Institute for the Creative Arts prepping for inaugural opening

The Institute for the Creative Arts (ICA), Arkansas’ first performing and visual arts high school, is moving into its completed space along the Arkansas River in downtown Fort Smith in preparation for an Aug. 19 first day of school.

The Arkansas Board of Education gave final approval for the Institute for the Creative Arts at its meeting on Dec. 15, officially starting the state’s first performing and visual arts high school. With that final approval, the high school is preparing to open in August in Fort Smith.

The school will be housed in the Community School of the Arts’ (CSA) new 42,000-square-foot Center for Creative Art building at 1101 Riverfront Drive in Fort Smith, just north of the U.S. Marshals Museum.

The high school will open with students entering ninth through 11th grade in year one with 12th grade added in the fall of 2025. The school day will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with the day divided between academic and arts instruction. As a public charter school, it is tuition-free and open to all students.

Dr. Rosilee Russell said Tuesday (Aug. 6) that staff began moving into the new facility that morning.

“I am watching furniture being brought into the building in boxes that will have to be put together right now,” Russell said.

She said the move is expected to take the remainder of the week. That move means things are a little out of sorts for the week, she said. The computers are all off for the next two to three days as they are installed and brought online at the new facility. That means email won’t be checked as regularly, Russell said. She said the cost of construction and furnishings is around $25 million.

CSA is officially closed this week but is registering students for the high school at icafortsmith.org.

If all goes as expected, operations will begin in the new facility on Aug. 12, though that depends on getting final clearance of occupancy from the City of Fort Smith, she said.

“We do not yet have our official approval to occupy the building and begin working in there, but we anticipate approval coming at the end of this week. If that happens, CSA will resume classes (Aug. 12) and ICA faculty will begin professional development at the Center,” Russell said. “This is an historic moment for all of us involved at CSA and ICA as we embark upon a new chapter in the life of our organization. It is such an exciting time and we expect to build arts programs this school year that get many more students connected to their talents and dreams.”

Though filling teaching positions was a challenge and took most of the summer to complete, Russell said the institute is “pretty close to fully staffed” for the upcoming school year. She said all faculty positions are filled, but they are still trying to fill a few janitorial, cafeteria and support staff positions. ICA has about 18 educators ready to teach students when they arrive on the first day, she said.

“We filled our core instructor positions more quickly than we did our arts instructor positions. Those took a little longer,” Russell said. “We had to work hard through the summer to get everything staffed and completed. It is very hard to get a school started.”

The school has almost 80 students registered so far, Russell said, noting they hoped to start the 2024-25 school year with 100 students.

“I think people are still a bit confused about what we are. They think it will cost to come here. But that is not the case. We are still taking enrollment. We think we will probably have some students still enroll after Labor Day weekend and we think we get more students in January. It will happen,” Russell said.

Those who have enrolled are excited about the opportunity to attend school at the state’s first creative and performing arts high school, she said.

“It’s not your typical looking high school. It’s gorgeous. I think it’s going to be a great place for creative kids to hang out,” Russell said.