Mess Hall Arts Camps and Kids Art Programs

Mess Hall Arts Camps and Kids Art Programs offers kids’ art camps and classes that focus on messy, hands-on projects such as edible art, slime, sculptures, and art projects using all types of art mediums. Campers may splatter, pour, smear, roll, scrape, pipe, and finger paint, work on bigger projects that take multiple days to complete, decorate a messy summer camp shirt, and end each week with an art show. Kids also have options like card games, theater and improv games, board games, beading friendship bracelets, playing and gathering materials outside, and taking breaks in a sensory corner, and the studio also hosts birthday parties, private events, field trips, neon glow paint nights, and kids’ art classes, with Food Art Classes and Food Centric party packages listed as planned future offerings.

• Ages: 2–16 years old
• Schedule: Summer Art Camp for ages 5–12 runs Monday–Thursday in 4-day morning (9am–12pm), afternoon (1pm–4pm), or full-day options, with before and after care available for up to an hour for an extra charge; Summer Preschool 2 Day Camp for ages 2–5 runs twice a month on Tuesday and Thursday from 10am–12pm with an optional extra hour from 12pm–1pm; Teen 3 Day Camp for ages 12–16 runs 1–2 times per month Tuesday–Thursday from 4pm–7pm; One Day Camp on holidays and no school days runs 9am–3pm with a lunch and game break and two snack breaks; studio visits are by reservation only, typically as a one-hour studio project class or private event.
• Price: Summer Preschool 2 Day Camp costs $125 per camper.

Mess Hall Arts states that its primary medium is paint with a focus on abstract art where no two pieces look the same, and that no prior experience or skills are required. The program describes itself as an inclusive and adaptive program with a judgment-free zone, a fun-first philosophy, totally customizable experiences including choice of music, and a sensory corner for breaks. It notes that parents can either stay and play or drop off at the Summer Preschool 2 Day Camp, and that drop-off at preschool camp requires the child to be potty trained. For One Day Camp, families are told that participants should dress for mess and bring a packed lunch, a named water bottle, and optional snacks, and that the facility is nut-free.

The leadership team includes Alex (she/her), Owner, private event specialist, curriculum developer, and art teacher; Kat (she/they), Studio Manager; Alyssa (she/her), Messy Manager – Oil Paint; Cedar (he/they), Messy Artist – Beading; Susan (she/her), Messy Artist – Ceramist; Harper (she/they), Messy Artist – Curriculum Developer, Art Teacher, and Senior Specialist; and Melissa (she/her), Messy Marketing Manager. Alex has a culinary background, has taught kids and adults how to cook since 2017, and operates a small catering business. Mess Hall Arts states that it specializes in messy art that families may not want to do at home, focuses on imagination, creativity, and exploration of art, emphasizes creative abstract arts with each artist’s unique interpretation, and describes its vision as creative freedom, playful exploration, and unlocking creativity in all forms through hands-on, process-driven experiences. The studio notes that it is LGBTQ+ friendly, fully wheelchair accessible, and nut-free, and that it serves families, schools, and community groups across the Twin Cities metro area.

Last updated February 23, 2026.