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On July 14, we welcome 64 high school students who will spend a week on Rocky Top at Design Matters! Camp.  Each year, Design Matters! Camp continues to grow, and this year’s enrollment breaks all records.  Plus, our campers hail from 18 states—the most ever!

Design Matters! Camp, July 14-20, is a week-long experience for creative high school students who are curious designers, problem-solving makers and innovative thinkers. Immersed in a one-of-a-kind summer experience, students from across the country learn to think and innovate as designers in the same studios where our students study.

At Design Matters! Camp, high school students experience life as a design student on a university campus, learning about design thinking, design education and careers in design. Campers live in university housing, learn in the award-winning Art + Architecture Building in the heart of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville campus and visit significant architectural sites in the region.

In addition to spending time in studio every day—just as our college students do, campers experience UT traditions, including painting The Rock. At the end of the week, campers present their designs in a final review, as do students in the college each semester.

At the conclusion of camp, parents and families join their students to celebrate the week, enjoy lunch together and visit an exhibit of their students’ work.

Design Matters! Camp is hosted by the UT ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. It challenges motivated students to learn about how design can change the world and impact the built environment.

Now in its 11th year, Design Matters! Camp is the only summer camp of its kind in the region.