Summer Arts Camp
Lake Wales Art Center, 1099 State Rd 60 E, Lake Wales, FL 33853
About
Summer Arts Camp offers hands-on activities in painting, drawing, pottery, music, drama, dance, graphic design, photography, digital arts, and both 2D and 3D visual arts. Classes include instruction in music, digital arts, and 2D/3D visual arts, and the day is structured so that students participate in all of these classes throughout each session. Summer Arts Camp 2026 uses a block-style format with the same topics on Mondays and Wednesdays and new topics on Tuesdays and Thursdays so that campers experience each area during the week.
• Ages: 6–13 years old
• Schedule: One-week sessions (June 15–19, 2026; June 22–26, 2026; July 6–10, 2026) with half-day morning or afternoon options and a full-day option
• Price: Half-day sessions: $175. Full-day sessions: $300.
Each listed session runs for one week: June 15–19, 2026; June 22–26, 2026; and July 6–10, 2026. Half-day sessions run in the morning from 9:00 AM to 12 NOON and in the afternoon from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, with morning drop-off from 8:30 AM to 9:00 AM and pick-up at 12 NOON, and afternoon drop-off from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM and pick-up at 4:00 PM. Full-day sessions run from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with drop-off starting at 8:30 AM, a lunch hour from 12 NOON to 1:00 PM, and pick-up at 4:00 PM. Students are encouraged to pack lunch, snacks, and beverages, and parents are recommended to send non-perishable lunches because refrigeration is limited; campers may bring a lunchbox, and storage is provided for it.
The Summer Arts Camp takes place within a broader arts education setting that includes a Ceramics Program with ten pottery wheels that offers programming to both adults and children and supports a micro-community of ceramics and pottery enthusiasts. The Ceramics Program expanded to include ten pottery wheels in February 2021.
Summer Arts Camp is operated by the Lake Wales Arts Council, whose mission is to enrich the lives of all people in Central Florida by providing innovative arts education programs and performance and visual arts experiences that nurture appreciation for the arts, inspire curiosity and creativity, and cultivate a cultural arts community in Central Florida. The leadership team includes Executive Director Tommy Frank and Operations Manager Gigi Hernandez, along with board officers and members Alicia Bush (President), Kristiana Heath (Vice President), Kristin Vanpraet (Secretary), Alricky Smith (Treasurer), Larkin Smith (Board Member), Rondell Walsh (Board Member), Lori Love (Board Member), Jeffery Johnson (Board Member), Melissa Motis (Board Member), Emilio Fuentes (Board Member), and Gail Quam (Board Member). Tommy Frank holds a Bachelor of Art in Fine Art from Asbury University and a Master of Fine Art from Bowling Green State University and has held various Artist in Residence positions at nonprofit and for-profit ceramic art centers, and Gigi Hernandez is a communications graduate from Warner University.
The Lake Wales Arts Council has a documented history that began in 1972, when five men and women incorporated the organization. In 1989, the Arts Council joined with local preservationists to save the former Holy Spirit Catholic Church, and the renovated arts center opened to the public in January 1991 after the building was named to the National Register of Historic Places a few months earlier. In 1992, the Lake Wales Art Show moved to the shores of Lake Wales, and in 1996 the first annual Children’s Interactive Exhibit took place. A capital campaign in 1998 focused on repair, restoration, and a new gallery and education wing, followed by a $194,000 Cultural Facilities Grant and a $33,000 Historic Preservation Grant in 1999. Restoration of the historic structure began in spring 2000 and was completed by fall 2000, and construction on the Michael Crews Education Wing and Gallery began in March 2001, with the new gallery opening on November 2, 2001. Polk State College began collaborating with the Arts Council in late 2011 by accepting title to the arts center, offered its first classes there in January 2012, and completed renovation of Updike Hall in March 2013; ownership of the center returned to the Lake Wales Arts Council in January 2018.
Summer Arts Camp 2026 is presented with support from various sponsors and partners. Exhibitions and programs connected to the organization are supported in part by the Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and the State of Florida, the City of Lake Wales, Visit Central Florida, Mountain Lake Community Service, and additional sponsors and partners.
Last updated June 1, 2026.
• Ages: 6–13 years old
• Schedule: One-week sessions (June 15–19, 2026; June 22–26, 2026; July 6–10, 2026) with half-day morning or afternoon options and a full-day option
• Price: Half-day sessions: $175. Full-day sessions: $300.
Each listed session runs for one week: June 15–19, 2026; June 22–26, 2026; and July 6–10, 2026. Half-day sessions run in the morning from 9:00 AM to 12 NOON and in the afternoon from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM, with morning drop-off from 8:30 AM to 9:00 AM and pick-up at 12 NOON, and afternoon drop-off from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM and pick-up at 4:00 PM. Full-day sessions run from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, with drop-off starting at 8:30 AM, a lunch hour from 12 NOON to 1:00 PM, and pick-up at 4:00 PM. Students are encouraged to pack lunch, snacks, and beverages, and parents are recommended to send non-perishable lunches because refrigeration is limited; campers may bring a lunchbox, and storage is provided for it.
The Summer Arts Camp takes place within a broader arts education setting that includes a Ceramics Program with ten pottery wheels that offers programming to both adults and children and supports a micro-community of ceramics and pottery enthusiasts. The Ceramics Program expanded to include ten pottery wheels in February 2021.
Summer Arts Camp is operated by the Lake Wales Arts Council, whose mission is to enrich the lives of all people in Central Florida by providing innovative arts education programs and performance and visual arts experiences that nurture appreciation for the arts, inspire curiosity and creativity, and cultivate a cultural arts community in Central Florida. The leadership team includes Executive Director Tommy Frank and Operations Manager Gigi Hernandez, along with board officers and members Alicia Bush (President), Kristiana Heath (Vice President), Kristin Vanpraet (Secretary), Alricky Smith (Treasurer), Larkin Smith (Board Member), Rondell Walsh (Board Member), Lori Love (Board Member), Jeffery Johnson (Board Member), Melissa Motis (Board Member), Emilio Fuentes (Board Member), and Gail Quam (Board Member). Tommy Frank holds a Bachelor of Art in Fine Art from Asbury University and a Master of Fine Art from Bowling Green State University and has held various Artist in Residence positions at nonprofit and for-profit ceramic art centers, and Gigi Hernandez is a communications graduate from Warner University.
The Lake Wales Arts Council has a documented history that began in 1972, when five men and women incorporated the organization. In 1989, the Arts Council joined with local preservationists to save the former Holy Spirit Catholic Church, and the renovated arts center opened to the public in January 1991 after the building was named to the National Register of Historic Places a few months earlier. In 1992, the Lake Wales Art Show moved to the shores of Lake Wales, and in 1996 the first annual Children’s Interactive Exhibit took place. A capital campaign in 1998 focused on repair, restoration, and a new gallery and education wing, followed by a $194,000 Cultural Facilities Grant and a $33,000 Historic Preservation Grant in 1999. Restoration of the historic structure began in spring 2000 and was completed by fall 2000, and construction on the Michael Crews Education Wing and Gallery began in March 2001, with the new gallery opening on November 2, 2001. Polk State College began collaborating with the Arts Council in late 2011 by accepting title to the arts center, offered its first classes there in January 2012, and completed renovation of Updike Hall in March 2013; ownership of the center returned to the Lake Wales Arts Council in January 2018.
Summer Arts Camp 2026 is presented with support from various sponsors and partners. Exhibitions and programs connected to the organization are supported in part by the Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture and the State of Florida, the City of Lake Wales, Visit Central Florida, Mountain Lake Community Service, and additional sponsors and partners.
Last updated June 1, 2026.
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