THE 2026 SUMMER CAMPS ARE HERE!
PHOTOGRAPHY CAMPS
FOR STUDENTS | MAY 25-29
Thursday-Friday 6p-8:30p & Saturday 9a-11:30a
FOR STUDENTS | June 29-July 3
3P-4:30P
When it comes to taking an excellent photograph, did you know that the camera is far less important than the one holding it? It's true. Over these five days, you will experience how to SEE more creatively. You will use your imagination to go beyond selfies and capture truly fascinating photographs. The digital photography summer camp is a guaranteed great time, and it might just change the way you see the world around you. Digital cameras will be provided for this camp.
FOR ADULTS | MAY 28-30
Thursday-Friday 6p-8:30p & Saturday 9a-11:30a
Amazing photographs happen when your heart, mind, and eye work together. Yes, the camera does play a role, but the primary ingredients are your own creativity and imagination. During these three sessions, you will be challenged to see your subjects in new ways and to make images from a fresh, new perspective. Current trends and the exciting challenges found in photography will be a part of each session. You will not just be sitting on the sidelines listening to presentations. You will be involved in projects that will help you see beyond the surface of the world around you. This camp is for photographers of any skill level. Whether you've just begun or have been using your digital camera for years, the camp will move you forward in your pursuit of finer photographs. Students are responsible for having their own digital photo-taking device (point-and-shoot, DSLR or cell phone camera).
About the Instructors:
Jim and Carol bring real-world photography experience, and a genuine love for teaching, to classes they lead. Jim, a photojournalism professor for over 25 years, has covered major national and international stories. Most recently, he and Carol documented Hurricane Milton in Florida.
In recognition of his dedication to teaching, Jim received the National Press Photographers Association’s highest honor for educators, the Robin F. Garland Educator Award.
Today, Jim and Carol share their passion for photography with students of all ages, teaching at the Dixie Carter Performing Arts Center, the Paris Academy for the Arts, Huntingdon Middle School, and in classes with young women at Youth Town in Pinson. This spring Jim also led workshops and training sessions for organizations such as Evangelical Press Association, Magazine Training International and the Baptist Communicators Association.
Whether working with kids discovering a camera for the first time or adults looking to sharpen their creative eye, their approach is simple: great photography starts with learning how to see. Their camps focus on creativity, confidence, and finding incredible images in everyday life, right where you are.
ART CAMP
June 15-19
9A-10:30A: 4th-6th Grade
10:45A-12:15P: 7tH-12th Grade
Art Camp is a vibrant space where creativity comes to life! Students will explore the foundations of art and design while creating both 2D and 3D projects. Using a wide range of materials—from paint and printmaking tools to collage and sculpture— campers will experiment, take creative risks, and develop their artistic voice. Through guided instruction, hands-on exploration, and inspiration from renowned artists and art movements, students will build both technical skills and a deeper appreciation for the world of art.
About the Instructor:
Laura DeVille is a native of Huntingdon and has been a part of The Dixie since 2013. She has a background in Graphic Design and Studio Arts. She is a graduate of Lambuth University and furthered her education studying fine arts abroad in France and Italy. She has taught art at the university level and for several seasons at The Dixie. She lives in Huntingdon with her husband and two children.
PASSPORT TO FRANCE: THE ULTIMATE FRENCH CULTURE MASH-UP!
June 15-19
1P-2:30P: 3rd-5th Grade
2:45-4:15P: 6th-7th Grade
Bienvenue à Passport to France—Create, Compete, and Cook! This week-long French culture camp will offer children the opportunity to immerse themselves in Monet’s Garden landscape, dig into ancient caves and cave paintings, make and taste delicious French dishes, and play an outdoor competition of Pétanque (a French bowling game). The campers will learn about color and light while painting their own rendition of Monet’s Garden. They will see how art communicates life through the cave paintings at Lascaux (a UNESCO site) and use finger paints to create their own cave paintings. Campers will also cook and savor French culinary treats, such as Crepes and a Croque-Monsieur. We will round out the week with a friendly strategic game of Pétanque where students will compete against one another to see who can get their ball closest to the target. These 1.5 hour workshops will keep kids on their toes and give them a taste of French life right here in Huntingdon, TN! C’est si bon!
About the Instructor:
Bonjour! My name is Megan Russler, and I am a French teacher in Pennsylvania. I am so excited to be at The Dixie for the first time this summer to offer a week of summer camp about French culture! I studied French for my BA and MA before moving to Paris, France, for 9 years to teach at the Sorbonne University. I not only have a passion for everything French, I have also admired Dixie Carter since the age of 10. It was actually Dixie who inspired me to follow my dreams, which led me to France. So, seeing my journey come full circle this summer is another dream come true!
STORYMAKERS: FROM IDEA TO THE STAGE
June 22-26
9A-12:00P: 4th-8th Grade
Every great story starts with a spark. In this dynamic camp, students explore the essential building blocks of playwriting. Through improv games, story‐structure activities, character‐development exercises, and performance skills, students will craft an original story from the ground up. Working together as an ensemble, they’ll shape their script, invent memorable characters, and bring their story to life on stage.
About the Instructor:
Kara Y. Kindall is a Theatre Artist, Educator, and Arts Leader from Nashville, Tennessee. She serves as the Coordinator of the Performing Arts for the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. Previously she served as a Consulting Teacher of the Related Arts for Clarksville Montgomery County Schools (2019 - 2024) and as Theatre Chair at Nashville School of the Arts (2006-2018). She received a BS in English and Theatre from Austin Peay State University, an MFA in Theatre from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and an MA in Teaching from Trevecca University. She works as a consulting teacher, teaching artist, director, producer, actor and commissioned playwright. Past collaborations include the Found Movement Ensemble, TM Productions, Theater Bug, Nashville Children's Theatre, Nashville Shakespeare Festival, and The Radicle: An Artist Collective.
POTTERY CAMPS
JuLY 27-31
9A-10A: K-2ND Grade
10:15A-11:15A: 3RD-4th Grade
11:30A-12:30P: 5th-6th Grade
1:30P-2:30P: 7th-8th Grade
2:45P-4P: 9th-12th Grade
Summer camp at Mudslingers introduces kids of all ages to the infinite possibilities of clay. They will hone their creativity through age specific projects that allow them to make something completely unique. Through the week they will build a basic knowledge of clay so that they can feel confident in themselves as artists, and hopefully return for more of our classes!
About the Instructor:
Hannah Kyle was born and raised in Huntingdon, TN and a graduate of Union University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Graphic Design in 2015. She is married to her middle school sweetheart and has two children. They live on a little homestead where she currently creates. She fell in love with ceramics when she realized graphic design wasn’t fulfilling. She bought a wheel after her first class and hasn’t looked back since. She is largely self-taught, but has been working with clay since 2018. She is excited to share her passion for clay and the versatility of it with anyone who is interested. In addition to instructing at Mudslingers she also runs her own small business in our local Huntingdon area, creating and selling her own pottery through Hk.Studios
About the Instructor:
Mary Glenys grew up in Huntingdon, taking pottery classes at Mudslingers Studio under founder and instructor Lori Nolen. She was actually in one of the very first pottery classes at Mudslingers back in 2009! She took an eight year hiatus from pottery when she went to college at Mississippi State University, where she earned a degree in Horticulture. She moved to Memphis to work as a horticulturist at the Memphis Botanic Garden. She fell back in love with pottery after taking a wheelthrowing class at a local studio there, and she hasn’t looked back since!
She recently moved back to Huntingdon with her fiancé and they live in a 100-year-old farmhouse with their four cats and dog. Outside of Mudslingers Studio, she loves gardening, cooking, crafting of any kind, and doing pottery full-time under her business, “Redbud Studios.” She is so excited to cultivate a creative community and teach the next generation of potters in the same studio where she fell in love with ceramics!
2026 SUMMER CAMP APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN!
Interested in attending Summer 2026? Below are some things you should know.
Camp applications can be submitted through the Register Here button above.
Parents please use the grade your child will be in for Fall 2027 school year.
The entrance for camps is at The Dixie's Academic Enrichment Center (lower level) - except Pottery Camps which are held at Mudslingers Pottery Studio.
The Dixie Carter PAC committee will meet in May to determine scholarship winners.
SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Camp Scholarships are available for students in PreK - 12th Grade. These are provided in part by a grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Solomon Lee DeVille Memorial Art Scholarship.
The Solomon Lee DeVille Memorial Art Scholarship provides opportunities for kids to learn and create works of art. Through generous donations by friends and family honoring the memory of Solomon, the scholarship will pay for class fees, materials, and any associated costs for those needing financial assistance. School-age youth from Carroll County interested in taking art, pottery, and photography may apply.
Scholarships can be submitted through the Register Here button above.
PARTICIPANT RULES
Participants are expected to arrive no earlier than 5 minutes before class is scheduled to begin. The teacher needs time in between classes to clean and prepare for the next class.
Parents/guardians must be prompt in the pickup of students.
No food, gum, or drink is allowed at The Dixie or in the Mudslingers Pottery Studio.
Please notify the instructor if you will be missing a class. Projects that take place during your absence cannot be made up.
The Dixie reserves the right to dismiss and not enroll participants for the following reasons: financial account not current, disruptive behavior, disrespect to the instructor, disregard to instructions, and possession of tobacco, alcohol, drugs or weapons.