Access to Resources
The equipment, labs and studio spaces described in this site are available to full-time students in the UMBC Department of Visual Arts who have met the academic qualifications specified by the various facilities administrators. Students may be required to gain additional authorization before being permitted to access individual pieces of equipment, labs and studio spaces.
Production Center
The Production Center (vapc.umbc.edu) provides production and post-production equipment, supplies, maintenance and support for currently enrolled Visual Arts students, graduate students, faculty and staff. The student staff members track over 1200 checkout items, serve approximately 600 people, and perform over 2000 checkouts per year. The center provides 24-hour access to post-production facilities, studios and labs. This facility is an integral part of the Department of Visual Arts and the Intermedia and Digital Arts graduate program. As developing artists expressing their personal vision and ideas, students are encouraged to explore the mediums of time-based digital media.
Photography
The photography facilities contain 20 B&W enlarging stations in a large group darkrooms with traditional tray processing vented at tray level. Two individual darkrooms one equipped with a Jobo tube processor for processing large format negatives and color film. The other is for wet collodion and toning of silver gelatin prints. Plus a large group darkroom for alternative photographic processes. The photography studio is fully equipped with LED, tungsten and strobe lighting units and features an overhead rail support grid and motorized background lifts. Photography has equipment available for checkout: over 30 cameras in all formats, digital and traditional, medium format-twin lens and SLR’s plus 4×5″ monorails with a variety of lenses. Portable tungsten and strobe lighting kits, meters and tripods are also available. Photography’s digital facilities use Macintosh computers with flatbed scanners capable of scanning 35mm to 8×10 inch film sizes.
Art Print
The Art Printing Center https://artprint.umbc.edu handles output. Students have access to printers that handle 13″, 17″ and 44″ media or they can output to our 8K-film recorder in 35mm or 4×5 inch sizesThese labs are open to anyone who is a full time student in the UMBC Department of Visual Arts and is registered with the Mac Lab administrator.
Print Media
The visual arts print media studios (FA 207, 208, 216, 218) are comprised of facilities for traditional and related photo/digital processes of intaglio, lithography, screen-printing, relief printing and book arts. The photo and digital equipment are used specifically for generating images onto film to be exposed to plates or screen. This is transferred to various materials for mixed-media print, book arts, and/or installation. The studios are open to all students who are currently enrolled in print media courses and/or after a review showing evidence of technical ability.
Open Studio (FA 113)
This workspace for students has counter-top tables and stools, cutters and cutting mats, a scanner, walls lined with homosote and flat files for temporary storage of artwork. The room is open to all Visual Arts majors.
Student Study Area (FA 107C)
This bright and cozy space is open to all Visual Arts majors to study, meet with friends or simply hang out between classes.
Instructor Work Area (FA 110)
This room is reserved for those who are teaching in the Visual Arts Department. There is space for meetings, photocopying and a place to take a break between classes.
Hallway Galleries
First, second and third floors of the FA building have revolving displays of student artwork.