Design Camp Offers Opportunity to Explore Careers in Architecture and Design Fields

At Design Camp, students learn about design by doing. They dive headfirst into understanding the fields of architecture, landscape architecture and interior architecture and design by spending a week sketching, experimenting and collaborating in a hands-on, fast-paced studio environment.

This June, the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design will welcome students from across the state and region to Design Camp sessions held on the U of A campus in Fayetteville, as well as in Little Rock and Bentonville. Every sketch, scale model and design project is a chance for students to test their ideas and get feedback in a college environment. By the end of Design Camp, campers will truly know what it's like to think and work like a designer — and some may decide to make it their career.

"For a student who may be considering a career in design, Design Camp is just a great moment for that student to learn all about the process, learn about school, learn about what designers do on an everyday basis," said Alison Turner, director of community education and teaching associate professor of architecture in the Fay Jones School. "Design Camp is a moment for students to try it on and see if it's the right fit."

The program includes several camp sessions designed to accommodate students with different levels of experience and interest:

Fayetteville (U of A campus)

• Weeklong Design Camps: June 15-19 & June 22-26 (entering grades 9-12; overnight option)
• Advanced Design Camp (two weeks): June 14-26 (entering grades 11-12)

Little Rock (Central Arkansas Library System Main Library)

• Weeklong Design Camp: June 8-12 (entering grades 9-12)

Bentonville (Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art)

• Weeklong Design Camp: June 8-12, 1:30-4:30 p.m. (ages 8-10 and 11-13)

More details about individual camps, including an FAQ sheet, sample schedule and registration links, are available on the Fay Jones School website.

Throughout the camp sessions, students are introduced to the three distinct design disciplines taught at the Fay Jones School: architecture, interior architecture and design, and landscape architecture. A key part of the experience is the studio environment, where students work alongside one another while sharing ideas and feedback throughout the design process.

"Studio is a very collaborative environment where you're kind of on top of people all the time," said Abi Minor, a third-year architecture student in the Fay Jones School. "So, it's important to learn how to work around others, and Design Camp definitely helps you do that."

Students in camp have the chance to learn new skills such as how to observe through sketching, how to analyze a site and how to approach a design problem from conception and early ideation through completion. In addition to working on design projects, they also will collaborate with faculty and student mentors, tour the U of A campus, take field trips to explore architecture and design in the region and meet with local design professionals.

The camp is also supported by student mentors from the Fay Jones School, many of whom also attended Design Camp themselves. Mentors help guide campers through projects, offer feedback and share their own experiences studying architecture and design at the university.

For Minor, serving as a mentor has been especially meaningful because of her own experience attending the camp.

"Being a mentor at Design Camp has definitely been a pretty full circle moment for me," Minor said. "Going from being a student to a mentor, I've been able to see both perspectives of it, and I have really been able to learn how rewarding it is in both atmospheres. I enjoy being a mentor because it taught me how to explain things better and be clearer with how I'm talking about architecture with people who might not know a lot about architecture."

The Advanced Camp session is geared toward students who have previous experience or a strong interest in design. This two-week residential camp takes place June 14-26 on the U of A Fayetteville campus and is open to students entering 11th and 12th grades.

"The two-week advanced camp provides more challenges for the students, and it's designed for students who have either been to our one-week camp in the past, or have taken architecture and design classes in high school, or maybe worked on a community design project," Turner said.

During residential camps, students stay in a campus residence hall and participate in additional evening and weekend activities. These activities can include field trips around Northwest Arkansas and opportunities to explore architecture and design in real-world settings.

Design Camp brings with it opportunities to develop friendships and make memories that can last through college and beyond.

"Some of the people that I met while I was at camp came with me to school here, and we're still friends to this day," Minor said. "It's really amazing to cultivate those relationships even before you start your college experience."

Faculty members who teach in Design Camp said the summer program for youth reflects many of the same expectations and experiences students encounter while studying at the Fay Jones School.

"Design Camp does a fantastic job of condensing what that first-year experience would be like in the span of five really intense but fun-filled days," said Torrey Tracy, assistant professor of interior architecture and design. "We're here to help and show them that these are the tools that they will eventually become more and more familiar with."

Through this condensed experience, students gain a clearer understanding of the demands and rewards of studying architecture and design should they choose to pursue it in college. The camp also provides opportunities for students to interact with faculty members and student mentors who share their insights into the design process and potential career paths within the field.

"They feel a lot more confident," Tracy said. "They understand what is going to be expected of them, and they get to see a lot of familiar faces, which I would imagine makes that transition into the academic world a lot more comfortable and manageable."

The Fay Jones School also works to ensure that students from a wide range of backgrounds are able to attend camp by offering some full and partial need-based scholarships for the Fayetteville and Little Rock camps.

"One thing that's really important for us at the Fay Jones School and with Design Camp is that we want to make sure that anyone who is interested in design has access to Design Camp," Turner said.

The cost for the two weeklong Fayetteville camps is $550 for the day-only camp and $900 for the residential camp. The cost for the weeklong Little Rock day-only camp is $550. The cost for the two-week Fayetteville Advanced Camp is $2,250. The cost for the half-day Bentonville camp is $200 ($160 for Crystal Bridges members).

Materials and meals are provided for each in-person camp.

Registration for all camps closes May 18. More details and registration links can be found on the Design Camp page on the Fay Jones School website. For more information, contact faycamp@uark.edu.