I rarely write reviews, but felt it necessary to share our experience with Snow Farm Art Camp in the hopes that it may help other families make an informed decision.
The pickup process at the end of camp was especially disappointing. There was no greeting or acknowledgment from staff, no effort to personally connect with parents, and no discussion whatsoever about the campers' experience or their artwork. It felt disorganized and impersonal. The "gallery walk," which should have been a proud moment, was chaotic and lacked any structure or explanation. We actually didn't know who was a camper or who was an instructor. We were left to wander through the space without context or guidance, which made it hard to fully appreciate what the kids had spent nearly two weeks creating.
Socially, the experience was incredibly isolating for my daughter and her friend. Despite being there for 12 days, they struggled to make connections with other campers. It became painfully clear that they were the only ones not from private schools, and unfortunately, they were made to feel like outsiders because of it. The environment was very cliquey, and there seemed to be little to no staff intervention to help bridge those social divides. Had my daughter not had her one friend from home with her, I likely would have brought her home early.
There was very little downtime or effort from counselors to create a sense of community. Days were packed with studio time and started extremely early, leaving kids exhausted and with few opportunities to relax or socialize. Team-building activities or any sort of group bonding could have made a huge difference, but those were noticeably absent.
Additionally, some of the camp rules were concerning and poorly communicated. One that stood out was the bizarre rule that campers couldn't enter each other's rooms because the staff would "assume they were having sex." For a teen art camp, this kind of messaging felt inappropriate and unnecessarily harsh.
To be fair, my daughter enjoyed the off-campus trips and said the food was great. But overall, this was a very expensive camp experience where she felt left out, unwelcomed, and disconnected, despite doing something she truly loves. That is not acceptable. Camp should be a place where kids feel encouraged, supported, and inspired, not judged or excluded.
This was a one and done experience for us. We will not be returning, and I would caution other families to look closely at what kind of environment Snow Farm is really fostering. read more