AIA Arkansas President Chris East to teach in Annual Architecture and Design Summer Camp

By the Arkansas Delta Informer Staff

March 21, 2026 – The American Institute of Architects (AIA), Arkansas Chapter President, Chris East, will teach architecture during the Alex Foundation’s annual architecture and design summer at the Hollywood/Valley Plantation in Tillar. 

East, a graduate of the University of Arkansas Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, is a practicing architect at Cromwell Architects Engineers in Little Rock.  He maintains active credentials with AIA, NCARB, and ALEP.  East will be joined by Architect Randy Palculict of Jackson Brown Palculict Architects of Little Rock.

The architecture and design summer camp is a five-day/ two-week commuter program for rising 7^th and 8^th grade students held at the University of Arkansas Monticello’s historic property, Taylor House and Hollywood/Valley Plantation in Tillar. 

This annual summer camp will convene July 20-24 and July 27-31, 9 am to 4 pm daily in partnership with Alex Foundation, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Arkansas Chapter, and University of Arkansas Monticello (UAM) Archeology Research Station.

Funded in part by a grant from the Arkansas Department of Education, each day of summer camp, students will learn different skills and strategies led by licensed and accredited professionals in architecture, archeology, drone aviation, engineering, design and fabrication.

During the summer camp, students will learn about architecture, including what professionals do, the art and science of the built environment, how drawings become buildings or structures, the different parts that make up a building, and how architecture plays an important role in history and culture. They will also study flight, aerodynamics, airspace awareness, and safe drone operations, as well as the use of drones in architecture.

Among other things, students will explore engineering through a field trip to learn about civil, mechanical, structural, and electrical engineering and to develop design thinking skills. They will also learn about archaeology and how to effectively examine, interpret, and analyze physical and cultural patterns and their interactions, such as land and building uses. Additionally, they will design interior and exterior spaces to complement different uses.

The deadline to register for summer camp is June 5, 2026, online at www.alex-foundation.org.

Established in 2010, Alex Foundation introduces students to architecture through a multidisciplinary approach to learning including place-based, experiential, and project-based.