Art and design program expanding for year two at Peak Innovation Center

Though Fort Smith Public Schools Emerging Art & Design program has been active for a year, when students return to school in August they will enter the newly completed space for the program at Peak Innovation Center.

Dr. Gary Udouj, FSPS director of career education and district innovation, said Wednesday (July 31) that workers were polishing the floors, and furniture and equipment will be moved into the space the week of Aug. 12, making everything ready for students when they return Aug. 19.

“We started the program last year, but now we will have our completed space. We also have hired a new teacher with both industry and teaching experience,” Udouj said.

While much of the programming at Peak centers around STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education, one of the criteria from the Hutcheson family when the state of William Hutcheson Jr. donated the property to FSPS for the Peak center, one of the conditions was that art be incorporated into the programming. The 181,710-square-foot former Hutcheson shoe manufacturing building is at 5900 Painter Lane and sits on almost 17 acres. The Windgate Foundation also gave $750,000 to the Peak project for a visual arts program.

“When we started designing this area, we created a community committee of stakeholders to get input. We had Windgate Foundation board members involved with that committee,” Udouj said.

The art wing of Peak includes 2,800-square-foot of renovated space at the east side of the center for studio space, classrooms and storage. The renovation project had a $650,000 budget. The area will house the district’s Emerging Art & Design Program. The PEAK Emerging Art & Design pathway is available exclusively to FSPS students and incorporates three areas of study: media arts, art history, and studio art.

According to program information on the district’s website, future potential occupations include art dealer, art historian, broadcast technician, camera operator, curator, general and operations manager, graphic designer, museum director, photographer, and radio and television announcer.

Udouj said there are 25 new students signed up for the program this year who will join the 15 returning students from last year for a total of 40 in the program.

“Emerging Art & Design students at PEAK will discover how art is used as a tool of communication and influence. Investigate art by creating, responding, and connecting with designs across cultures and periods,” the website states.

Students in the program use industry-standard technology and equipment to generate and conceptualize artistic ideas that integrate real-world issues. They develop a portfolio of work demonstrating 21st-century skills, present in gallery exhibitions to peers and community partners, and gain the skills necessary to earn technical certifications in industry-recognized digital software, it states.

“We want these students to have experience presenting and defending their professional portfolio,” Udouj said. “First year students present their portfolio to peers. Second year students have their works presented offsite at a museum or gallery. It allows them the chance to defend their work and receive feedback.”

Students take introductory classes at either Southside High School or Northside High School. Students in 10th grade or higher can then spend half their school day at Peak in the program, Udouj said.

Students choosing that pathway can receive certifications in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, Udouj said. The certifications, like the other technical certifications offered through Peak, allow students to be prepared for the workforce when they leave high school with the type of professional certification needed for employment, he said.

While some of the students graduating from the program in May will be going off to college to study art history, graphic design, photography or other art degrees, Udouj said two of the students are majoring in engineering and pre-med.

“Having this art background gives our students a chance to engage their creative and analytical intelligence, which can help them in whatever field they choose,” Udouj said. “The program really looks at traditional art education incorporating modern technology. It prepares students, like the other programs at Peak, for a career.”

While many of the programs at Peak are part of the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith Western Arkansas Technical Center (WATC) program, the Emerging Art & Design program is not. It is an FSPS high school credit program that combines traditional art and career technology.