summer Archives - Connecticut Art Trail

Creative explorations of nature, science, and art
Ages: 7–11
Dates: Monday, July 28 – Friday, August 1
Time: 8:30am–3pm
Fee: $350
Partnership: Arcari Floral
Teaching artist: Meredith Arcari Luciano

Eco-STEAM invites curious minds to engage with the natural world around them through hands-on creative projects. They’ll discover how the sun powers our planet, experiment with art and science, and investigate nature—using all their senses.

Over five discovery-filled days, young creators will:

Explore texture, build with natural materials, and create tactile art.

Play with sound mapping—and turn the sounds of nature into artwork.

Make plant-based crafts using herbs.

Design kinetic sculptures powered by the wind.

Craft musical instruments from natural materials and compose music.

Experiment and cook delicious, nature-based recipes.

Share their discoveries in an interactive exhibit—where science, nature, and art meet.

Through creative play and collaboration, kids will forge lasting friendships. Along the way, they’ll discover new passions and gain essential life skills. No experience needed—just a love for exploring. Watch their world expand!

This is a small group program. Space is limited.

AMP’s summer programs are made possible in part by Thomaston Savings Bank.
Scholarships may be available. Learn more: https://www.americanmuralproject.org/summer-faq#summerscholarships
Explore more Summer @AMP programs: https://www.americanmuralproject.org/summer

Guided art adventures and self-expression—indoors and outdoors

Ages: 9–11
Dates: Monday, July 21 – Friday, July 25
Time: 8:30am–3pm
Teaching Artist: Meredith Arcari Luciano
Partnership: Arcari Floral
Fee: $350

Your child will discover endless inspiration in this hands-on, exploratory program that bridges art and nature. Gathering inspiration from the world around them, they will use tactile materials and natural elements to create artwork. Each open-ended project sparks creativity and self-expression while fostering a deep connection to nature.

Over five enriching days, young creators will:

Create eco-friendly sculptures from natural and upcycled materials.

Transform found objects into 3D artworks.

Learn the art of botanical printing.

Make their own earth-based pigments and paints.

Sketch and journal in nature.

Design wind chimes for the garden.

Build textured pathways using natural elements.

Share their artistic discoveries with newfound friends.

In Dabble, every nature walk becomes an artistic adventure, and every artwork tells a story of discovery.

This is a small group program. Space is limited.
Registration is now open for Dabble!

AMP’s summer programs are made possible in part by Thomaston Savings Bank.
Scholarships available. Learn more: https://www.americanmuralproject.org/summer-faq#summerscholarships
Explore more Summer @AMP programs: https://www.americanmuralproject.org/summer

Real-life carpentry and woodworking
Three sessions:

ODB Basic: Structure: June 23–June 27 *WAITLIST ONLY

ODB Basic: Sculpture: June 30–July 3

ODB Advanced: July 7–July 11

Dream it and build it! In this small-group outdoor program, tweens and teens will design, plan, and build lasting wood structures and sculptures. Working together, under the guidance of an experienced woodworker-artisan duo, participants gain practical skills—and confidence—using hand tools to create projects. Past projects include an outdoor stage, A-frame, pergola, planter boxes, and a treehouse.

In these five fun-filled days, kids will:
Gain basic carpentry skills—measuring, cutting, fitting, and more.

Use their own set of hand tools—and take pride in their proper care and safe use.

Try out building techniques using modern, dimensional lumber.

Learn to source natural materials from the environment.

Develop spatial design aptitudes.

Work as a team.

Discover the sheer joy of real-life woodworking and building.

Space is limited. This is a small-group outdoor program that maintains a 3:1 student-to-teacher ratio to provide hands-on direction. Early registration is recommended.

SESSION 1 – ODB BASIC: STURCTURE
Learn the building techniques artists use. Create wood sculptures and armatures, craft musical instruments, and more.

Ages: 12+
Dates: Monday, June 23 – Friday, June 27
Times: 9am–3pm
Teaching Artists: Chip Heuer and Justin Truskauskas
Fee: $395

No experience is necessary for ODB Basic: Structure, but…
A keen interest in carpentry and the outdoors is a prerequisite. Participants will need to work together to complete their project successfully.

Early Bird Discount
A $25 Early Bird discount will be applied when you register before March 31.

Scholarships
Scholarships are available on a first come, first served basis.

Real-life carpentry and woodworking
Three sessions:

ODB Basic: Structure: June 23–June 27 *WAITLIST ONLY

ODB Basic: Structure and Sculpture: June 30–July 3

ODB Advanced: July 7–July 11

In these five fun-filled days, kids will:
Gain basic carpentry skills—measuring, cutting, fitting, and more.

Use their own set of hand tools—and take pride in their proper care and safe use.

Try out building techniques using modern, dimensional lumber.

Learn to source natural materials from the environment.

Develop spatial design aptitudes.

Work as a team.

Discover the sheer joy of real-life woodworking and building.

Space is limited. This is a small-group outdoor program that maintains a 3:1 student-to-teacher ratio to provide hands-on direction. Early registration is recommended.

Session 2 – ODB Basic: Structure and Sculpture
Gain practical furniture-making skills while participating in the RiseUp for Art Able TableTM initiative. Participants will:

Design and build a structure for AMP’s campus.

Build wheelchair/stroller-accessible picnic tables to enhance the community.

Explore accessibility in public furniture design, ensuring that everyone “has a place at the table.”

Contribute to tangible, community-serving projects.

Learn how public art transforms spaces and fosters inclusion, and more.

No experience is necessary for ODB Basic: Sculpture, but…
A keen interest in carpentry and the outdoors is a prerequisite. Participants will need to work together to complete their project successfully.

Ages: 12+
Dates: Monday, June 30 – Thursday, July 3 (no session on July 4)
Times: 9am–4pm
Teaching Artists: Chip Heuer and David Polon
Partnerships: RiseUp for Art
Fee: $395

Early Bird Discount
A $25 Early Bird discount will be applied when you register before March 31.

Scholarships
Scholarships are available on a first come, first served basis.

AMP’s summer programs are made possible in part by Thomaston Savings Bank.

Real-life carpentry and woodworking
Three sessions:

ODB Basic: Structure: June 23–June 27 *WAITLIST ONLY

ODB Basic: Sculpture: June 30–July 3

ODB Advanced: July 7–July 11

In these five fun-filled days, kids will:
Gain basic carpentry skills—measuring, cutting, fitting, and more.

Use their own set of hand tools—and take pride in their proper care and safe use.

Try out building techniques using modern, dimensional lumber.

Learn to source natural materials from the environment.

Develop spatial design aptitudes.

Work as a team.

Discover the sheer joy of real-life woodworking and building.

Space is limited. This is a small-group outdoor program that maintains a 3:1 student-to-teacher ratio to provide hands-on direction. Early registration is recommended.

Session 3 – ODB Advanced
Participants will apply the skills they’ve gained and learn new ones, designing and building with more autonomy. Through AMP’s partnership with the RiseUp for Art Able TableTM initiative, participants will:

Design and build a structure for AMP’s campus.Build wheelchair/stroller-accessible picnic tables to enhance the community.

Explore accessibility in public furniture design, ensuring that everyone “has a place at the table.”

Contribute to tangible, community-serving projects.

Learn how public art transforms spaces and fosters inclusion, and more.

To register for ODB ADVANCED, you MUST meet one of these requirements:

Successful completion of one of the Outdoor Design & Build BASIC sessions OR

Successful completion of ODB in a previous year OR

Passing a basic carpentry skills assessment (Request an assessment when you register.)

Ages: 12+
Dates: Monday, July 7 – Friday, July 11
Times: 9am–3pm
Teaching Artists: Chip Heuer and David Polon
Partnerships: RiseUp for Art
Fee: $395

Early Bird Discount
A $25 Early Bird discount will be applied when you register before March 31.

Scholarships
Scholarships are available on a first come, first served basis.

Learn everything you need to know about starting a beehive in your backyard. This lecture and workshop, which highlights community agriculture, will cover the basics of beginner beekeeping, from the essential equipment, hive location, tools, methods and sourcing your bees.

Learning with Nature

An evolution of our gardening workshops, this series invites all generations to see nature at work with Kimberly Kelly, Director of Horticulture. Through guided walks, Garden visits, and indoor instruction, connect with the purpose of the ecosystems we inhabit, the vibrant life that’s a part of it, and our role in maintaining and adding to it. This summer, Kimberly brings us meaningful ways to connect with the natural world by teaching participants to plant gardens, manage beehives, notice the life of butterflies and dragonflies, and increase biodiversity in the landscape.

This July, Grace Farms is hosting Songs of the Summer, a new and free performance series taking place on late Thursday afternoons throughout July.

Held in the Pavilion with doors open, these intimate performances feature smaller local acts, unplugged. The Songs of Summer series invites all ages to experience a moment to pause, sip iced tea (available for purchase), and enjoy lingering summer moments with connection to music, architecture, and the landscape.

These performances are a drop in, family-friendly experience for those enjoying an afternoon at Grace Farms.

Come to the Garden at Grace Farms for a hands-on class that connects families with nature. Learn basic gardening skills and imagine starting your own container or backyard herb garden. This class will naturally spark interest and embolden beginner gardeners to grow, cut and cook with their own homegrown herbs!

Each participant will take home an herb to start a garden.

Learning with Nature

Navigate the extraordinary metamorphosis of butterflies through an interactive maze and traveling exhibit in Grace Farms’ indoor Court, created by The Natural History Museum in London in collaboration with Minotaur Mazes. Adventure through the leaves, learn how to move like caterpillar, discover an ant that reaps the reward of an unusual friendship, then transform into a butterfly and take flight!

Don’t miss this summer experience! Please note: There are no live butterflies in this exhibit.

Grace Farms is a celebrated Monarch Waystation, a place that provides monarch butterflies the resources they need to survive and reproduce. Enjoy additional programming all summer that will enhance your connection to butterflies and other winged wonders, including summer picnics, Caterpillar Compass, Magnifying Small Wonders, Open Arts Studio, Walk with Dragonflies, and Look at Butterfly Life.

Join us in the Garden to learn which crops to sow for fall harvest, as well as methods of extending the growing season with winter hoops, row covers, and fall plantings. Stroll through the vegetable beds to discover ways to overwinter plants and learn about the variety of cover crops that can aid in preparing the garden for next year.

Learning with Nature

See nature at work with Kimberly Kelly, Director of Horticulture. Through guided walks, Garden visits, and indoor instruction, connect with the purpose of the ecosystems we inhabit, the vibrant life that’s a part of it, and our role in maintaining and adding to it. This summer, Kimberly Kelly brings us meaningful ways to connect with the natural world by teaching participants to plant gardens, manage beehives, notice the life of butterflies and dragonflies, and increase biodiversity in the landscape.