Art and Design Department looks for permanent studio space

The Art and Design Department makes a studio space available for its approximately 170 students to use; however, in past few years this space has moved across campus to a few different locations, sparking a student-lead effort to find a permanent home for the art studio.

“I feel like we are just kind of tired of moving from place to place, so we would like a place to call our own and that’s hard,” junior Hayley Waldo said. “I know there are a lot of other departments on campus that also need funding and also need things.”

Waldo is a graphic design major and is spearheading the project of finding a permanent studio space and proposing the project to the administration.

The department’s need of studio space doesn’t always fit within the needs of the university as a whole. Because the university is growing and the available space on campus is limited and often stretched thin among all departments, the art studio often gets shuffled around.

Art and Design Professor Amy Beauchamp said in recent years the studio was located inside Enterprise Square.

“In my opinion that worked out really nicely because it was a huge open space and the students could spread out,” Beauchamp said. “They weren’t as concerned with keeping it tidy necessarily, which artists tend to be a little bit scattered.”

The university renovated areas of Enterprise Square so the studio moved to the catty-corner property by the former Blockbuster, southeast of campus.

“The problem with that particular space ended up being more that it’s disconnected from the rest of the department,” Beauchamp said. “And there’s the travel concern for those who don’t have cars in terms of the safety factor.”

Both locations worked well for what students needed out of a space. They both had an excess of square footage and were conducive to the students’ art needs, but the locations were not permanent.

Oklahoma Christian sold the southeast property, and then the studio space was moved to the cubicled and carpeted second floor of the Heritage Plaza office building, where it is currently located.

“That was certainly a bit of a hit because it was a lot less square footage and the students can’t spread out quite as much as what they are used to,” Beauchamp said. “They’ve adjusted and I appreciate that.”

With other programs entering that building, the studio will most likely be moved again.

Waldo said the ideal location for a permanent studio space is the stage workshop area behind Judd Theatre. She said a similar space is also in Hardeman Auditorium.

“I think it would be very easy for those small programs to move to Hardeman,” Waldo said. “The scene shop is pretty big. There’s a very big open space. Green rooms and dress up rooms – I think all of the areas in the department could definitely use it to it’s fullest potential.”

The space behind the stage area of Judd Theatre has tall ceilings and can be remodeled to be an ideal match for what the art students need from a space.

Beauchamp said she envisions an open-air concept where a balcony-like second floor is added.

“You got this really cool visual of all this other studio space that’s happening up on top,” Beauchamp said. “So it makes it still feel really big and really open, and real industrial looking. Gives the students a place to scatter and we don’t really have to do anything to the walls or floors because it’s already a space for creating.”

Students are creating the plan for the space.

“We want this to be really student lead and we just want the university to know like, ‘hey us students really care about our department and that’s why we want to help make it better,’” Waldo said.

Waldo, with the help of a few other students, is creating a detailed design. The plan includes interior layouts and 3-D modeling to demonstrate their vision for the space.

The student goal is to make the studio a Thrive project.

Director of Advancement Operations Will Blanchard oversees Thrive: The Complete Campaign, which is a three-year project-based fundraising initiative.

Blanchard said for a project to make the Thrive menu, it has to filter through certain requirements.

“What we want are momentum building projects that are going to increase revenue for the university, and in some form or fashion improve the culture, the climate and the experience for students and our ability to do Kingdom work,” Blanchard said.

Projects are selected year by year and must have strategic value with a far-reaching impact on students. Some of the projects from year one will carry over to year two, and year two’s new projects will be announce by May 2015 at the latest.

According to Blanchard, between 5 and 8 large projects will be added to Thrive for next year.

Thrive projects ideas either come from the top-down – from the president and the executive team, or bottom-up – from students or faculty proposals. Every proposal is vetted through administration, the related faculty and staff members and then up to the board of trustees.

“The promise is… anybody that submits any idea – that idea will be presented to the vice president associated with that sphere of campus,” Blanchard said. “If that vice president thinks that idea is worthy of being on the Thrive menu – that vice president will be an advocate for that idea, so they will take it to the larger team and to the president and they will say I endorse this project.”

Anyone can submit an idea on Thrive’s website. The ideas are filtered through the same parameters.

“No idea can be too outlandish for us to at least float it – if somebody’s passionate about it, it will be heard,” Blanchard said.

Thrive is for the students, Blanchard said, and he wants students involved and engaged in the conversation. He said the amount of student ideas submitted to Thrive has been low.

“We’ve gotten very few suggestions from students and I know students have ideas, definitely,” Blanchard said. “I would love it if you would come and tell me. … This is yours – take ownership of it. If ever we’re doing something that is counter to what you truly believe you need – it is OK to question and talk to us and ask.”

Blanchard said he encourages the department and its student to talk to him.

Waldo said she plans on submitting the proposal soon.

“We are just looking to use the space to call our own because it’s right there – it’s in the same hall,” Waldo said. “I really want people to know it’s important for us to have a place that’s like our own.”

Beauchamp said she wants to see the department come together as part of the solution, and to get everybody on board as excited about the possibilities rather than the frustrations.

“There’s so much more that can come from all of this if people would stay excited about it and just focus on the important part of it, rather than what they don’t necessarily have,” Beauchamp said.