Page 1
‘PARC’ing study
College of Creative Arts to join Plymouth arts complex
While Art In The Park has been cel-
ebrating the arts and artists for more
than three decades in Plymouth, this
year marks the beginning of a new era
of artistic identity for the community.
The College for Creative Studies
will be offering a number of classes in
various arts in three classrooms at the
Plymouth Arts and Recreation
Complex (PARC) in downtown
Plymouth beginning in September.
Work is already under way on the
classrooms, whichwill act as a satellite
of the renowned downtown Detroit
arts education center.
“We are really, really pleased,” said
Don Soenen, president of PARC. “This
is the first remote location for the
College for Creative Studies and it
speaks so well for the entire communi-
ty.”
The effort, he noted, was a whole
series of circumstances that seemed to
meshat the same time.
A volunteer at PARC led to conver-
sations with Jane Stewart, director of
pre-college and continuing studies at
the College for Creative Studies. The
college had for some time been consid-
ering the feasibility of a location for
dual enrollment but had not been able
to find a truly desirable location or
secure the necessary funding. The con-
versations with Soenen detailing facili-
ties offered at the PARC, an ideal
match for the college, promptednegoti-
ations to begin in earnest.
“The talks went on for more than
two years,” Soenen said.
The result is the plan to offer 13
courses in Plymouth this fall, including
vehicle design, web and graphic design
and computer animation. While these
first classes will not garner college
credits, next semester, students in their
junior and senior years in area high
schools will be able to take the classes
for college credits, Soenen said.
Stewart noted that this is really the
fruition of a long-time goal of the col-
lege.
“CCS has always wanted to offer
Dual Enrollment classes in the
Plymouth area. Dual enrollment
allows students to take college classes
and earn college level while they are
still inhigh school.
“The
Margaret
Dunning
Foundation generously offered finan-
cial support to with the goal of helping
high school students from Western
Wayne County learn more about
careers in the automotive industry.
“With the Dunning Foundation sup-
port, CCS has set up three classrooms
at PARC (Plymouth Arts and
Recreation Complex) that will offer
classes starting in October,” she said.
The Margaret Dunning Foundation
grant has been awarded to the effort
for two years at an undisclosed
See
PARC
, on page 2
