Creative Institute Press Release
Arkansas business woman launches new creative institute
As founder and creative director of Silverlake Design Studio, Jessica Crum has found her niche serving nonprofits and small businesses with high-quality branding and marketing. While the work has been rewarding for Crum – as well as profitable for her clients – it hasn’t always been easy to hire local talent.
“I’ll be honest with you. We’re based in Conway, but we have to look outside of Conway and even outside of the state to recruit employees,” Crum explained “There’s an assumption that creative careers aren’t a thing here and you have to go to Nashville or Los Angeles if you want to pursue that avenue. Which means all these talented people are leaving Arkansas.”
Silverlake Design Studio is not the only business experiencing this labor shortage. As Crum began talking with other local business owners about their experiences hiring creative talent, she found the story was the same.“We find that practical experience of how this works in the real-world is what's most lacking,” said Drew Spurgers, CEO of Kanga Studio in Conway, Arkansas, “We'd love to see applicants come with some creative experience, able to dive in and work on projects quickly & efficiently.”
Seeing this need, Crum began brainstorming how to provide an alternate post-secondary path for young Arkansas creatives. After years of dreaming, researching, and planning, the Creative Institute of Central Arkansas is now officially a reality.
The gap-year program is designed for young adults ages 18-24 to explore potential creative careers. The program is based on an experiential framework in which students learn primarily through apprenticeships, portfolio work, and classroom teaching. Students will also gain on-the-job experience with professionals in the fields of photography, videography, graphic design, and writing/storytelling.
The inspiration to start the Creative Institute was not solely for the sake of business. Crum was also motivated by her own story of personal discovery. As a teenager growing up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, the results of her school aptitude test said she was perfectly suited to become an occupational therapist. “I just started pursuing that avenue because I didn’t know any better. I didn’t know that creative careers even existed. There’s a real lack of exposure when it comes to artistic career fields, especially in the small towns of Arkansas. The Institute is my solution to this problem.”
Crum is now working with a board of directors and newly-hired program director, Nick Stevens, to design the curriculum, build partnerships, appoint instructors and secure funding for scholarships and start-up costs. The student application process will begin in January 2021 for the inaugural 2021-22 class, who will start classes in August 2021 and graduate in August 2022.
The Creative Institute is currently seeking professional partners to offer students portfolio-building projects, host summer internship placements, serve as guest speakers on special topics, and receive links to student portfolios upon graduation. Potential students can request additional information at creativeinstitutear.org.