Learn more about our space rentals.

For rising 1st-8th graders, the Junior Center of Art and Science Summer Camp (CAMP JCAS) offers full day, arts-integrated engagements for young artists, makers and thinkers. Our projects are led by professional artists and educators who inspire a safe, open, and creative environment where campers feel encouraged to take risks, explore, and try their hand at a wide variety of arts and science activities including carpentry, game design, comics and more!

• Inspiring Instructors: Our camp is led by talented and experienced artists who are passionate about nurturing creativity and curiosity in young minds.
• Diverse Sessions: With multiple sessions to choose from, campers have the flexibility to explore various artistic and scientific disciplines. Whether it’s carpentry, graphic design, painting, mixed media, science, engineering, and more-there’s something for every interest! Our camp themes cover a wide range of subjects, ensuring that every camper finds something that captivates their imagination. 
• Hands-On Exploration: Campers will have the opportunity to dive deep into arts materials and concepts, allowing them to experiment and express themselves in a supportive, thoughtful and encouraging environment.
• Science and Engineering Adventures: For those with a passion for discovery, our science and engineering weeks will spark curiosity and provide hands-on experiences in the world of STEAM

CAMP JCAS is held at our home on Lake Merritt,
558 Bellevue Ave. Oakland, CA.

Learn more about our weekly summer camp themes.

Sliding Scale and Scholarships

All JCAS classes are made available to families on a sliding scale. Families choose the amount they are able to pay, considering the top end of our scale is how much it costs us to run the class. We encourage families to help support our efforts to make programs available to those in need.

If the sliding scale prices are still out of your family’s budget, we do offer scholarships. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Please give us 7 business days to process applications. All scholarship requests must be made before April 15th.

Don’t worry about camps filling up, we account for this and ensure every camp is available for scholarship students.

When registering your student for a camp, you’ll have the opportunity to Pay It Forward and contribute to our Scholarship Fund. Your donation ensures that students from all backgrounds can experience the joy and enrichment of our classes and camps—at little to no cost to them.

Learn more about our pay it forward program.

Support our Work

We provide one-of-a-kind learning experiences for more than 1,500 students every year. Most of our students – more than 70% – get financial assistance from Junior Center to be able to attend our classes and camps. You can make a donation today to support all of our programs – camps, classes, free workshops, and a gallery space for emerging Bay Area artists – to ensure equitable access to arts &science education for all.

Join us for STEAM Night 2024 at Franklin Elementary in Oakland, CA.

STEAM is an educational approach that combines Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. STEAM is an evolution of STEM education that adds the arts to the mix. It’s designed to help students develop critical thinking, creativity, and innovation skills.

Here at the Junior Center we harness the power of creativity and experiential learning to inspire big ideas and illuminate the everyday connections between art and science.

Join JCAS Teaching Artist Zachary Sweet as he works with ARISE High schoolers on bringing their Poster Art to life!

Poster Arts is a chance for students to build graphic design skills while imagining themselves working in their dream industry. Some students chose to make concert posters, while others made political posters.