Arts + Environmental Education Day Camp

Photo courtesy of Sierra Foothill Conservancy

Mariposa Arts Council is pleased to offer arts day camps during the spring and summer in partnership with local organizations and education facilities. In 2023, the Arts Council, alongside Sierra Foothill Conservancy, will provide a place-based arts + environmental education spring break and summer camp program for students TK-6th grade enrolled in the Mariposa County Unified School District (MCUSD) or Sierra Foothill Charter School.

The 2023 Spring Break Day Camp will be April 10 – 14, 2023, 8am – 12pm, with instruction at the Mariposa Creek Parkway. Applications are exclusively available at your students’ school site or the District office. Registration is open now.

  • Mariposa Unified School District (5082 Old Hwy N, Mariposa, CA 95338)
    MCUSD students are based at Mariposa Elementary School campus (5044 Jones St, Mariposa, CA 95338) Registration for MCUSD students are due by Friday, March 24
  • Sierra Foothill Charter School Office (4952 School House Rd, Catheys Valley, CA 95306)
    Registration for SFCS students are due by Friday, March 17

This program is funded by the Mariposa Unified School District and Sierra Foothill Charter School.

Dates for Summer Break Art and Environmental Education Day Camp to be announced.

Five days of outdoor activities led by naturalists, scientists, indigenous culture keepers, and teaching artists will allow students to safely explore and celebrate preserved natural landscapes near to where they live. At the end of the day they will have new skills, stories and dirt under their fingernails. Activities include:

  • Building a model of Mariposa watersheds
  • Harvesting and making indigenous foods and medicines
  • Learning stories, legends and local histories
  • Weaving baskets with willow stems
  • Measuring ecosystem health with scientific tests 
  • Making music with nature’s sounds
  • Creating pottery with local clay
  • + more exciting experiences  

Clay River: Clay is a cultural arts activist, mural painter, poet, storyteller, weaver, beader, quilter, land steward, water protector and a member of the Passamaquoddy and Mi’kmaq Nations. Currently a Programs and Projects Manager and teaching artist at the Mariposa Arts Council, Clay’s wide-ranging background includes Native education curriculum development, youth leadership and community health.

Adam Burns: Adam is a musician and educator based in Mariposa, California and works as a Programs and Projects Manager and teaching artist at the Mariposa Arts Council. As a visionary teacher with over 20 years experience in alternative and traditional school settings, Adam focuses on unleashing creative potential, and empowering students to use art as a tool for self expression and community building.

Allyson Brooks: As the Community Engagement Manager at Sierra Foothill Conservancy, Allyson manages and oversees all youth and adult education programs, including a highly successful youth field trip program. Allyson specializes in ecology and creating integrated curriculum blending science, conservation, outdoor immersion and movement into her instruction.

Nancy Fluharty: Nancy is an educator with fifteen years of experience and a talented ceramicist based in Mariposa. In addition to serving the Sierra Foothill Conservancy’s Programs Development Manager, Nancy assists with outdoor education programs and community conservation initiatives.


Additional instructors to be announced