Independent Arts News Reporting CraftNOW Create Returns to Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Summer Camps, Bringing Craft Activities to 6,000 Youth Across 129 Sites in Its Fifth Year
Reported on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
Pictured Above: 2022 11 05 AY025. Photo Credit: Contributed.
NEWSROOM POST: PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
The 2026 Summer Camp program expanded to nine additional recreation centers, bringing teaching artists from leading craft institutions into new neighborhoods and communities.
Philadelphia, PA — Following five successful years, CraftNOW and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation are partnering again to bring Philadelphia’s biggest free art class back to 133 neighborhood recreation centers, serving nearly 20,000 campers since the program was launched. From July 6 to August 14, CraftNOW, through its CraftNOW Create program, will coordinate with local galleries and museums to provide over 10,000 hours of free craft instruction to 6,000 children. The program continues one of CraftNOW’s long-standing goals, inspiring the next generation of artists across the region by connecting them with free craft programming from Philadelphia’s leading makers and cultural institutions.
CraftNOW, a non-profit organization founded by a consortium of individuals, galleries, museums, universities, retailers, and civic organizations, unites, celebrates, and supports the people, businesses, and institutions of Philadelphia’s craft community. The organization works to continue Philadelphia’s vibrant history as a capital of craft through education, curation, and economic development, as well as a city where craft is learned, created, seen, purchased, collected, and shared.
Through its ongoing partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, CraftNOW fulfills one of its core goals by creating opportunities for children to receive free arts programming and inspire the next generation of artists and makers.
“Seeing the CraftNOW Create Summer Camp program return for its sixth year is incredibly meaningful because it reflects what our organization is all about: making art accessible to every neighborhood and inspiring the next generation of makers,” said Elissa Topol, Board Chair of CraftNOW. “What began as an ambitious idea has now reached over 20,000 children across Philadelphia, and this year we are proud to expand into even more communities through our partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and an extraordinary network of artists and cultural institutions. By providing free, hands-on craft education, museum access, and opportunities for creative exploration, we are helping young people discover their voices, their confidence, and the power of artistic expression.”
The core summer camp program begins on July 6, with CraftNOW Create bringing craft activities to the 133 participating sites. This year’s summer camps offer a variety of craft activities provided by the 11:Ten, 1241 Carpenter Studios, Asian Arts Initiative, The Clay Studio, DesignPhiladelphia, mosaic artist Laura Lyn Stern, metal and jewelry artist Jessica Lauro, PHonk!Philly, Museum for Art in Wood, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, and These Pink Lips. CraftNOW Create provides family-friendly programming fostering the next generation of artists and makers through arts education. CraftNOW Create is made possible in part by Poor Richard’s Charitable Trust, the Howard Family Gift Fund, and the Robin de Beaumont Foundation. For the list of craft activities, please visit www.craftnowphila.org/summer-camp/.
When the organization expanded the program in 2022, CraftNOW introduced craft-intensive gap week camps held during the two weeks between the end of school in June and August. During the gap weeks, CraftNOW partners visit two participating recreation centers, offering multi-day sessions of art instruction and taking youth on tours of the city’s most renowned galleries.
For 2026, CraftNOW is hosting back-to-back gap week camps in June and early July before the start of the main camps. The gap week art camps are set to return to Elmwood Park’s James Finnegan Playground and Yorktown’s Dendy Recreation Center from June 22 to 26. The second gap week will be hosted at Clearview’s Eastwick Regional Playground and Oxford Circle’s Tarken Recreation Center from June 29 to July 3. Up to 30 children ages 6 to 12 can register tuition-free. Registration is required. Learn how to register and view the list of summer camp locations at: www.craftnowphila.org/gap-week/.
Pictured Above: 2021 08 06 PMA EL NewSpacesB 0063. Photo Credit: Contributed.
supplies and free museum passes to each student and up to five additional family members. Crafting kits will be distributed to campers at each of the 133 participating recreation centers. This ambitious initiative allows CraftNOW to work with its network of artists and institutions to continue its longstanding efforts in providing programming that enriches local communities.
Each year, CraftNOW celebrates and showcases Philadelphia’s contemporary craft scene throughout CraftMONTH, a series of events in November alongside the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show. CraftNOW’s free annual symposium – a signature event of CraftMONTH – provides a platform for critical discourse in contemporary craft. To celebrate craft with artists of all ages, the arts nonprofit also presents CraftNOW Create, an annual free, family-friendly event where partners take over a public space for an afternoon of art demonstrations and activities
Combined with its ongoing programming, CraftNOW is positioned to remain an impactful resource to the city’s craft scene for artists of all ages while promoting it nationally and internationally for years to come.
About CraftNOW
CraftNOW is a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit organization founded by a consortium of individuals, galleries,
museums, universities, retailers, and civic organizations. CraftNOW unites, celebrates, and supports the people, businesses, and institutions of the craft community of Philadelphia. Through education, curation, and economic development, the organization works to continue Philadelphia’s vibrant history as a capital of craft – a place where craft is learned, created, seen, purchased, collected, and shared. For more information on CraftNOW, visit: www.craftnowphila.org.
