By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Union City High School Art Club students recently learned they don’t have to leave the area to showcase their talents.
Members of Hilary Webb’s group got an up-close and personal look at local opportunities to apply their creativity during a field trip that included stops at several rural West Tennessee businesses and schools.
UCHS students visited Twin Oaks Technology, Lanzer’s Office Supply, Riley’s Graphics, and Tiny Baker – all Union City businesses. They began the day-long trip with a trip to the computer-aided Design program at TCAT in Newbern before concluding their excursion with a visit to UT Martin’s Mass Media and Digital Design Department, the Fashion Merchandising program and the Fine Arts Department to learn of their degree programs.
“I wanted to stay local this year and visit programs and businesses that showcase creative careers that use art/design as a large part of their business,” Webb said. “It was a neat trip, and many of our students claimed that they didn’t know many of the businesses and programs they saw even existed in our small community and surrounding towns.
“The students had many eye-opening moments related to real-world careers that utilize design, problem-solving, and creativity. I wanted them to know that they could have a successful future right here at home and still be creative. Careers in art and design are on the rise and are not going anywhere due to our increasingly visual world.”
At Twin Oaks Technology, the group met with the marketing and design team. They learned about large-scale printing and the sign business at Lanzer’s and watched a screen-printing demonstration at Riley’s. They made a stop at the Capitol Theatre, where they were schooled in set building, lighting, and sound design, and also tried their hand at pastry decorating at Tiny Baker.
“Being a famous painter isn’t the only art job out there. There are hundreds of options that incorporate creativity,” Webb added. “In the 19 years I’ve been teaching at UCHS, we have had former students move on to work in many fields, such as graphic design, advertising/marketing, animation, and book illustration.
“We’ve also had students land jobs in mural art, art education, photography, interior design, and floral design, as well as cosmetology, metal arts, jewelry design, and woodworking.”