When Interior Designer Arden Cooper began thinking about how to design Fayette County Public Schools’ new STEAM Academy, she started by visiting their existing home on Sixth Street in Downtown Lexington. She was immediately inspired by the student art that decorated nearly every inch of the walls.
“While touring STEAM Academy’s original building, I saw a lot of silhouettes on the lockers, wall murals in some of the rooms, and even ceiling tiles that had been painted by students,” Cooper said.
Creativity and student engagement were clearly an integral part of the STEAM Academy’s culture, and Cooper knew it would be important to celebrate that legacy in the school’s new educational environment.
“When we pitched adding a graphics package,” said Cooper, “we emphasized that it would not only enhance the interior of the building but would also enable students to make the new school their own.”
The leaders of Fayette County Public Schools and the STEAM Academy agreed.
Cooper originally planned to host in-person sessions to enable students to collaborate on bringing their ideas to life. Unfortunately, the onset of the pandemic required the group to pivot to a virtual platform. She coordinated with teachers and ultimately arranged to work closely with 10 students to generate a wide range of artistic concepts.
“I put together a small presentation and worksheet for the students that described the scope of work, our goals for the project, and the methods they could use to produce their ideas,” Cooper said.
“Getting to talk directly to the students was extremely inspirational.” Cooper said, “They all had different perspectives on what they thought was important to create for their new school environment. They brought tons of fresh ideas, which ultimately established the direction for all the graphics.”
Cooper collaborated with the students through several virtual sessions. They discussed exploration, career goals, and the positive impact of their school on students’ futures.
Together, Cooper and the students developed concepts that balanced large expanses of ocean and space, symbolizing the journey of learning and the importance of dreaming big. The team’s design concepts explored the interconnectedness of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, and celebrated the critical importance of cultivating student curiosity. RTA’s in-house design team then collaborated to develop and refine the final concepts.
The results are incredible.
“The one that really stood out to me was the one with the hands. We read a book called Do Android’s Dream of Electric Sheep? and the hands remind me of it. The graphic represents STEAM’s relationship to technology,” said Kyle Andrei Lastimosa, a senior at STEAM Academy. “[The graphics] influence us and makes us think about why we should be here.”
Cooper said their contribution has helped bring the interior of the school to life, just like they had become accustomed to seeing on their original walls.
“The graphics gives it sort of that old STEAM feel—that everyone contributed,” said Olivia Brooks, a senior at the STEAM Academy.
One of the biggest highlights of the entire process for Cooper was getting to share the final results with the students who inspired them. The artwork features the names of each student who inspired the final graphic, as shown above.
Trinity Power’s drawing inspired the graphic that depicts the robotic hand and a human hand touching. When she saw the final graphic, she was ecstatic.
“I have never been speechless before.” said Powers, “When I first saw my work up and now seeing my name on these—I am in shock. I love these so much and I want to thank you for using my ideas!”
