Asha Bittenbender is a second-year high school camper hailing from Krakow, Poland. She grew up in Juneau, and though her family is often on the move (Asha lived in India last year), the trip back to Alaska has become an annual retreat for creative exploration and self-reflection. Though she studies dancing intensively at school, summers at the Fine Arts Camp enable Asha to pursue interests that often take a back seat during the rest of the year. "I love creative writing, but it's been hard for me to get the support I need at my schools abroad. Camp has been really great - I'm taking Writing: the Novel and Single-Scene Stories." Asha fills out her schedule with Modern Dance, Painting, and Improv, which she said she took to "get outside her comfort zone." For this camper, coming to Sitka is coming home: "I've made so many friends here. It's like I was never away."

It took four plane rides and fifteen hours to get Jaden Nethercott to Sitka, but for Barrow's only violin player, the destination was worth the distance. Jaden, a first-time camper, found SFAC in his search for an intensive music program. "I wanted to expand my study of the violin - at school I can play the oboe part in the band, but there isn't an orchestra." For a student from Alaska's northernmost community, Camp is also an opportunity to meet other young artists. "In the winter it's dark 24 hours a day, so I spend a lot of time at home. It can make you a little antisocial!" Jaden admits. "It's been awesome to be able to hang out with other kids here."

For Savannah Ballew, the Alaskan weather is an added bonus. "I love Sitka! I like it even better than Tennessee!" Standing out of the rain under the eaves of Whitmore Hall, Savannah smiles widely and speaks in a slight Southern drawl. She takes Joey Montagna's third period Rock Band class, a choice that she said is the best she's made in her two years at Camp. "I'd never sung in front of anyone before, so I didn't know what to expect, but I've made some of my best friends in Rock Band." Though it's a long way from her hometown of Athens, Savannah says Sitka's natural setting is one of her favorite parts about Camp. "It's so beautiful here. It's the best place to spend a summer."

At Sitka Fine Arts Camp, we are proud to offer top-quality arts education to students from our local community and from across the state. To our minds, though, that is only part of the opportunity a Camp experience can offer; equally as important is the chance -- even in the space of two short weeks -- to create human connections with peers of different interests, perspectives, talents, and backgrounds. For as art blogger Maria Popova writes, "this is the power of art: to transcend our own self-interest, our solipsistic zoom-lens on life, and relate to the world and each other with more integrity, more curiosity, more wholeheartedness."

-Anne O'Brien

Over the last ten days, our nearly 250 students have been working hard honing their art skills and developing new ones. Interested in seeing what all the buzz is about? Come see the Final Performances, Daytime Art Show, and Rock Band Show! Our students and faculty look forward to sharing their work with you!

The Final Performances at the Sitka PAC and Odess Theater will feature our performing arts classes such as music, theater, dance, and circus arts. The Daytime Art Show on the Sheldon Jackson Campus offers an opportunity to see many of the visual arts, writing, acting, and small ensemble students present their work throughout the campus buildings. Finally, return to Allen Hall late Saturday night to rock out with our high school rock band students.

Final Performance #1

7pm on Thursday, July 11

Odess Theater of Allen Hall

Sheldon Jackson Campus

Final Performance #2

7pm on Friday, July 12

Sitka Performing Arts Center

1000 Lake Street

Daytime Art Show

1-4pm on Saturday, July 13

Sheldon Jackson Campus 

Final Performance #3

7pm on Saturday, July 13

Sitka Performing Arts Center

1000 Lake Street

Rock Band Performance

10pm on Saturday, July 13

 Odess Theater of Allen Hall

Sheldon Jackson Campus

All final performances and art shows are free-of-charge. Donations will be gratefully accepted at the door. Parking for the Sheldon Jackson Campus is available at the Hames Center, located at 121 John Brady Dr. 

Attention families of High School campers!

We will be auctioning off a Greg Bennett Interceptor model electric guitar, thanks to the generosity of "The Horn Doctor" in Anchorage. If that weren't exciting enough, two of our star-studded faculty members, Hank Moore and Joe Montagne, will sign and play the guitar. Bidding will end at 9:00pm AKT on Saturday, July 13. We will announce the winner at the Rock Band Concert, and we will present the guitar to the lucky student. If they are scheduled to perform at the Rock Band Concert, they will even have the opportunity to play the guitar for their set on stage in Allen Hall.

It is important to know that an anonymous donor has pledged to match every dollar raised by Sitka Fine Arts Camp during the summer of 2013, up to $100,000. Every dollar will help us reach our goal of saving the beautiful, historic Sheldon Jackson College Campus that more than 700 students call home each summer. Should you be the lucky winning bidder, not only will your star student take home a piece of rock memorabilia, but your bid will be considered as a donation under the matching campaign. Your bid will have twice the positive impact on our ability to continue offering top-quality arts programs and restoring our historic home on the Sheldon Jackson Campus!

The auction is open from now until 9:00pm on July 13.

The site for this private auction can be found here: www.32auctions.com/SFACguitar