arts to Seward & Moose Pass Kids
In 2025, the Seward Arts Council received a $10,000 grant from the Seward Community Foundation to support two separate summer arts experiences for local youth: a visual arts camp in June and a music camp in July.
Together, the camps gave young people opportunities to create, learn new skills, explore new interests, and share their work with the wider community.
Visual Arts Camp: Creating, Exploring, and Learning
The visual arts camp gave students hands-on opportunities to develop artistic skills and engage with the arts in Seward’s local environment.
Students created their own work, experimented with different materials and techniques, and participated in activities designed for varying ages and experience levels. According to the final grant report, students came away from the camp with new skills and several opportunities to engage in art in local natural settings.
Music Camp: From First Notes to Live Performances
Later in the summer, the Seward Arts Council helped bring back a music camp experience for local youth.
More than 40 students worked with seven music instructors from around Alaska and beyond, and many participants arrived having never held an instrument before.
As the week progressed, students began finishing lunch early so they could get extra one-on-one practice with instructors. They also spent time helping one another learn songs and improve their technique.
Sharing Music with the Community
By the end of the week, students were ready to share what they had learned.
They performed with their bands for family members, spent more than an hour busking around downtown Seward, and then gathered at the Seward Senior Center for an impromptu performance for local elders.
Camp organizer Makena Desermia reflected:
This music camp was a great success. We were able to host well-received community events and watch as children found passions in music.
She also shared the excitement surrounding the possibility of growing the camp in future summers.
Grant at a Glance
Grantee: Seward Arts Council
Project: Summer Arts Camps Series
SCF Grant: $10,000
Programs supported: Visual arts camp and music camp
Music camp participation: More than 40 students and seven instructors