KCAD hosting Fall Open House for aspiring designers and artists to learn about programs, creative career paths

More than 200 high school students and guests are expected to attend Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design Fall Open House on Saturday, Nov. 2 to explore their creative future. 

Prospective students and supporters are invited to visit the downtown Grand Rapids campus and learn how KCAD’s immersive degree programs, expert faculty, resource-rich facilities, and supportive creative community can help translate their passion for art and design into a marketable skill set and dynamic professional opportunities.

KCAD Associate Professor, Life Sciences and Pre-Medical Illustration Program Chair, and Foundations Program Co-Chair Kevin Brennan gives creative feedback on a prospective student's portfolio. 

The Fall Open House event will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. on KCAD’s campus, 17 Fountain Street NW. High school students, college transfer students, families, teachers, and guidance counselors are all welcome to attend. 

“KCAD empowers designers and artists to harness their creative abilities and build meaningful careers,” KCAD President Tara McCrackin said. “We are excited to welcome prospective students to experience this transformative environment firsthand and discover all that our programs have to offer."

Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with KCAD faculty in programs of interest, learn more about professional career paths in art and design, get feedback on their work with a supportive portfolio review, and explore all the campus tools, tech, and resources available to KCAD students. 

The event schedule includes information sessions about the admissions process, financial aid and scholarship opportunities, and a panel discussion with current students about life as a KCAD student.

KCAD Studio Arts Professor Danielle Wyckoff leads a screenprinting activity for prospective students and guests. 

Attendees are also encouraged to participate in a wide range of interactive program workshops, demonstrations, and presentations happening throughout the day, including:

• Collaborative Design: The Inclusive Exchange
• Digital Art and Design: Digital Drawing Demons and Make Your Own Movie Trailer
• Fashion Studies: Fashion Lab Tour and Clothing Repair Demo
• Foundations First Year Experience: Student Work and Creative Process Showcase 
• Graphic Design: Faculty and Student Led Program Tour
• Illustration: Meet-and-Greet, Creative Volunteer Activity, and Digital Painting Demos
• Interior Design: Meet-and-Greet and Color Palette 
• KCAD FLEXlab: Explore Digital Fabrication 
• Life Sciences and Pre-Medical Illustration: At the Intersection of Art and Science
• Master of Architecture: Form Finding Charrette and Model Making
• Photography: Facilities Tour
• Product Design | Metals and Jewelry: Studio Tour and Demos
• Studio Arts | Painting: Painting Demos
• Studio Arts | Printmaking: Studio Tour
• Studio Arts | Sculpture: Ceramic Studio Tour and Demos

Attendees also can experience the current on-campus exhibitions, Fragments to Form, featuring two KCAD alumni’s innovative work with recycled materials, and Coming Home, an ArtPrize 2024 exhibition featuring work in various mediums from thirteen artists. 

KCAD’s Fall 2024 Open House is free to attend.