Over 250 high school students from across the state attended the Fairmont State University Art, Architecture, and Design Exploration Day held on campus on Tuesday. 

Joel Dugan, Chair of the School of Art, Architecture, and Design, said this year they wanted to make the event more interactive and immerse the students into the culture of Fairmont State. Undergraduate students welcomed the high schoolers and guided them around while they were on campus. 

Students had the chance to interact in a variety of ways with the different disciplines and get a sense of what it’s like to be a student at Fairmont State University. 

“The students were able to take part in a block schedule where they have seven different experiences, five different changes along with lunch and admissions,” Dugan said. “This has been really effective but the reality is that maybe only 10 percent of every group is students wanting to go into the arts, but for us this might mean others might decide to take one art class a gen ed.” 

Students had the chance to see pottery in action, participate in some 3D art, and even had the chance to have their art judged. Some students were able to bring in previous pieces of art that were judged by Fairmont State’s art history professors and at the end of the day, students received certificates of recognition for their work. 

“This has been a great experience not only for the students we brought on campus, but for our students to be able to showcase what they’re learning and how they are utilizing their majors,” Dugan said. “We had demonstrations, workshops and studio tours all centering around the creative endeavors or our fields of study.” 

Dugan plans on hosting another interactive exploration day next year as well.