Mississippi School of the Arts will host The Gloster Arts Project’s ninth annual summer arts camp July 5-22.

The free workshops will also be conducted at the Gloster Public Library. The camp is for ages 6 to 17 and is aimed at teens living in rural areas. Both online and in-person workshops will take place Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. until noon.

Families can complete registration at https://theglosterartsproject.org/register/

TGAP is supported by artists who want to inspire and be inspired by the children of Mississippi. These artists include actor Danny Glover, photographer Chester Higgins, author Terry McMillan, USA poet laureate Joy Harjo, author Quincy Troupe and Brown University professor and astrophysicist Stephon Alexander.

“You never know where the next genius will come from,” Alexander said in a visit to a previous camp.

This year, the campers will explore “Afro-futurism” with Alexander, Higgins and other special guests — writer Kim McMillon, visual artist Dewey Crumpler, Yale University theater director Karin Coonrod, Mississippi storyteller Diane Williams, and artists and Princeton University professors Eve Aschhelm and Tom Hare.

Campers at MSA will learn the basics of ceramics with Melvino Garretti, advanced music with Kelvyn Bell and dance with Mickey Davidson. Campers at Gloster will learn poetry with Leslie Reese, and visual arts with Carlos Uribe. An online filmmaking with Jeremy Gaines will also be available.

The three weeks will immerse students in engaging activities designed to reflect their unique creative imaginations and demonstrate the power of art. At the conclusion of the camp, students stage a performance that brings all their learning and talents together. They play guitar, read their poems and act out their skits. Their paintings and drawings are the set design. They learn how to work together, and experience the value of self-reliance, collaboration and creativity.

“The program was a new experience, so it made me open to new challenges,” said TGAP Regional Director Kenneth McGowan, a Mississippi State University computer engineering student and former camper. “I had a knack for music. But it made me realize I had strengths in other things, like acting. It’s great to come back and see the impact on others. Seeing how much the kids mature in just a few weeks is really astonishing.”

“Our program offers children new ways to experience success,” said TGAP founder and Gloster native, Margaret Porter Troupe. “There’s no real way to measure the validation one gets when a poem they wrote is admired or a painting they made is exhibited. In our summer art camps, children discover. They create. They have fun. They meet new people and learn something new about themselves, where they live, who they are. And, they gain an invaluable appreciation for their rich and glorious cultural legacy, which is at the core of American culture. I want them to be proud of their heritage, to treasure it, preserve it, build on it, and extend it. And to become good citizens.”

To register and for more information, visit https://theglosterartsproject.org official website. Also visit The Gloster Project on Facebook to see pictures, work, and stories shared by program staff.