The School of Arts and Humanities will host an open house on March 2 for area high school students to tour each department and participate in activities.

Dr. Yasuko Taoka, arts and humanities dean, said that the school’s departments, Communication Arts, Music, Language and Literature and Art and Design, have the studios and the experiences to show students what they can find at Wayne State.

“People can perform with an ensemble, like they can practice with the choir or they can sit in on a creative writing workshop and they can speak Spanish with the Spanish club,” Taoka said. “And because this school is so much about experiences and facilities, we wanted to kind of highlight that and give perspectives and opportunity to experience that.”

Students will start out in the Fine Arts Building lobby to check in and then be escorted to their area of interest to participate in workshops, sit in on classes, and explore what attending WSC would be like.

“Students can visit with communication faculty about their specific area of interest to learn how they can reach their career goals,” said Dr. Randa Garden, communication arts interim chair and professor of communication.

“They can learn about all the various programs of study such as communication studies, organizational leadership and public relations, mass communication, journalism, electronic media, theatre arts, promotion and media, digital film, agricultural communication and leadership and pre-accelerated nursing- communication studies track.”

One highlight of the day in the art department will feature wax casting and different art techniques. The students can also feature their own art in the Nordstrand Art Gallery.

“Students will be participating in one of several hands-on workshops: Acrylic Painting Techniques, Glass Fusing, Gesture Drawing, Mixed Media Narratives and Finger Molds,” said Dr. Carolyn Albracht, assistant professor of art education. “They will also tour a portion of the campus art collection with one of the art education majors as their tour guide. They will have a chance to meet and talk to four WSC art and design majors to ask questions and learn more about the college experience from a student perspective. And, they will be able to bring artwork to display in a one-day pop-up show in the Nordstrand Gallery, with an opportunity to have their work selected for one of several awards: best of show, first runner-up and several honorable mentions.”

The students will experience WSC and have the opportunity to speak with their future professors one-on-one to ask questions and learn more about each program.

“Anytime we can welcome people to campus and show them a little about the Wildcat world, I think it’s good for everyone involved,” Albracht said.