Calling all Jellybean Artists! | News

May 27th 2025

Creative Arts at Park offers warm community, expert instruction, and tons of fun!

Park parents may think they know the must-see sites around campus: The branches of family names in the lower lobby, the cozy wall cutouts in the library, the mammoth globe presiding over the back courtyard.

But there is a lesser-known gem they may have missed. It hangs in the Technology Department—a gorgeous replica of painter Edvard Munch’s “The Scream,” made entirely of jellybeans. This sugary piece de resistance dates back to a class called “Playing with Your Food.” It is just one of countless masterworks to come out of the Creative Arts at Park (CAAP) camp over its remarkable 44 years.

Chasing the muse

Above all else, CAAP encourages its campers, who range in age from 7-15, to follow their own, sometimes very specific, internal compasses.

Participants sign up for either three or five-week sessions, and select a five-class schedule from the program areas of visual art, dance, theater/theater tech, music, photography, computers, video/film, creative writing, and sports.

Some highlights from this year’s 130+(!) course catalogue: Voice Acting for Animation; Play on Words—a curriculum devoted to puns; Identity Crisis, which gives campers the opportunity to cosplay their favorite celebs; and Songwriting for all those would-be T-Swifts.

Older campers can unleash their inner-drama kid in full-fledged musical theater productions (the big one last year was Mamma Mia). And many classes revolve around essential behind-the-scenes work for the shows, such as sewing costumes, designing sets, and fashioning props.

For those not quite ready to belt Broadway tunes, there are lower-stakes opportunities for the spotlight, like daily “Noontime” shows, when any camper can take the stage of Park’s beautiful auditorium.

These emceed open mics often highlight work from classes. For example, when the Video Comedy course debuted a short entitled, “Top 10 Ways to Be Annoying”—winning tips included “chewing loudly” and “unwanted sniffing.” Less formal demonstrations are also encouraged. “You might just have one kid who really wants to show their interpretive dance,” explained Assistant Director Stacey Krug.

World-class talent, quiet victories

Talent abounds at CAAP. Most instructors hold advanced degrees in their subject areas and many alumni have gone on to success in the arts, often crediting CAAP with giving them their start. Dropkick Murphys guitarist Jeff DaRosa is a former CAAP camper, as is Billy Walsh, who has, among other impressive pursuits, written songs for Alicia Keys, Post Malone, and The Weeknd.

Quieter personal victories are equally celebrated. Like the extremely shy camper who, thanks to gentle encouragement, signed up for a Noontime show. She was shaking, and barely audible on the mic as she shared her written work before being met with enthusiastic applause.

“Hopefully the experience of overcoming that hurdle, putting herself out there, and being so well received, was transformative for her,” said Stacey.

Even campers who never take the stage experience growth. “Maybe they just learn to be a good audience member, and that’s important too,” said Director Kippy Dewey, who founded CAAP back in 1982 and nurtured the program to its flourishing state today.

Quirks welcome

Thanks to Kippy’s warmth and dedication, CAAP is a tight knit community with its own traditions and values. There’s an annual evening potluck where camp families mingle under a big oak tree on campus. Kippy has been known to have staff over for dinner, and campers put out a daily newspaper filled with op-eds, movie reviews, and “Which Counselor Are You?” quizzes.

More than anything, CAAP is a place where every kid, no matter their idiosyncrasies or interests, can find a sense of belonging. “Give us your quirks,” Kippy likes to say.

“[CAAP] allows a person to be authentically themselves, and celebrated,” explains Stacey. “That really leaves a lasting impression.” Many CAAP campers feel so at home they stay involved for years, going on to become CITs, and later counselors.

Park teacher Manny Duarte Perlovsky was just 8 years old when he first came to CAAP. Now he heads the CAAP Sports Department, overseeing activities he loved as a kid like ultimate frisbee, martial arts, and outdoor games.

As an educator, Manny constantly passes on lessons he learned as a camper. For example, it doesn’t matter who won as long as everyone is having fun. Or, conflicts inevitably will come up, but you can work them out—a particularly salient point in these polarizing times.

Indeed, an interesting paradox exists at CAAP. Campers are encouraged to be their most unique selves, but as they create and play, rather than focus on their differences, they become bonded.