5X's School of Visual Communication Design is sponsoring its second summer creative camp, known as the Inspire Creative Camp, for 14- to 19-year-old students from June 16-21 at 5X. Students who are incoming freshmen at Kent State will receive a $100 scholarship to attend.
The five-day camp is geared at exploring graphic design, illustration, photography and stop-motion graphics, and allows students to build a full portfolio of creative work. This summer, students have the option of staying overnight, allowing interested participants from across the country to attend, and even more time for design activities.
Inspire serves as a pre-college experience, preparing youth for college life, expectations and demands. Enriching students’ lives through design is part of the camp’s mission.
“Camp attendees are educated about design by providing a space for experimentation and an introduction to the practice of design, the profession and creative problem solving,” according to the camp’s website. “Our camp is designed to foster creativity, encouraging students to "spread their wings" in a learning-centered, collaborative and fun environment.”
Visual communication design assistant professors Jillian Coorey and Gretchen Rinnert lead the camp, which culminates with a show to display student work for family and friends on Friday, June 21, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
Each day, the projects that students complete and the associated learning objectives focus on one area of visual design, photography, motion or illustration. So, students get a full day to explore areas such as printmaking or 2-D and 3-D graphic design. Students build their creative skills, while engaging with current design students and professionals.
"Being able to have creative freedom with the projects and learning about different ways I could use design in a job later on," one camper says was his favorite part. View images of the students’ projects in this video.
Last year, the theme of the camp’s projects was the alphabet. While working on 3-D graphic design, students took a wayfinding walk through campus and used the experience as inspiration for creating 3-D letterforms.
Overnight campers will get an even closer look into what living on a college campus is like. Camp evenings will be spent exploring campus and delving deeper into design through more creative activities.
Guest speakers and instructors help students envision what a career in design, photography or a creative field would be like. The breadth of work produced by campers can build a well-rounded portfolio of their work for use in college applications or job credentials.
“I wanted to tell you what an impact the Inspire Camp had on my son,” one parent says. “He loved it and enjoyed all of the experiences with various media across the week and the interaction with other participants. Most importantly, we feel he was actually ‘inspired.’ He wants to pursue graphic design at Kent State.”
Questions and inquiries can be directed to Coorey at jcoorey@kent.edu or Rinnert at grinnert@kent.edu. The application can be found online at vcd.kent.edu/inspire. May 31 is the deadline for applications.