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Registration for our 2026 Summer Program is OPEN!
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
We want ALL youth to be able enjoy the benefits of self expression, regardless of financial standing. If you are applying for financial assistance, fill out this form before registering on the camp registration page.
ARTS IMMERSION SUMMER CAMPS for RISING 1st-3rd, 4th-6th, and 7th-10th grade
Join us this summer for an immersion in the arts geared especially towards youth. Week-long camps feature multi-disciplinary arts immersion that includes opportunities for visual, literary, and performing arts throughout the summer. With a variety of projects and activities each week to engage campers, every day is a new adventure! All art supplies provided (unless noted). Dress for mess.
Camp Hours: Monday – Friday, 9am-3pm (drop off 8:45-9am and pick up 3-3:15pm)
Price per week: $240-$300 (financial assistance available)
Camp Details by Week
Week 1: June 15-18 | 9am-3pm | $240 (4 day week-no camp 6/19)
Rising 4th-6th Grade
Four-day week, full-day arts immersion camp that will include visual, literary, movement, and music activities!
Week 2: June 22-26 | 9am-3pm | $300
Rising 1st – 3rd Grade
One-week, full-day arts immersion camp that will include visual, literary, movement, and music activities!
Week 3: July 6-10 | 9am-3pm | $300
Rising 1st – 3rd Grade
One-week, full-day arts immersion camp that will include visual, literary, movement, and music activities!
Week 4: July 13-17 | 9am-3pm | $300
Rising 4th-6th
One-week, full-day arts immersion camp that will include visual, literary, movement, and music activities!
Week 5: July 20-24 | 9am-3pm | $300
Rising 1st-3rd
One-week, full-day arts immersion camp that will include visual, literary, movement, and music activities!
Week 6: July 27-31 | 9am-3pm | $300
Rising 4th – 6th
One-week, full-day arts immersion camp that will include visual, literary, movement, and music activities!
Week 7: August 3-7 | 9am-3pm | $300
Rising 7th-10th
Customize Your Clothes with Shaerie Mead
Participants will creatively customize clothing in this week-long class. Garment alterations, visible mending, block carving & printing and dyeing are some of the methods we’ll explore to re-purpose and re-use existing clothes. Mornings will be technique demonstrations and afternoons will be time to work on chosen skills. Bring your own clothes that have been approved for altering and / or experiment with thrifted items the instructor will provide. Please wear clothing that can get ink or dye on it along with close-toed shoes. And be sure to bring something for note-taking – we’ll be talking a lot about safety and how to continue using these techniques on your own.
Supplies provided:
– clothes to experiment on
– all sewing tools & supplies
– scrap fabric & supplies for mending
– blocks, carving tools & ink
– professional fabric dye
– use of classroom machines
Bring from home:
– any clothing that has been approved for alteration
– personal sewing supplies
– NOTE TAKING supplies
Week 8: August 10-14 | 9am-3pm | $300
Rising 7th – 10th
Theater Camp with Evan Mitchell
Students will focus on learning all the skills needed to improve their acting/performance abilities. Through exercises focused on the elements of improvisation, character development, and scene study, students will experience multiple ways to engage creatively with the art form. Students can expect opportunities to work in large groups, small groups, and individually: everything from group improv games to solo playwriting workshops! All supplies provided. All skill levels welcome.
Week 9: August 17-21 | 9am-3pm | $300
Rising 7th-10th
Puppetry Camp with Sol Ramirez
Participants will learn creative expression through Puppetry. Starting with the social and cultural history of Puppetry and its roots in activism and protest, participants will learn the types of Puppetry used in various cultures around the world and will then design, build, and perform their own socially conscious puppet creations.
About the Instructors
Audrey Smith – An Orange County native, Audrey is a musician and teaching artist with over a decade’s experience working with young musicians as an arts educator in schools and community music spaces. With a passion for improvised music, she brings her love of spontaneity to each learning experience, ready to go where the music invites. Using her influences of jazz, North Carolina traditional folk music and dancing, and a background in the Orff-Schulwerk approach, each class provides an immersive musical experience for every learner.
Meredith Haggerty is a visual artist. She is happily settled in Orange County via time spent training in Detroit, Ann Arbor and Chicago. She works with collage, storytelling, and performance, including participatory collage, classes and gatherings, in her teaching and studio practices. She occupies a flat file at Peel Gallery and sometimes shares her work at Eno Arts MiIl and Lump Gallery in Raleigh.
Sol Ramirez 1,2,3 Puppetry is a youth/young adult led puppet company based in Chapel Hill, NC. They have been performing puppet spectacles in Chapel Hill since 2017, but was started by Sol Ramirez around 2010. Our goal is to use puppetry and music to promote a social justice message, as well as bring to light many issues that are otherwise overlooked or covered up.
Evan Mitchell has been teaching in NC since 2012. After training as an actor and director at UNC Chapel Hill, he began his career as a freelance teaching artist: traveling to every corner of the state, teaching at elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and universities, as well as professional and community theatre companies. During that time, he also served as Theatre Arts Director at the North Carolina Governor’s School West for eight summers. Evan began teaching full-time at Cedar Ridge in 2017. As an arts educator, he is passionate about fostering confidence, collaboration, creative expression, and play!
Amy McLean holds her BFA and MFA in Creative Writing. She was a reading and writing teacher and worked for years at the public library. She’s lived in Ireland, England, and Honduras before moving back to NC. She believes that everyone has a story to tell.
Shaerie Mead is a patternmaker and apparel designer who is perpetually interested in how clothing and textiles shape our lives. She has owned a fabric store, custom clothing businesses, has taught sewing and fit since 2005 and has worked for the Los Angeles apparel production industry. She is very invested in craft becoming a voice for community and is, at heart, an instigator.
Jill Moffett is a teaching artist and writer based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Jill loves sewing, collage, writing, and is always learning new ways to make art. Her background is in academia – and she has a PhD in Gender Studies and a Masters in Public Health. Jill’s creative practice is grounded liberationist philosophies and using art and writing as a tool for healing and connection.
Ruth Ward was born and raised right here in Hillsborough, NC and started dancing at the age of 5 at The Ballet School in Chapel Hill. She was a member of The North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble (NCYTE) for 9 years and was able to perform nationally and internationally at schools, festivals, and other community venues. Ruth obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance and Choreography from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She first started teaching dance to children at the Cultural Arts Center in Greensboro and a small studio in Pleasant Garden, NC. Eventually this led to a big move to NYC where she remained for 10 years. In New York she continued to teach, perform, and discover a love of stand up and sketch comedy. Ruth had the opportunity to teach dance at a number of different venues ranging from various Exceptional Children’s preschools, a Catholic school, Montessori schools, local studios, and many non profit community based summer and afterschool programs. Ruth has choreographed hundreds of dances for annual recitals, end of year programs, and other community performances. She and her husband welcomed their first child in September of 2021 which prompted their move back home to Hillsborough. Since then she has continued teaching and choreographing locally and now looks forward to every new opportunity this area has to offer!
2026 Eno Arts Mill Summer Camp Policies & Expectations
Eno Arts Mill Summer Camps are hosted at the Eno Arts Mill (EAM) by the Orange County Arts Commission (OCAC), a unit of Orange County government, and the Orange County Arts Alliance (OCAA), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
- Cancellation and Refund Policy
a. Camps are paid in full at the time of booking.
b. Camps are eligible for a full refund of tuition if our organization cancels the camp week due to low enrollment, instructor illness, or facilities issues.
c. Camper cancellations before Friday, May 22, 2026, are refundable at 50%. Cancellations after Friday, May 22 are nonrefundable. - Behavior Expectations
a. Every participant is expected to follow reasonable standards of appropriate behavior. We expect them to show camaraderie, teamwork, and respect towards other participants, teaching artists and staff. Every participant is expected to respect the rights of others and can’t take away from the enjoyment, safety, and participation of others. Participation in our summer program depends on their ability to cooperate in a group environment.
b. Teachers and staff reserve the right to remove campers to be sent home if they behave in ways which are disrespectful to or threatens harm to other campers, instructors, themselves, or property. When behavioral concerns arise, staff will follow this escalation process:
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- i. Verbal Reminder or Redirection – Camp staff will remind the camper of expectations and help redirect behavior.
- ii. Discussion and Reflection – The camper will speak with staff to reflect on behavior and identify more appropriate choices.
- iii. Loss of Privileges or Temporary Separation – If behavior continues, the camper may be removed from an activity or lose certain privileges for a period of time. Parent/Guardian will be notified.
- iv. Parent/Guardian Meeting – Parents or guardians will meet with OCAC staff to discuss continued or serious behavior concerns.
- v. Final Warning – If serious behavior continues, a final warning will be issued and communicated to the parents or guardians.
- vi. Removal from Camp – If behavior remains unsafe, disruptive, or unmanageable, the camp reserves the right to remove the camper from the program. Parents or guardians will be contacted for immediate pickup. No refunds will be issued for removal due to disciplinary reasons.
c. When known to be related to a disability, staff will consider reasonable accommodations or modifications. Removal is reserved for safety or when supports have been attempted and participation remains unmanageable. Removal will not be used as a punishment for disability-related behavior.
- Inclusion Policy
OCAA is committed to providing inclusive opportunities and encourages individuals with and without disabilities to participate together. Reasonable accommodations will be provided for individuals with disabilities to participate as fully as possible. If you or a family member will need accommodations, please add the request on the registration form, call our office at 919.245.2129 or email cpowers@orangecountync.gov. Information shared with requests will be handled as confidentially as possible subject to public record laws. Staff will seek the most inclusive environment based upon the provided functional limitations to camp participation and specific accommodations requested. - Illness Policy
Children with a fever should be fever-free for 24 hours without medication before returning to camp. Children who have been vomiting, have had diarrhea, consistent runny nose, discharge from eyes, rash, severe cough or congestion, sore throat/swollen glands, or green mucus, should stay home. If a child has been sick with any of the above symptoms, we ask that you allow a minimum of 24 hours after symptoms end before bringing your child to camp, or we will need to call you to come pick up your child if symptoms persist. - Attendance and visiting: We request consistent attendance of campers each week. Please let us know if scheduling conflicts arise and your artist will miss time so we can plan accordingly. We expect artists to participate in the full day including lunch and breaks. Visitors are welcome only during planned events/activities scheduled by the teachers. You will be notified of these opportunities.
- What to Wear: All campers should wear closed-toed shoes they can move in, and shoes will always remain on. Camps will have a range of subjects from visual arts to movement arts and music; flexible clothing that can get messy is highly recommended. Campers are allowed to bring a jacket or sweater.
- Snacks/Hydration: Campers should bring a reusable water bottle marked with their full name for personal use. Bring a packed lunch and personal snacks to enjoy each morning and afternoon, either in a sack or insulated container marked with their name. There are no refrigerators or microwaves available. Lunch is not provided for this camp.
- Personal Items: All personal items other than those listed above are not allowed. This includes, but is not limited to: Personal electronics and cell phones; games and toys; and make-up, brushes, etc. If personal items are brought into camp, they will be removed by staff and held safely until pick-up.
- Outdoor policy: Campers may periodically take chaperoned walks to Gold Park or play outside if weather allows. If your camper needs an alternative plan during outdoor time, please let us know at registration so we can provide appropriate indoor activities and support. Campers unable to go outside will be provided alternative, chaperoned, indoor activities.
- Inclement Weather: In case of severe weather, camps will be cancelled if the Eno Arts Mill is closed. If Orange County government is on a delayed opening or early closure due to inclement weather, parents will be contacted via email by staff.
- Administration of Medications to Participants: It is our intent that everyone may participate in EAM programs regardless of whether a participant requires ongoing medication prescribed by a physician. Staff generally do not administer routine medications, however, will in limited medically necessary circumstances. Every effort should be made by the parent/guardian to administer medications prior to or after program hours. If your child requires medication(s) during a scheduled program, please complete the Supplemental medical form: Administration of medicine Emergency medications (such as inhalers or epinephrine) may be carried/administered in accordance with the completed form and camp procedures.
