NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ—In June and July, Rutgers University’s Zimmerli Art Museum held its annual summer art program, where teaching artists help local kids “explore their creative sides and develop new skills in the arts.”

The program is open to children between the ages of seven and 14, and its faculty is led by Wes Sherman, an independent artist and Master’s in Fine Arts graduate of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers.  Sherman has been with the Zimmerli for 16 years.

In the various classes offerred, students have the chance to learn about many different forms of art, including murals.

“I think the kids are really grasping the material, and [it’s] allowing them to express themselves,” said Ingrid Morales, the instructor behind the mural art class.

“I love seeing so many kids here from different backgrounds, yet all interested in the arts.  The cultural diversity here is really broad, and it is very apparent within the kids, and their conversations.”

In addition, the museum is home to Studio Z, “a self-guided education space with activities for younger visitors.”  The space was home to a selection of artwork created by the participants in the summer art camp.

According to the Rutgers website, Studio Z is “made possible by a generous grant from the Walter and Adi Blum Foundation, Inc.”

“The studio’s computer terminal allows anyone to become a curator and organize Zimmerli artworks,” reads the website, which credits the Walter adn Adi Blum Foundation, Inc. with making a “generous grant” to support the program.

“My daughter recently started coming to this program. She has loved it so much, and wants to continue her summer here,” said Susan Jackson, a mother of one of the students who took a liking to the Ocean Exploration class that was offered.

“She would come home excited to tell me all about everything she had learned, and created,” Jackson told New Brunswick Today.

“If it wasn’t for the grant that the museum received she wouldn’t be here,” explained Jackson.  “It is wonderful for the university to be able to do this for the kids. It really gives them an opportunity to see where they can take their lives in the future.”

The program ended in July and the museum was closed for the month of August, but it will re-open along with the rest of the university in September.

Next year’s summer art camp is already scheduled for June 25 through July 27, 2018, though registration won’t open until February.