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Snow Farm Summer for Teens 2024

At Snow Farm, you're not a student, you're an artist!

Session 1:        June 30 - July 13, 2024 
Session 2:        July 14 - 27, 2024

Snow Farm Summer is a welcoming, creative community with small classes, intensive instruction, passionate instructors, and modern studios. Some people arrive with specific goals and projects in mind, and others just want to learn and explore something different than what they get at school. No matter what they walk in the door with, our participants leave with an unforgettable experience, lasting friendships, and real world skills.

Program

Snow Farm Summer is open to teens ages 14 - 18.  The heart of the program are the studio classes in flameworking, ceramics, painting & drawing, metalsmithing/jewelry, sculpture, and flat glass. Students enroll in two studios each session; one class meets in the morning from 9:00 am to 12 pm and the second one meets from 1:00 pm to 4 pm. Following these six hours of instruction, students return to the studios for another four hours of supervised open studio. During this time, students can practice and apply their new skills, work on projects, and experiment. The first week of the program focuses on fundamentals and skill-building; in the second week, the young artists choose an area of interest and develop a final project.

Classes are small at Snow Farm. Eight students and two instructors work together in each studio. All students receive individual instruction and critique in a supportive and engaging environment. One day during the session, each studio class goes off-campus for a field trip that enriches their studies. They might visit a working artist's studio, see a museum exhibit, or go to a gallery. Snow Farm instructors live on campus and participate in daily life with the students, making them fully available as mentors. 

Other optional activities during the day vary depending on student interest and can include trips to a swimming hole or ice cream stand, pick-up Frisbee or soccer games, playing music, or just relaxing with friends. 

Snow Farm Summer complies with regulations of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and must be licensed by the local board of health.

Weekends

On Saturdays, we welcome guest artists to campus. They offer a full-day class in something different than what students have been working on all week, for example illustration, basket making, or fabric dyeing. Class groups remain small and students are mixed around with an opportunity to meet others who are not in their main studio classes. On Saturday night and Sunday, our creative staff offer fun activities both on and off campus, such as hiking, swimming, movie night, talent shows, dance parties, and bonfires. When students return to their studios on Monday morning, they are refreshed and ready to tackle their final projects. 

Location

purple iris, new england summer, gray buildingsOur 50-acre campus is located in Williamsburg, MA on a historic New England farm in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains. In July, day lillies are in bloom and a brook babbles near the metalsmithing studio. The studios, dining hall, and dorm buildings are all clustered within walking distance of each other. The rural setting is peaceful and offers a chance to put aside the distractions of everyday life. The small town of Williamsburg, with an ice cream shop and general store, is located about 5 minutes away; students enjoy occasional field trips into town. The more bustling Northampton is about 20 minutes way.

Housing & Meals

Students live in simple dorms with shared bathrooms. One dorm is designated as mixed-gender housing, and the others are designated male or female. Everyone has a roommate in a room equipped with two single beds, bedside tables with a lamp, a set of shelves, and wall pegs for hanging items. Students spend most of their free time in the large, sunny dining hall that includes an indoor "common room" for relaxing or playing board games and an outdoor patio area for eating meals and hanging out. The kitchen at Snow Farm serves three homemade meals featuring local produce and a teen-friendly menu.

high school art workshops, summer art program