Art and Design | Arts and Sciences | Community | Foundation | GivingDecember 01, 2025

Windgate Expansion Opens new Front Doors

Written By: Rachel Putman

The University of Arkansas – Fort Smith’s Windgate Art & Design Building expansion project reached a visible milestone this fall, with the exterior structure of the main addition now complete and a new public entrance opened Nov. 28.

The expansion, which began in late 2024, adds nearly 19,000 square feet of new and renovated space to the university’s visual arts hub. Highlights will include a book arts facility, art collection study and art handling spaces, a woodshop, ceramics studio, digital fabrication studios, faculty studios, an outdoor terrace and classroom, and a public café. The project is designed to enhance the university’s creative footprint while inviting the wider River Valley community into a more active role with campus visual arts programming.

“This new entrance and signage space signals our commitment to build supportive and welcoming creative community centered in the Windgate Art & Design Building,” said Katie Waugh, Art & Design Department Head. "It’s fitting that the first completed stages of this project are a new entrance and enhanced facilities for public exhibitions; we are visually announcing our invitation to join us in learning, looking, and making." 

The November completion of the entrance and soon-to-be-installed signage offers a fresh welcome point for students and visitors alike. The entry provides an accessible, visually striking gateway into the building. While interior construction on the west wing continues, the structural completion allows passersby to witness the scale and ambition of the project.

On the east side, expanded exhibition space will feature selections from the Gallery’s permanent collection, with facilities designed to increase capacity and deepen engagement with the university’s growing art collection.

A new Art Collection Study Room will allow UAFS students and visitors to safely view and closely study objects from the collection. The facility will also support hands-on training in art handling, framing, and preparator work. Additional storage will accommodate the continued growth of the university’s collection, strengthening the UAFS Gallery of Art & Design's position as a stand-alone art gallery.

Though the temporary exhibition gallery is currently closed to accommodate renovations, major works from the permanent collection remain on view throughout the public spaces on the first floor of the Windgate Building. 

The gallery will reopen in Spring 2026 with a solo exhibition by artist Katina Bitsicas.

Upcoming Developments

With structural work complete, Clark Contractors will now focus on interior finishes and prepare for phased openings throughout the coming year.

The centerpiece of the expansion is the upcoming Book Arts Center, a purpose-built space dedicated to letterpress printing, papermaking, and bookbinding. These tactile disciplines will help establish UAFS’s national leadership in the field and reflect a broader educational philosophy that values both process and craft.

Alongside the Book Arts Center, a new café and expansive outdoor terrace will offer gathering spaces for students, faculty, and the public—further strengthening ties between the university and the Fort Smith community.

New studios and classrooms will provide state-of-the-art resources for students in graphic design, studio art, and exhibitions, while also supporting faculty and visiting artists.

The Windgate expansion is expected to be fully completed by summer 2026, with a grand opening planned for the fall.