There’s no doubt that Carlsbad Art Farm is a very special place, and that’s why we wanted to share it with the young people of northern San Diego County.
Located on 10 coastal acres of secluded woodland habitat near the Village of Carlsbad, Art Farm combines outdoor studio art instruction, farm animal encounters, and natural science enrichment for students in Grades 2 through 8. Although Art Farm is primarily known for its summer camp, running in weekly sessions throughout the summer, it also offers Saturday art classes for students during the rest of the year as well as being utilized for adult instruction. It’s also available for school field trips, Scout outings and birthday parties.
Art Farm is home to Perrin Weston Coman, its founder and director, who studied studio art at the Art Academy of San Francisco; her husband, Chase Coman, a former wildlife biologist; their daughter, Emerson, a 13-year-old animal/art enthusiast; and Art Farm’s extensive animal menagerie. The property has been in Chase’s family since 1962, and he has lived in Carlsbad most of his life. Perrin also grew up as a farm kid on her family’s 250-acre pear orchard in what is now Silicon Valley. Perrin and Chase are pleased to report that today’s wired generation of kids, given the chance to make art while hanging out in the woods with a bunch of animals, have an unplugged blast at Art Farm.
We founded Carlsbad Art Farm in 2006 because we believe that young people benefit greatly from spending quality time in nature surrounded by animals. Through the making of art, using traditional techniques and materials, students learn to better appreciate the bounty of the natural world.
Our habitat is recognized as an important biome within the Carlsbad Watershed district, another reason why we open up our property for summer camp and other experiences. The property is bisected by Agua Hedionda Creek (“Sunny Creek”) which feeds into the Agua Hedionda Lagoon preserve. Students can see first-hand the importance and fragility of this habitat and the life it supports.
Between classes and during free time (students LOVE free time at Art Farm because there is so much to explore and engage the senses), students are welcome to participate in the care and feeding of animals, play on our playground, and explore the terrain. On hot days we take our lunches down to the creek with Harry Potter and Mr. Weasley, our comical alpacas. This summer, just in time for camp, we are welcoming two baby Nigerian Dwarf goats and a new crop of chicks.
Enjoy roaming our website. We encourage you to sign-up for our youth-friendly blog and to become a fan on our Facebook page. Facebook members will receive offers for discounts, adult art seminars, school-year mini-camps, Art Farm’s locally famous barbecues, open houses, and other fun stuff.
