The Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson has been offering a summer camp program giving Tucson youth a chance to explore their creativity and provide a fun way for kids to avoid the “summer slump.” Eli Burke, Education Director at MOCA and PhD student, has recently transformed the experience students have by changing the format to include installation art. As a graduate student in Art & Visual Culture Education (AVCE), Burke notes, “The AVCE PhD program has allowed me to explore alternative models of youth arts engagement. This camp focuses on the aspects of art-making that include collaboration, problem solving, and critical thinking skills, rather than a skill-building focus (although it is organically incorporated through this choice-based model).”
As an artist and museum educator, Burke decided to earn a PhD at the University of Arizona School of Art. “I was looking for ways to expand my practice and become more informed about the topics I was exploring through making. As a museum educator, the AVCE PhD program at the University of Arizona was a natural fit. It allowed me to dive deeper into the critical issues we all face and which are endemic to our culture, ultimately allowing me to better understand how to listen to the community and know what questions to ask in order to assess their needs.”
Recently Arizona Illustrated created a segment for the MOCA Installation Summer Camp showcasing the program.