When Walmart began planning its new, 350-acre home office, they recognized the importance not only of office space, but also green space, exercise facilities and public art to uplift and support their associates.

This led to a unique partnership between Walmart and the University of Arkansas' Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Program.

Faculty and graduate students led by associate professor Laurie Apple and senior instructor Stephanie Hubert came together to produce a large-scale art installation titled " Woven Visions: The Intersection of Industry and Academia." The art was installed in the campus' new "Cheer" office building and greets associates as they first enter the facility.

"This project was a remarkable opportunity that allowed us to put into practice what we teach in our program," Apple said.

Walmart sent the scope and diagram of the project: six 10' 9" by 64" textile panels and one 10' 9" by 84" center panel, with a six-week turnaround time to be ready for the grand opening of the new home office.

Due to the large size of the panels, the AMPD team did all the fabrication in their research room. After Apple's husband, project engineer Anthony Apple P.E., constructed framing for the art, the weaving began.

"Our faculty used their expertise to develop the weave structure and execute their vision," Apple said.

Apple used the software program Kaledo Weave to create the weave structures, and also created the unique interlacings. The warp and weft colors were input in spreadsheets to determine the amount of materials needed. The team used high-strength polypropylene webbing material in four official Walmart colors — dark blue, light blue, yellow and white — to complete the project.

"Seeing the finished product was emotional," Apple said. "It's an honor to see our work featured at Walmart's new home office campus."

The collaboration was facilitated by Donna Graham, U of A director of industry and community engagement. Explore how the U of A partners with community and businesses at partner.uark.edu.