WKU News

Buon frescos, ceramic art pieces, and augmented reality projects -- all works of art being featured in the newest exhibit at WKU. For the next several weeks, the Ivan Wilson Fine Arts Center Gallery will feature the S.T.E.A.M. Day Exhibit including pieces inspired by the 3-8 grade scholars in the Jonesville Academy and led by faculty in WKU Potter College of Arts & Letters (PCAL) and Ogden College of Science and Engineering (OCSE).

On Saturday (March 25), the S.T.E.A.M. Day exhibit will open with a short program at 12:45 p.m. for scholars, their families, and school officials along with WKU faculty, staff, and students. Remarks will come from PCAL Dean Terrance Brown and OCSE Dean David Brown. The exhibit is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday until April 14.

“Our faculty and students have had so much fun hosting the Jonesville Academy S.T.E.A.M. Day these past two years. It is energizing to work with the Scholars, assisting them with tapping into their creativity, and to see their ideas literally take shape,” said Dr. Kristina Arnold, Professor and Department Head for Art & Design.

Earlier in the month, professors in the Department of Art & Design and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences hosted the S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) Day for more than 50 Jonesville Academy scholars. The XR Lab projects were hosted by professors Mark Simpson, Truth Tran, Kristina Arnold, and Michael Galloway. Professor Greg Strange hosted ceramics while Professor Mike Nichols hosted the buon fresco project. A team of Art & Design and CS students joined to assist the scholars in addition to their educators and mentors. 

“Honestly, they [youth] really only needed to be given the tools and the permission to explore, and they all took off, challenging themselves and each other to make cool things,” Arnold added. “We’ve had numerous compliments on the gallery exhibition already, it’s such a great show! The scholars should be really proud.”

Tyreon Clark, Co-Founder of Jonesville Academy, shared similar thoughts about the S.T.E.A.M. Day experience and exhibit opening. “Honestly, it’s just cool to see scholars engage in educational enhancement experiments and experiences,” Clark expressed. “Who truly knows their potential, they’re never exposed. Exposure to the activities can spark new interests, ideas, and interactions now and down the road.”

The Jonesville Academy is a program for Boys to Men Leadership Group and For a Real Change, Inc. that meets every other Saturday at WKU. More than 60 scholars are enrolled in the program, which is coordinated thanks also to partnerships with WKU College of Education Behavioral Sciences, Bowling Green Independent School District, and Warren County Public Schools. Scholars study reading and writing, S.T.E.M., and history, language, and culture.

“Parents are in for a real treat this weekend,” Clark said. “From the clay, to painting and 3D building what our scholars are going to showcase this weekend is their talent, attention to detail and ability to create with a free mind.”

Contact: Kristina Arnold, (270) 745-3944

-WKU-

Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.