Seated, from left to right are: Kevin Silvers (Oldfort, TN), Jarret Wilhoit (Apison, TN), Garrett Jewsome (Topeka, Kansas), Robert Byerley (East Brainerd, TN), Garrett Potter (Harrison, TN). Standing, from left to right are: Robert Wallace (Kansas City, Missouri), Brandon Green (Hixson, TN), Jeff Parker (Ooletewah, TN), Liza Blair (Arts Manager, Creative Discovery Museum), Shannon Johnson (Director of Exhibit Development and Evaluation, Creative Discovery Museum), Bethany Griffith (Bryant, Alabama), Carl Gren (Hollywood, Florida), Dan Wood (Design/Drafting Faculty Lead, Chattanooga State). Not pictured: Edward Thomas (New York, NY), Ronny Dorsey (Atlanta, GA)
Students enrolled in the Design Capstone course through the Chattanooga State Design/Drafting Engineering Technology program are participating in two design projects at the Creative Discovery Museum in downtown Chattanooga.
One of the projects is a re-design of the outdoor plaza adjacent to the front entrance to the museum. The intent of the re-design is to make the plaza space more interactive, engaging and functional.
The project could potentially involve structures to provide shading for the area, “green design” exhibits and outdoor, interactive exhibits.
The second project is a repurposing of the existing Back Alley Theater that currently has a children’s stage with lighting and soundboard, a ballet bar and a puppet theater. The new design will keep the performance stage intact, but introduce a puppet making area and a newly designed and relocated puppet theater. The student projects may also introduce additional architectural elements into the space to enhance the experience of the children and families and provide a more three-dimensional feel to the theater space. Another purpose of the new design is to introduce children to various types of puppetry - including marionettes, hand puppets and shadow puppets.
Students in the course recently met with Shannon Johnson and Liza Blair, both with Creative Discovery Museum, to hear them share the vision and mission of the Museum as well as the vision and design intent for the two projects. “We are delighted to have been asked to participate in the student project for the Design Capstone course at Chattanooga State, and we look forward to seeing the student’s ideas and designs,” stated Shannon Johnson, Director of Exhibit Development and Evaluation.
The Design Capstone course is intended to provide a culmination of the skills acquired in the Design/Drafting program. The projects selected for the course are intended to represent real world experiences with real clients, real buildings and realistic solutions within a project team environment. In the past, the course has included a redesign of the library at the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences, redesign of Abba’s House children’s area, and a gazebo for a local public park.
Design /Drafting program provides a firm foundation in computer-aided drafting (CAD) and design emphasizing solid modeling and simulation, manufacturing processes, blueprint reading and analysis, and project management. The program equips graduates to pursue a multitude of career options like engineering design, industrial design, design and simulation specialization, or CAD system administration.
For more information about the Design/Drafting Engineering Technology program at Chattanooga State, email Dan Wood at dan.wood@chattanoogastate.edu or call 423.697.4486. If you would like more information about Creative Discovery Museum, call 423.756.2738.