Facilities

Facilities for the study of art include well-lighted studios, individual workspaces and excellent equipment to support all media in the curriculum, as well as individual experimentation. Facilities span both new and traditional approaches to studio art, including a woodshop, foundry, ceramic studio, painting and drawing studio, darkroom and digital photography processes and printers, video and computer-generated imaging labs, digital fabrication tools, virtual and augmented reality, and physical computing. Art students work as broadly and as experimentally as they wish within an environment of open artistic exchange, surrounded by artists in dance, music, theatre, film and communications.

The SMU Reality Lab is a VR/AR and physical computing lab for students and faculty to explore, experiment, and create new media art works. The lab maintains innovative technology made possible by SMU’s Faculty Development Grants and Center for Teaching Excellence, including but not limited to: HTC Vive running on Alienware Aurora, Structure Sensor and Bridge Headset, Merge VR/AR headsets, digital fabrication tools, soldering irons, microcontrollers, sensors and other physical computing components.

Woodshop

The Division of Art has a comprehensive woodshop (B610) for students and faculty to use, outfitted with a table saw, miter saw, band saw, planer, drill press, belt/disk sanders and many handheld power tools. The facilities also have a 4’x8’ CNC for carving shapes and 3d reliefs from a variety of materials including wood, plastics, foam and metals.

Metal Shop

The metal shop (B611) has 2 MIG welders, 1 TIG welder, an oxyacetylene welding/cutting torch, plasma cutter, chop saw and cold saw. There are 2 sandblasters, metal bending rollers, a 4’ pneumatic metal shear, a large metal grinding wheel and a drill press, as well as many hand tools for preparing and finishing metal.

The foundry (B613) is comprised of a burnout furnace, a preheating furnace and a main furnace for melting metal. There is also a wax room (B651) for creating the initial model and plaster room (B670) for creating the ceramic mold used to pour into. We have the capability of working in both bronze and aluminum. in addition to pours in courses, the Division of Art performs pours outside of classes in which students are invited to participate.

Ceramics Studio

The Division of Art ceramics facilities are available to Art majors, minors and other students enrolled in ceramics courses. They are located on the lower level of Owen Arts Center and include a fabrication studio (OAC B640), a glaze room (OAC B660), and a kiln room (OAC B615), plus shared use with sculpture classes of a kiln yard (B613), decal printing and 3D printing studio (B620), and plaster room (B670) for earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain production. Large equipment for students includes: a Soldner clay mixer (200lb), Peter Pugger (40lb), Brent SR20 slab roller, Bailey slab roller, 3 Brent model El kick wheels, Amaco kick wheel, 11 Brent model B or C electric wheels, 2 Soldner P200 electric wheels, Laguna Pro-X Spray Booth, Enduring Images digital laser printer, 2 Geil downdraft kilns (DLB-40S & DLB-27S), 2 electric test kilns (AIM and Olympic), 4 L&L computerized electric kilns, and a Paragon Dragon24 computerized electric kiln, plus a host of smaller equipment & tools.

Printmaking Studio

Intaglio etching, drypoint, woodcut, monotype, silkscreen and numerous hybrid combinations are supported. Digital printmaking is also available in separate studios. Invention is encouraged.

Photo Lab/New Media Lab

The Division of Art photography and new media facilities are located on the second floor of Owen Arts Center and include a Digital Lab (OAC 2732), Output Lab (OAC 2633), and Chemical Darkroom (OAC 2635). In our digital lab, students have access by subscription to Mac computers fitted  with photography, video, and new media software including the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite (Lightroom, Photoshop, Illustrator, Audition, Premiere, After Effects, Character Animator), Unity, Processing, and Arduino. Additionally, students have access to two large-format printers, an Epson SureColor P20000 (64”) and Epson SureColor P10000 (44”), as well as an Epson SureColor P600 (13”) and a flatbed scanner. Our chemical darkroom facilities include a B&W darkroom outfitted with 10 enlargers for creating prints from 35mm, 120, or 4x5 film negatives and an alternative processes room. Lighting equipment, including a copy stand, strobe and continuous light systems, and paper backdrops are available for diverse applications and student projects. There is a new media satellite space within the Center of Creative Computation Suite on the third floor. In this space students have access to a SLA 3D printer, physical computing hardware and accessories, and virtual reality.

Exhibition facilities comprise a variety of spaces for the installation of artwork, including the following:

Painting and Drawing Studios

Equipped with adjustable lighting system, tabourets, easels, drawing horses, and model stands, the painting and drawing studios offer windows with northern light. The ventilation system allows various mediums to be used for experimentation including solvents. 2 Skeletons, Jack and Simon are here to welcome you all.

Pollock Gallery

The Pollock Gallery is a logical extension of the studio classroom, and as such, it provides a place for the thoughtful and scholarly presentation and consideration of present and past artists and art forms. The Pollock Gallery provides students, faculty, staff and the surrounding community with opportunities to experience a wide and thought-provoking array of exhibitions representing diverse artists, time periods and cultures, as well as the B.A./B.F.A. and M.F.A. qualifying exhibitions.

Doolin Gallery

Additionally, the C.E. and Mary Kathryn Doolin Gallery provides space for the exhibition of student work. Faculty and students can reserve the Doolin Gallery for presentations, reviews and events. Learn more about the Doolin Gallery.

William B. Jordan Gallery

New student gallery for critique sessions, temporary exhibitions and gallery talks to be named in honor of Bill Jordan, founding director of Meadows Museum and former chair of Division of Fine Arts.

Owen Arts Center

Other public art and performance spaces within the Owen Arts Center include Caruth Auditorium, the Bob Hope Theatre, Greer Garson Theatre, Margo Jones Theatre, O’Donnell Lecture-Recital Hall, Sharp Studio, Gene and Jerry Jones Grand Atrium, Taubman Atrium, and the Meadows Foundation Gallery. Students participate in lectures, film screenings, set construction and music lessons and take advantage of opportunities to form relationships and collaborations across many art forms. Learn more about the Owen Arts Center.

Hamon Arts Library

The Meadows School and SMU Libraries offer excellent library and technological resources, including the Hamon Arts Library.

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