Art

The Fine Arts Building

The Art Department is located west of Duquense Street, just north of Hearns Hall, in the Fine Arts Building attached to the west side of (but considered separate from) the Thomas E. Taylor Performing Arts Center. The building is equipped with special facilities for the MSSU MSSU Spiva Gallery, a SMART interactive whiteboard-equipped classroom for lectures, and studios for painting and drawing, printmaking, ceramics, woodworking, jewelry/metalsmithing, photography, and a foundry and fabrication annex for bronze casting and welding. Calendar of Events

MSSU Spiva Gallery

Located on the main floor of the Art Building immediately to the east of the main entrance, it has approximately 325 running feet of exhibition wall space.
Gallery Hours are usually Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Monday through Thursday in the summer) and there is no admission charge. Continue Reading about the MSSU Spiva Gallery

Studios

Ceramics

picture of two ceramic jugs
  • The ceramics studio feature 16 electric potter's wheels, work and wedging tables, adjustable shelving, three electric kilns (one computer controlled), 30" Bailey slab roller, extruder, fully stocked glaze material lab with scientific gram scales, casting slip mixer, glaze spray booth, two Bluebird clay mixers, a vertical pug mill, gas-fired Raku kiln, and a 35 cubic foot Baily downdraft gas-kiln.

Foundry/Fabrication Annex

  • Picture of someone working a foundryThis facility houses a recently refurbished MIFCO Speedy-Melt furnace and crucibles for casting bronze or aluminum, a casting pit and a sand muller. The room is also outfitted with an oxyacetylene torch/welding manifold system, metal cutting and grinding equipment, a sandblasting cabinet, and welding equipment including and a plasma cutting torch, one metal inert gas (MIG), one Miller tungsten inert gas (TIG), and four shielded metal arc (stick) welders.

Jewelry/Metalsmithing

Image of a piece of jewelry
  • This studio allows for a full range of techniques for working with precious metals by being equipped with sixteen workbench stations, a large combination wet cutting/polishing system, enamel kilns, vacuum systems for casting, polishers, and six torch stations.

 

Graphics Lab

Picture of a student working at a computer
  • The department’s Graphic Design computer lab is outfitted with an overhead digital projection system connected to the instructor's workstation. The lab features constantly updated, industry standard Apple Macintosh Pro workstations networked to an Apple Xserve Server and outfitted with current Adobe Creative Suite software platforms. Professional digital SLR cameras, scanners, and printers are also available to students. A secondary computer lab/student lounge with a conference table is available to all art majors to use.

Painting and Drawing

image of paints
  • A dedicated studio for painting and drawing features an expansive bank of windows which allows northern light to flood the room. The room is equipped with easels and taborets, portable directional lighting and stands for a variety of needs including life models.

Photography

  • A large digital photography studio with professional digital SLR cameras, Chain driven backdrops, two Speedotron light controller systems, a computer workstation for imaging, extra lights, and tripods allowing for a variety of ways to work with studio lighting.

Printmaking

  • Picture of a printmaking classPrintmaking houses a 30”x 60” Takach combo Etching/Litho press, a 36”x48” Sturgis Etching press, a 30”x60” Conrad Litho press, and a fully equipped screen printing facility (including darkroom, washout station, computer workstation for scanning/printing and vacuum exposure unit.) Students also have access to a fully ventilated acid etching area, individual work stations in intermediate and advanced classes, multiple large format light tables for reversals and film, over 30 screens of various sizes, and a full range of inks in various hues for a range of printmaking techniques.

Wood shop/Plaster studio

  • Picture of a wood shop classThis multi-media studio with heavy-duty work tables also allows for a variety of ways to work with wood. It houses professional-grade power band and scroll saws, Drill press, combination sander, jointer, 12" planer, 10" miter saw, 12" table saw as well as multiple hand tools and wood clamps. A wax melting pot for the lost-wax process is also located here.

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