The School of Art, in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, recently hosted the second annual summer workshop for high school students that concluded with an online exhibition, 'Together Apart.'

Like many summer camps and workshops, the School of Art adjusted plans for an in-person experience to virtual. The virtual workshop opened up new opportunities for students across the state, country and world, to join in and learn about the University of Arkansas and School of Art and experience studio art classes. 

Students from Arkansas, Arizona and Japan attended the workshop at no cost, receiving all supplies and materials in advance to have a hands-on experience while at the same time being virtual. They attended a drawing or printmaking studio art workshop taught throughout the week by School of Art faculty Jody Thompson and Ziba Rajabi. 

In addition to their studio time with faculty, students met and spoke with current students and different offices across campus. They heard from local artists and virtually visited museums and local galleries and other spaces, experiencing the ever-growing arts community in Northwest Arkansas. 

"The School of Art's online summer workshop is an opportunity for high school students to experience art at college level and give them a new perspective of art education regardless of their location," said Gerry Snyder, executive director for the School of Art. "We hope they will become School of Art students one day, but we also hope they have experienced art in a new accessible way that encourages exploration and creativity."

School of Art student peer ambassadors Destiny Layne, Ashley Nielsen, Karen Olivo, Lauren Stephens and Isabelle Wise, served as mentors and facilitators throughout the week. They presented their experiences in the college, School of Art and developed sessions for students including mind-map making, still life drawing, art as activism, the critique process and identity in work.

"Students attending the workshop were able to experience an in-depth view of art in numerous avenues and mediums, it was incredible to see their growth in a short amount of time," said Donna Jones, director of outreach and recruitment. "While it was unorthodox in many ways, their participation and work exceeded our expectations. We hope everyone will take a moment to experience Together Apart and see a glimpse into future School of Art students."

The students collectively shared how different this studio class was compared to studio classes in a COVID-19 free world. The shared how they were technically apart from each other in different places, but also together working online talking and paying attention to each other. There was a sense of connection and togetherness even though far apart. Their exhibition, Together Apart, was a natural name to describe how the felt in this new normal. 

All are invited to experience Together Apart, now on display and will continue to be up for the foreseeable future. 

The School of Art would like to give a special thanks to all of the contributors that made this second annual summer workshop week a success including:

• Sarah Draine, U of A, director of the Center for Multicultural and Diversity Education
• Morgan Garner and Jordan Jones, current Bachelor of Fine Arts art education students and Box-Cooper curatorial interns with Art Ventures this spring/summer 2020 
• Cody Hill, U of A, scholarship finance manager, Academic Scholarship Office
• Brianna Jenkins, alumna and art director at the Tesseract Center for Immersive Environments and Game Design
• Cayla Jones, associate museum educator and Moria Anderson, senior museum educator, in the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art education department
• Shelby Nelson, alumna, gallery assistant at David Zwirner gallery in New York, New York
• Amber Perrodin, alumna, artist, curator, entrepreneur, and arts community organizer. co-founder of The Little Craft Show and Team Springdale
• William Scheiderer, U of A, admissions counselor, Admissions Office
• Lea Sutherland, School of Art, scholarships and awards coordinator
• Aaron Turner, School of Art, research fellow and faculty member, artist, and founder and director of the Center for Photographers of Color
• Virtual Tour of All Things Being Equal with Allison Glenn, Associate Curator of Contemporary Art at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
• Virtual Tour of State of the Art 2020 with Alejo Benedetti, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art at The Momentary