Deerfield Academy Summer Arts Camp
DASAC is an alternative education community focusing on experimental and traditional arts in a day camp setting, for campers ages 11 through 16. DASAC creates space and agency for campers to be their most authentic selves.
DASAC is designed to welcome children from the communities that surround Deerfield. Because of this design, we seek camper families that are rooted in the nearby communities.
Dates & Activities
One session, four weeks
July 8, 2024 – August 2, 2024
DASAC is excited to do something we always love to do at camp: try something new! Camp will run this summer for a single 4-week session. We can’t wait to see all the possibilities an extra week at DASAC brings!
From the Welcome to the World Focus, Session 1, 2023. Campers made short, instructional videos to welcome newborns into the world with some advice they think they should receive early on.
Registration Details
2024 Tuition
Camper: $1700
CIT: $1300
Online registration will open on February 5, 2024 at 8:00 AM EST. DASAC registrations will be completed on a first-come, first-served basis until all slots are full. A $100 deposit is required at the time of registration.
Campers who register after we are full will be placed on a waitlist in order of their completed registration date. With only a single 4-week session this summer, we will have fewer overall slots available. We strongly advise registering for camp at the earliest opportunity!
Deerfield Academy provides generous funding to support families with demonstrated need to make DASAC as accessible as possible. The financial aid application can be accessed during the registration process and should be completed within 1-week of registration. If you need assistance with the deposit due at registration or have any questions about the financial aid process, please reach out to our office.
Philosophy
DASAC’s philosophy is grounded in the release of imagination in the aesthetic realm. We believe and trust in adolescent creative energy. DASAC’s goal is to give support and boundaries to create a community where exploration and experimentation are encouraged, yet balanced by awareness of the disciplines of each craft.
The freedom of choice is balanced by skill development woven into the structure of each day. This gives each camper an experience that includes breadth of opportunities with depth of disciplined instruction to serve creative expression and social awareness.
Mission and Objectives
The mission and objectives of Deerfield Academy Summer Arts Camp reflect the needs and expectations of our campers and their families as well as the vision and ideals of the staff.
MISSION: DASAC strives to create a safe, supportive community for adolescents to explore the arts in a fun and exceptionally creative environment.
These Objectives for Campers Aim to Carry Out This Mission:
- To participate in the arts as a means of self expression.
- To develop and refine technical skills to serve this expression.
- To build a sense of positive affiliation with a community of fellow artists/learners.
- To develop a sense of responsibility for the goals of one’s artistic expression.
- To develop social awareness of and responsibility for the role of the arts in society.
Frequently Asked Questions
This fee covers lunch, camp t-shirt and all supplies. Supplies include a sketchbook for each camper, photo paper and film, paint, printing ink, papers, clay, glazes, wood, video tapes and more.
Campers must be ages 11 to 16.
DASAC hours are 9 am – 5 pm daily.
If you’re familiar with camp, you know that we’ve typically run two three-week sessions of DASAC in the summer. This year, due to renovation constraints on campus, this two-session model couldn’t fit – but it could accommodate a single, bigger one! Not only will camp run for four weeks instead of three this summer, but we’ve added camper slots to accommodate more folks than we typically could for a session. We’re pretty excited what we can program and create in this new model!
Contact DASAC
DASAC Registrar
DASAC Administrative Director