Fay Jones School to Host In-Person, Virtual Summer 2022 Design Camp Sessions

Shawnya Meyers

The Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design will host four sessions of Design Camp this summer.

This summer, the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design will host four different sessions of Design Camp, including several in-person camps on the U of A campus in Fayetteville and a virtual camp.

The 2022 Design Camp sessions include two distinct week-long in-person camps, a school-guided virtual camp and, for the first time, a two-week-long in-person residential advanced camp. Registration is open for all the camp sessions on the school's website.

Design Camp offers students a chance to learn about architecture and design and to explore what those look like as potential future careers. Each session of Design Camp incorporates the three disciplines of architecture, landscape architecture and interior design and offers projects that include all three design areas. Students have the chance to learn new skills, including sketching and observation, how to analyze a site and how to approach a design problem from conception and early ideation through completion, most often in the form of scale models and drawings.

"The camps are a great way for students to see firsthand what it would be like to have a career in design," said Alison Turner, a teaching assistant professor of architecture and the school's director of community education. "Throughout the week, the students design projects in a studio space, which is the same studio that Fay Jones School students use, but also similar to a professional experience."

Last year, the Fay Jones School offered a virtual two-week advanced camp to meet the needs of more experienced campers. Following the success of the virtual camp, the school is now offering the two-week advanced camp in person on the U of A campus from June 12-24.

The Advanced Camp is open to 11th and 12th grade students who have previous design experience. Students in the Advanced Camp will stay in a campus residence hall and have planned evening and weekend activities, including field trips.

"The two-week Advanced Camp will offer the students a chance to really immerse themselves in the experience," Turner said. "This will allow us to have design projects of a longer duration and for the students to go on multiple field trips to see design projects and meet local designers. The students will also have the time to really get to know the Fay Jones School faculty and students, as well as to get to know each other."

The in-person Fayetteville Camps 1 and 2 take place June 13-17 and June 20-24, and they are open to students in ninth through 12th grades. Students also have the option to stay overnight in a campus residence hall for each of these camps.

"The students will also meet many designers in the three professions, including faculty and local practitioners," Turner said. "Then we will visit local design projects to relate their design project process in the studio to actual buildings and spaces in real life."

The Virtual Camp session will be June 27 to July 1, and it is open to students in eighth through 12th grades. The camp will use an online learning platform with the Design Camp lessons embedded, and students will meet daily via Zoom sessions with the school's design faculty and students for discussions, feedback and guidance.

"The virtual camp platform uses video clips and projects that are part of the FAY Design Virtual Education series that was created during the pandemic, and it offers a very similar experience to our in-person camp, where students are led through design projects, 'visit' buildings and spaces virtually, and work closely with Fay Jones School faculty and students who serve as the camp faculty and teaching assistants," Turner said. "This allows students who can't travel to our camp to still have a very similar experience."

The cost for the week-long Fayetteville camps 1 and 2 is $400 for the day camp only and $700 for the residential camp. The cost for the two-week Fayetteville Advanced Camp is $1,650. There is no charge for the Virtual Camp, but an optional materials kit is available for $30. Materials and meals are provided for each in-person camp. A limited number of need-based full and partial scholarships are available.

Registration is required for all camps, and the registration deadline is May 20. More details and registration links can be found on the Design Camp page on the school's website.

For more information, contact faycamp@uark.edu.