Caldera Arts

There's a small recording studio on Caldera's campus. Nothing fancy. But for a 13-year-old named The Wav, it opened a door.

Someone at Caldera handed The Wav a mic and said “you can do this.” They produced their first song, recorded a vocalist, and released something real. Today, that's exactly what The Wav does professionally. And it all started in that little studio.

This is what Caldera builds. Not just a summer experience. A moment that follows a young person into their life, their career, the person they become.

This summer, 200 learners will walk onto Caldera's campus for free. Somewhere in that group is the next The Wav. A kid who doesn't know what they're capable of yet.

Help fund a Caldera summer at the link in our bio.

There’s a 40-foot tree on Caldera’s campus called the Dream Tree. No learner has to climb it. Every summer, they’re simply asked: how far do you want to go?

One alum, known at camp as Rainbow, almost said no. Years later, they still think about the moment they let go. Not because it was easy, but because it was the first time they trusted themselves enough to try something that scared them.

That’s what a Caldera summer creates. A real reason for a young person to trust themselves. This summer, 200 learners will walk onto this campus for free.

Your support is what makes that possible. Help fund a Caldera summer at the link in our bio.

40 students spent one week at H.B. Lee Middle School with artist Kyra Watkins through a Caldera partnership, creating a mural that now lives at their school permanently.

By the end of the week, students were bringing their friends to see it. Proud of something they built together. For many of them, it was the first time they discovered what their creative voice could look like on a wall.

The mural isn’t going anywhere. And what those students found in themselves that week isn’t either.

Our apprentices had an action-packed weekend in Portland.

This group of young artists, part of Caldera’s Apprentice Program, is already doing the work, building their creative voice, collaborating, and stepping into real-world experiences that push their thinking forward.

Over the weekend, they connected with creative professionals at , shared a meal with our founding family, and continued developing their capstone multimedia projects.

They closed the weekend with a screening of Seeds at , followed by a conversation with , reflecting on what we hold sacred and how creativity can help protect and carry those stories forward.

This is where creativity starts to take shape.

Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen.

We are excited to introduce our February 2026 Artists in Residence. Artists explored identity through movement, puppetry, painting, printmaking, and beadwork, each following a path that connected personal history with new ideas.

Shannon Yu and Cia ALYXÅNDRA Ciale Charfauros collaborated on a movement piece blending martial arts and dance. Camille Cooper built a puppet from repurposed materials found on the land. Scott Taddei returned to beading, reconnecting with a practice from childhood. Sandra Lanz Sanchez-Penichet spent time painting and rediscovering her creative rhythm. Bint Bandora created drawings, a linocut stamp, and prints incorporating tatreez patterns that honor her cultural traditions and her late mother.

As Bint shared, “Caldera changed our lives. There’s a before Caldera with our art practice, and then now there’s an after.”