About the New Center
Community School of the Arts has launched a comprehensive campaign called Inspiring Excellence for the purpose of building the Center for the Creative Arts, an innovative new facility to house cutting-edge 21st century arts programs that will have a profound impact on students across career boundaries.
The Center for the Creative Arts will be home to two major programs:
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The high school, called the Institute for the Creative Arts, will open with students entering grades 9-11 in year one with grade 12 added in the fall of 2025. The school day will run from 8am-4pm with the day divided between academic and arts instruction.
As a public charter school, it is tuition-free and open to all students. The Institute will be housed in the new CSA Center for the Creative Arts facility located at 1101 Riverfront Drive. The new state-of-the-art Center, constructed by Community School of the Arts will house not only the Institute but also the CSA after-school programs.
The Mission of the Institute is Empowering students through an intensive arts and academic curriculum that prepares them for higher education, creative careers, and to become future leaders in the performing and visual arts industries.
The Institute will combine a rigorous college preparatory academic program with pre-professional training in the arts which will include music, theatre, dance, visual art, film, and culinary. The school will specialize in arts programs that are not typically offered in a traditional high school. ICA is designed to meet the need for in-depth arts training. Students will be immersed in one or more arts disciplines of their choice and spend several hours weekly training and honing their skills.
The core arts faculty will consist of professional musicians, actors, dancers, filmmakers, and artists who provide the critical link between ICA students and the professional arts world. Academic instructors are highly trained in their field and will actively engage in preparing students for college and beyond. Students will generally spend half of their school day in academic instruction and half of their day in their arts focus area.
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ICA will open with arts programs in contemporary music including jazz and pop styles, music composition & technology, musical theatre, technical theatre, dance, and studies in visual art including digital art, animation, and gaming. Students will have the opportunity to select their choice or choices of arts study.
Designed in a college-prep style, in Fall of 2024 there will be four major program areas for students to choose from:
School of Music
School of Dance
School of Dramatic Arts
School of Art & Design
Professional practicing artist-teachers will immerse students into 21st century cutting-edge arts programs that will prepare students for college and a professional career.
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Community Arts Connection
The Community Arts Connection programs offer children and youth to participate in a variety of art forms after school, evenings and weekends. These programs provide opportunities for young people to explore the various art forms and find their talents.
Named for Arkansas’ First Lady, Susan Hutchinson, these programs offer classes and lessons for up to 500 students daily.