High School Day Camps

Do you dream of animating a movie? Do you find yourself sketching characters who could star in their own show or game? Dive into the world of animation and learn how to bring characters to life through jumps, kicks, and runs, taught by real professionals in the field. This is your chance to unleash your creativity, learn from experts, and start your journey into animation.

You'll get hands-on instruction from UC instructors, including Camp Lead Mike Gasaway, Creative Animation Director for the Jimmy Neutron movie and TV series. Gasaway shares real-world experience and teaches you the latest tools and techniques used in animation today.

You'll learn the full process of making an animated film, from storyboarding all the way to post-production, as you create your very own animated characters. This camp is a great preview of DAAP's new Games and Animation major in the School of Fine Arts!

Join us for a week-long adventure into the exciting world of the fashion industry. Find out what it's like to come up with an idea for a fashion product or business, and then turn that idea into something real.

You'll learn how the fashion industry works from professionals in trend research, creative marketing, social media, and fashion events. Business of Fashion is your chance to explore your personal style and creativity while learning real business skills.

This camp is a great introduction to UC's new Fashion Business major!

Do you want to make a difference in the world? More than half of all people on Earth live in cities. Join us for a week exploring how cities and nature work together.

You'll study the buildings and natural spaces around you, visit public parks and gardens, and meet community leaders and landscape architects. You'll explore Cincinnati and create your own maps and city models using different materials and tools.

At City Design Day Camp, you'll learn what it takes to make your community better and build cities that are livable, green, and sustainable. Come change the world with us!

Whether you love graphic design, architecture, interior design, fashion, animation, or any other creative field, strong drawing skills will always help you. This camp lets you try a wide range of drawing experiences, including cast drawing, figure drawing, sculpture from a live model, and master copies.

No experience is needed to join. Everything you create during Drawing Intensive can go straight into your portfolio for school applications, scholarships, or awards. Come draw with us!

Discover the joy of hands-on creation in the Makers Day Camp, designed for high school students who love to build, explore, and bring ideas to life.

Campers will dive into the exciting world of three-dimensional crafting across DAAP’s dynamic creative labs—from shaping clay in the Ceramics Lab, to experimenting with laser cutting and 3‑D printing in the Rapid Prototyping Center, to constructing larger-scale projects in the DAAP Build Lab.

Guided by experienced makers, students will learn essential skills, experiment with professional tools, and transform their creative visions into tangible, well-crafted works. Perfect for builders, tinkerers, and future designers!

DAAP Sampler Camp gives you a quick look into many of the fields DAAP offers, along with the basic skills that support all of them.

Each day is split into morning and afternoon sessions. You'll get an overview of a specific major, hear from professionals, ask questions, and try hands-on activities when possible. You'll also practice foundational skills like drawing, sketching, and problem-solving, both on your own and in small groups.

Fields covered include Communication Design, Industrial Design, Fashion Design, Urban Design and Horticulture, Architecture and Interior Design, and more. Since each field only gets a few hours, this camp is best for exploring your options. If you find one you want to explore more, sign up for one of our day or residential camps focused on that specific subject.