Junior Docent deliver final tour

Junior Docent Art Camp

Junior Docents: brilliant brushes to beautiful blooms, dalí’s surreal nature

about the program

Become a Junior Docent at The Dalí Museum’s weeklong camp where attendees discover new ways to interpret and create art, meet new friends and have fun in the Museum. Through the lens of Salvador Dalí and surrealist art, junior docents will be empowered to think independently about art and express their own thoughts. The week will conclude with a reception and Junior Docent-led gallery tour that showcases each student’s personal voice, Dalí knowledge and their own surrealist art.

this summer

This year’s theme, “Brilliant Brushes to Beautiful Blooms,” will focus on how Dalí reimagined natural subjects within his art, especially as symbols with personal and cultural meaning. Junior docents will be challenged to look outside – of fine art – to further their creative process and explore the topics of nature and symbolism in art. This theme parallels our special exhibition, Reimagining Nature: Dalí’s Floral Fantasies.

In this program, elementary and middle school students will learn the fundamentals of interpreting a painting and how to share a compelling story through the power of images. Junior docents will not only build their art skills and knowledge but also learn about the natural beauty of the Tampa Bay area, play theatre games and practice yoga with various Museum staff and partners.

age requirement

Junior Docent Art Camp is open to elementary and middle school students, ages 9-14 (note: students must have completed 3rd grade but not yet have started 9th grade to be eligible). In summer 2024, elementary and middle school age groups will alternate weeks of camp. These distinctions are based on the grade the student completed in May 2024 (elementary: completed grades 3-5 | middle: completed 6-8). During camp, students will be divided into smaller groups to allow for age-appropriate instruction and social interaction. If your children fall into different age groups, please reach out to sayad@thedali.org for registration advice.

Please note: Elementary school – completed grades 3-5 | Middle school – completed grades 6-8

June 3-7: Elementary school – member registration | non-member registration
June 17-21: Middle school – member registration | non-member registration
July 22-26: Combined elementary & middle school – member registration | non-member registration


Schedule: Monday-Thursday 9:15am-4:15pm, Friday 9:15am-5:30pm
Location: The Dalí Museum Raymond James Community Room
Price: $225
Museum Members: $200
MEMBER CARD # necessary to purchase. Don’t see it on your card? Click here.


Need community service hours?

Students who have completed 9th grade are encouraged to volunteer with Junior Docent Art Camp over the summer for up to 40 community service hours earned in one week of camp. Priority is given to students who became junior docents in elementary and middle school. Please contact sayad@thedali.org to inquire about opportunities to volunteer with Camp.

Why attend Junior Docent Art Camp?

Junior Docent Art Camp aims to provide safe social interaction for young students as they learn about the life and art of Salvador Dalí, make original surreal art and write and lead a docent tour in the permanent collection galleries. In a world-class museum setting, junior docents are afforded an opportunity to interact with Dalí’s art in a unique way. With a small camp size, our instructor-to-student ratio is 1:5 and each instructor is a local art or art history teacher. Many of our instructors are trained docents, and each is familiar with the Museum collection.

The Dalí completed a 7 year-long study in collaboration with the USFSP Department of Psychiatry, documenting how the Junior Docent program assists in developing children’s self-esteem and ability to learn. An article on the study, written by Ryan Kaufman and Eric Rinehardt for the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, states, “This study provides preliminary evidence that art programs can be beneficial for the self-concept of children and draws implications for arts education and art therapy programming for diverse needs.”

Read The Effects of a Museum Art Program on the Self-Concept of Children from the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association (31:3, pp. 118-125) by Ryan Kaufman, Eric Rinehardt, Hank Hine, Berney Wilkinson, Peter Tush, Bethany Mead and Francisco Fernandez (2014).

For additional information, please contact School Programs Manager Sumaya Ayad at sayad@thedali.org or 727.623.4754.