We are incredibly grateful to Penn Treaty Special Services District for helping to make our summer camp possible this year. The Penn Treaty Special Services District (PTSSD) is a nonprofit, private foundation formed by volunteers from four neighborhoods including Fishtown, Northern Liberties, Old Richmond and South Kensington. They fund non profit and community civic organizations for charitable or educational purposes. With their generous sponsorship, we are able to bring our students on nine fun and exciting field trips this summer! The field trips include trips to Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Fabric Workshop Museum, and the Discovery Center! These trips are going to be educational and inspirational for the kids, and we anticipate them to be a lot of fun for everyone. Thank you to PTSSD for your continued support! 

Summer is right around the corner and we're gearing up for the start of our summer camp! This year, we have many options to choose from. We are offering single week sessions, so families can enroll in one week at a time or multiple weeks if they choose. Our camp this year is broken up into 3 sessions; 3 weeks in June, 4 weeks in July, and 2 in August. Families are able to choose individual weeks within these sessions to fit their specific summer schedules. 

WEEK 1: JUNE 10TH - 14TH
WEEK 2: JUNE 17TH - 21ST
WEEK 3: JUNE 24TH - 28TH

OUR SPECIALTY PROGRAMS
WEEK 4: JULY 8TH - 12TH - ANIME, COMICS & SUPERHEROES
WEEK 5: JULY 15TH - 19TH - NATURE & MINDFULNESS
WEEK 6: JULY 22ND - 26TH - FASHION, FIBERS & TEXTILES
WEEK 7: JULY 29TH - AUG 2ND - BUILDING & SCULPTURE

WEEK 8: AUG 19TH - 23RD 
WEEK 9: AUG 26GH - 30TH 

Students will be exposed to a wide range of art and artists while creating masterpieces of their own. Students will sculpt, build, paint, draw, and collage their way through the summer during our daily art projects. They will go on exciting weekly field trips to gems like Longwood Gardens, Smith Memorial Playground, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Each day children will have the opportunity to play at Cione Playground and socialize with their friends during daily snack, lunch, and structured indoor play time. The sharks will have the opportunity to enjoy swimming with their friends every Friday, and the minnows will enjoy weekly dance parties. This year Portside’s summer arts camp is targeting the weeks that schools are off and there are limited care options so that you can ensure your child is in a safe and creative environment all summer long.

During the specialty programs in July, students will get the opportunity to really delve into the area of concentration specific to that week's theme. They will also be able to take trips specific to the themes! 

This summer is sure to be a success! To learn more about the programs, including the weekly and daily schedules, age groups, and tuition, click the button below.

Inspiration comes from many places. I find myself gaining the most inspiration through conversation with my fellow creatives. Read on to learn how five artists and musicians living in Fishtown find their inspiration.

1. Matt Higgins - Painter | Art Educator

“I paint out of necessity. My studio time is therapeutic.  It’s my time to be alone and sit with whatever feelings are present at that moment.  I paint with words. They are a reflection of what is currently going on in my life. They may not make total sense and are totally sub-conscious or inspired by outside influences, but they are always relevant.  I don’t find it necessary to judge or even explain the content. Rather, I engage in what is happening and enjoy the process."
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2. Kelsie Lilly -  Visual Artist |  Art Educator | Scenic Designer  

"There is a want for change and growth in  Philadelphia that consistently inspires me to create and teach art. I use my art as a way to spread visual messages that question environmental awareness, advocates for cultural diversity, and insures hope for the young people in my community. Art throughout history has been used to show a glimpse of society at a specific time, through both the image and the process. I wish to illustrate for our future world the current perspective of our society from the Philadelphian point-of-view."

​3. Chris Forsyth - Musician | Owner of Jerry’s On Front

          Photo Credit: Constance Mensh

"I’m inspired by people that follow their own trajectory, regardless of conventional wisdom. I think that most often that leads to best outcomes. It can be so easy to get swept along by chasing the currents of whatever is considered to be “success” in any field and to lose track of why one got involved in the first place. I’ve been as guilty of that as anyone.  But I think the most important thing is to be true to oneself - to have ideas and values and to insert those into and let them guide your enterprise, be it creative, activist, entrepreneurial, or service."

Click here to read an article about Jerry's on Front

4. Kevin Powell - Musician

"I am inspired by North Philadelphia’s cultural diversity and history.  I love hearing different types of music, from the corner grocery stores to the heavy bass and beats vibrating out of speeding cars.  Reggaeton, Pop, Latin Folk, Hip Hop, and Punk Rock music can all be heard within seconds as you move through a neighborhood.  All of these unique sounds encourage me to learn more about where the music comes from, the people who create it, and the ideas and values the music represents."

5. Meredith Kleiber - Photographer ​

"In the days before I became a photographer, I would traverse the city streets and make photographs with my mind. From the moment I obtained my first camera, I was obsessed. Inspired by light; textures of skin, kind eyes, and unique faces; and the ephemeral moment that will never be captured in the same way again, my work attempts to convey the beauty that exists in day-to-day life that is often taken for granted or ignored. An unconventionally striking person or scene is much more attractive and interesting to me than the typically “beautiful” person that many people desire to observe or even resemble. To generate unique feelings in my audience, as well as compel them to consider their surroundings in a different way, is the ultimate work of art that I could ever hope to create."


To get inspired, click the button below to check out our DIY Succulents adult workshop on May 23 from 6:30 - 8:30!