Denman Island · British Columbia
A historic camp on thirty-seven oceanfront acres, where artists, makers, and storytellers gather to connect and create.
Who we are
Camp Denman Society is a not-for-profit organization founded in August 2025 by Dr. Samia Harris, Dr. Rebecca Nykwest, and Tony Aly—three family members with decades of experience in educational programming.
How camp works
Conversations, shared meals, evening sing-alongs, and stargazing are at the heart of camp life. Collaboration happens in the spaces between workshops, studios, trails, and late-night conversations—where one person’s practice opens a door in someone else’s.
Here, making has room to breathe. Professional artists, dedicated studios, real materials, and focused time give ideas space to become something tangible—shaped slowly and shared generously.
A filmmaker may find the sound of a story through a musician. A writer may see a scene emerge beside a painter. A coder, poet, dancer, and designer can leave the same table with something none imagined alone.
What we make
Story, camera, and edit — from script to a finished short, with a working film studio.
Writing, recording, and production in a professional studio built for sound.
Painting, ceramics, print, and mixed media — hands in the materials, daily.
Movement, theatre, and live showcase, drawing on the island’s performing community.
Shared tables, seasonal cooking, and the craft of feeding a creative community.
Design and build a working app or site — creative making with modern tools.
Engineering, designing, prototyping, and publishing — turning ideas into things that work.
The setting
Deep forest, oceanfront along Baynes Sound, and a heritage orchard that still bears fruit. Slow mornings, coastal fog, long evenings—the land keeps its own rhythm, and everything made here carries a little of it.
37
Acres
1,000
Feet of oceanfront
1908
Ormiston farmhouse
A place with history
A 1908 farmstead, then a beloved Elks camp for generations. We are continuing that legacy—a historic camp, renewed for arts, culture, and community.
Our story →Who we welcome
Camp Denman welcomes artists, makers, storytellers, performers, facilitators, builders, and curious learners from every discipline and background. Denman Island itself has a deep tradition of artists, artisans, musicians, writers, farmers, and people who make useful things.
The camp should contribute in return: local jobs, places to learn and gather, creative programming, and practical partnerships with people and organizations across the island and surrounding region.
Our island community →
Summer cohorts run July 22 through August 22, 2026. Availability varies by session.