by Hunter Schmuck
On September 10th, Institute for the Creative Arts students gathered excitedly in the newly-opened lobby of the brand-new Center for the Creative Arts. They had been working for weeks on artwork and performances that would showcase their talents to visitors from all over the state who were here to witness the Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony, held in the center’s honor, which houses ICA as well as Community School of the Arts.
The lobby was full to the point of standing-room capacity with students, family members, teachers, faculty, state dignitaries, and Chamber of Commerce members. Founding ICA board member Jeannie Russell, ICA Dean Audra Titsworth, Fort Smith’s Mayor McGill, and CSA Executive Director Dr. Rosilee Russell gave speeches that paid tribute to the long but rewarding journey that led to the opening of the Center for the Creative Arts. Amelia Boyd, a ninth grade ICA student, gave a testimony as to why a school like ICA is important to her and other creative kids who want to cultivate their place in the arts.
The showcase of student talent was something that had the students buzzing with nervous excitement in the hours leading up to the event. The choir students stood on the landing of the beautiful marble staircase and sang the “National Anthem,” accompanied by ICA and CSA theatre directors Sarah Lamar and Erin Bagley, respectively, and directed by ICA dance and theatre instructor Nick Perry. The musical theatre students performed a number from their upcoming musical, Moana. ICA Art Director Rae Tedeton, in preparation for the day’s events, oversaw her students as they turned the front sidewalks into a gallery of chalk artwork to be enjoyed by visitors. Their unique interests and talents were impressively displayed in gardens of flowers, abstract shapes, renditions of cartoon characters, and phrases welcoming all who entered the school.
It was a day to remember, and as the ribbon was cut an air of finality settled about the room. This school, the first of its kind in the State of Arkansas, was well on its way to changing the lives of creative students hailing from all over the area, and the students had completed their first showcase as the ICA student body. The school was not only newly inducted into the Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce - it was, in those moments, cemented as a pillar of the Fort Smith community after years of preparation and support from various organizations and individuals who believed in this dream becoming a reality.
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