Camp Perch celebrates creativity and teaches campers the art of jewelry design.
June 19-23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day, Perch Jewelry Studio will open their shop to anyone 8-years-old and above. There are only ten available spots, and the cost is $250.
Barbara Birdsong, owner of Perch Jewelry Studio, created the camp when the shop opened nine years ago.
Birdsong said her favorite part is seeing the returning campers come back and witness the progress they’ve made with their designs.
“We get a good age range, and it’s interesting to see how the older and younger kids interact,” Birdsong said. “We’ve had a lot of repeat girls come back year after year, and we have one girl who just graduated high school who started with us.”
Although the camp has only ever had girl campers, boys are welcome Birdsong said. Campers will learn how to wire wrap, work with gemstone, utilize the cold fusion method to join metals. They will use metal clay and learn how to metal torch. It is typical for the kids to leave with at least 15 creations.
At the start of the week, they are given fixed materials to work with and the first day is focused on wire wrapping, the core technique campers will have to get down before they can progress.
It is mainly about technique, Birdsong said. Campers can choose what kind of jewelry they want to create such as a bracelet, necklace or earrings.
“It’s always nice to see the girls compare their first piece to their last and really notice their progress,” Birdsong said.
Friday evening a gallery will display all of the pieces created during the week-long camp.
“We get a good crowd on Fridays, and we’ve actually had people come in wanting to buy some of the girls work,” Birdsong said.
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