Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

University of Arkansas – Fort Smith: Windgate Art & Design

  • 04/01/16
Windgate Art & Design

PHOTOS © RACHEL PUTMAN, UAFS PHOTOGRAPHER

With 58,000 Square feet and state-of-the-art facilities for visual arts students, Windgate Art & Design at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith (UAFS) in Fort Smith, AR, is a centerpiece of both the UAFS campus and the Fort Smith community. Opened in September 2015, the $15.5 million facility was constructed through a private gift from the Windgate Charitable Foundation.

The three-story building, designed by WER Architects and constructed by CDI Contractors, complements UAFS architecture and the campus setting as a visually engaging design. A Bauhaus-influenced window design on the building front, nocturnal choreographed light elements on the east wall, and strategically placed exterior sculptures complete this vision. Interior windows look into studio spaces and allow observation of the creative process. A wing of faculty offices and workspaces promote unity and accessibility for faculty and student interaction.

An industrial aesthetic pervades the building through exposed utilities in the ceiling and concrete floors. Modern and contemporary art and furnishings greet visitors entering the first-floor lobby. A large commissioned mural in the entryway adds to the university’s collection of drawings, paintings and sculptures by regional, national and international artists. The main gallery features exhibitions by noted artists, and a second gallery offers additional exhibition space.

Art programs housed in the building include Studio Art and Graphic Design with accommodations for papermaking, letterpress, printmaking, drawing, painting, 3D design, photography, motion design, web design and art history. Extensive hallways on all three floors of the building include panels and spaces to showcase student work.

Dedicated art history classrooms and a 150-seat film theater have multipurpose use for teaching, presentations, readings, lectures and film. A small library and study provide additional resource for students.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Rhode Island Boarding School Completes Student Dorm Renovations

    St. George’s School in Middletown, R.I., recently announced the completion of a $26-million renovation project on Arden-Diman-Eccles Dormitory, according to a news release. The school partnered with Voith & Mactavish Architects (VMA) on the new space, which places a new focus on collaborative community spaces open to both boarding students and day students.

  • Construction Begins on New University Research Vessel

    Boat-building company All American Marine recently announced that it has begun construction on a new catamaran research vessel for the University of Texas Marine Science Institute (UTMSI) in Port Aransas, Texas, according to a news release.

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.