Alison Turner Brings Design to the Community Through Camps, Outreach Programs

Editor's Note: As the U of A strives to become an employer of choice, the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design is highlighting the faculty and staff who help the school excel.

Alison Turner is an associate professor of architecture and the director of community education at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. She teaches design studio, environmental technology and elective courses revolving around issues of sustainability, regionalism and site analysis.

Turner's interest in design started young. Her dad's work in systems furniture and as an artist exposed her to the process of building and making things. She also grew up in one of the first houses in her neighborhood. For about 10 years, as new houses were being constructed around her home, she often played at construction sites.

"Architecture is something I have always been interested in," Turner said. "But I didn't realize it until I was in high school and had the opportunity to take drafting classes. Then it just clicked."

Turner, a member of the American Institute of Architects, received a Bachelor of Interior Architecture from Kansas State University and a Master of Architecture from Parsons School of Design, where she was awarded the Alpha Rho Chi Medal. After graduating from Parsons, Turner spent several years practicing in New York City before moving to Fayetteville in 2003. 

While she didn't move to Northwest Arkansas specifically to work at the Fay Jones School, one of the compelling factors was knowing there was a good architecture school in Fayetteville. She first got involved with the school in 2006 as an adjunct instructor, and started teaching full time in 2008.

Also in 2008, she started her practice, sitio architecture + design, concentrating on residential and commercial projects with an emphasis on regional, environmentally responsive and sustainable architecture. In both her teaching and practice, Turner focuses on site-specific architecture and how past vernacular models of climate response can merge with contemporary ideas about space, form and creating environmentally responsive architecture. 

In addition to teaching and practice, Turner leads community outreach programs at the Fay Jones School to teach young students about design and the design professions, including the school's summer Design Camp. Her involvement with the camp started more than 15 years ago when she collaborated with Springdale High School's Engineering and Architecture Academy to create a summer camp for girls in 2009.

"That was the first time I realized there was a whole group of people that the school was not connecting with — high school students," Turner said. "It seemed like there should be an opportunity to see if architecture and design is the right fit for them."

In the following years, Turner continued teaching these small, focused camps, which allowed the school to introduce high school students to the world of design. While successful, Turner looked for ways to offer the camps to more people.

When Peter MacKeith joined the Fay Jones School as dean in 2014, Turner approached him about growing the camps. With his support, Turner expanded the summer camp and offered sessions in satellite locations.

"It was something we could do to add value to the school and work with recruiting," Turner said.

In 2016, Turner became the director of community education at the Fay Jones School. The position includes summer camps, as well as school visits, workshops and special events.

Although acting as both director and faculty, Turner still sees teaching as an opportunity for continuous education for herself.

"I'm constantly rethinking how I approach projects I'm working on because of how or what I'm teaching," Turner said. "It makes me stay more current with trends, to keep up with my students."

Turner said her students also help her understand how people approach design and how they think about cultural and social issues.

Turner received a Distinguished Service Award from the Fay Jones School in 2020 and the Diversity Award from AIA Arkansas in 2023. In 2018, she received the Tau Sigma Delta Medal, which is voted on by Fay Jones School students. She said she saw the honor as a sign that she was in the right place and making meaningful connections with her students.   

While juggling her positions directing the camps, teaching and private practice, she said she doesn't regret her time spent in academia.

"Teaching is the most enjoyable part of my job. I love working with students and helping them discover and harness their own design potential," Turner said. "But some of the behind-the-scenes aspects are not always my favorite — the grading, the red tape, the politics. Academia is a different world than practice, and it took me a long time to figure out how to navigate through that world."

Read the full Q&A with Alison Turner.