Intersection UNCG: Camp for the curious and creative

“The camp was great, and I loved every day of it!” says Giana Lee, rising 9th grader and camp participant. 

From June 13-17, 2022, UNC Greensboro hosted Intersection UNCG, Technology and Innovation Explored Through Fashion, Architecture, and the Arts, a summer camp for curious and creative middle school girls in collaboration with the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Greensboro. Each day of camp provided a hands-on and minds-on introduction to unique undergraduate degree programs in music, fashion, animation, theater, and geology, along with an afternoon at the Weatherspoon Art Museum.

The program pairs campers with high school student volunteers and current UNCG student mentors.  

“The camp offers a fabulous introduction to degree majors which include strong components of technology,” explained Laura Tew, president of AAUW Greensboro. “The girls enjoy the collegiate atmosphere of being on campus and in several academic buildings.”

Learning from professors and students in the School of Music; Department of Consumer, Apparel, and Retail Studies; College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA); and the Archeology Program, campers are given the opportunity to unleash their creativity and learn practical information along the way.

Positive feedback all around

Intersection UNCG provided real-world experience and an engaging week of fun and education. Campers, their parents, and the student helpers were impressed with not only the activities themselves but the engagement from all who were present. 

Cady Fleet, a student in CVPA’s Popular Music and Technology program, served as a music teacher for the camp, demonstrating how to use a loop pedal and giving the campers the chance to make their own loop with musical toys. This activity proved to be a crowd favorite, as rising 8th grader Emily Correa says, “I loved how creativity took a big part in this activity. We used different body parts to make sounds, or sang or beatboxed or whistled, or anything you can think of. It’s amazing how you can create anything by putting random sounds on top of each other.” 

Lee agrees that the loop activity was “really cool,” but her favorite activity was working with the fashion designer software. “We got to use a software that allowed us to design an outfit. We designed a sports bra and a skirt. We then stitched the corresponding sides together and watched our creations come to life on the mannequin. We got to choose the different positions and poses the mannequin stood in, so we could see how the clothes hung and looked.”

Kelly Sandoval, MFA candidate in Design with a concentration in lighting/scenic design, taught a class on technology in theater, focusing on lighting and lighting design. She introduced campers to some of the ways professional theatre practitioners use technology to bring shows to life onstage, such as recent innovations in puppetry, automation, media, lighting and scenic design. 

“I think Intersection UNCG gave them a greater appreciation for the time and energy required to develop creative projects and how improving technologies can help with that,”  Sandoval said. “What surprised me the most was the level of enthusiasm from the students. Even though many of them had almost no previous experience with the tools and ideas we discussed, they jumped into the creative project fully and seemed to have a lot of enjoyment in doing so. I sincerely hope that level of confidence and willingness to dive into the unknown will stick with them as they continue to grow and learn.”

Fabulous Friday at the art museum

The final day of camp wrapped with a visit to the Weatherspoon Art Museum, located right on UNCG’s campus. Alumnus Robert Rose ‘18, Assistant Curator for Campus and Public Programs, organized the afternoon.

“We’re shifting our focus at the museum to finding deeper connections with the community and exploring ways to take a tour and turn it into a visit. We want to help people find that they have a place here at the museum and further enrich their experience.”

Drawing on his BFA in art education and his experience as a former middle and high school art teacher, Rose curated two activities to serve as a capstone event for the week. The first was an auditory connection with art using music. As campers viewed the current Bestiary exhibit, they listened to three different songs and had to find a work they connected with each one. The second activity was a communication drawing in the Ostensibly So exhibit. In small groups, campers sat with their backs to a work and sketched as their student mentor described it to them.

“This camp was an opportunity to experiment with how we can do different types of activities. I really loved how this group was so responsive. The girls were so engaged; even in my presentation, they asked enriching questions and made connections with the parts they were most interested in,” said Rose. “They were a hungry, knowledgeable group. Their engagement was so pure, you didn’t want to stop.” 

Story by AMBCopy, University Communications
Photography by David Row, University Communications