The Studio Foundation Cage and Visual Language/TIME classrooms and the Form Study lab will be closed for the summer starting Tuesday, May 14 at 5:30 p.m.

The last day you can check out equipment from the Studio Foundation Cage is Monday, May 13. All equipment checked out from the cage MUST be returned no later than Tuesday, May 14 at 5:30 p.m. when the cage will close for the Summer. Any equipment not returned by this deadline will be considered lost and you will be charged for its replacement.

Summer access to the Studio Foundation support resources is by appointment only. To make an appointment, or to ask a questions related to Summer operations, please call David Tamés, Media Arts Studio Manager, at 617.879.7298. Support and equipment checkouts for Summer classes will be coordinated with faculty on a per-class basis.

We hope you have a wonderful Summer!

Sincerely,

Kyle, David, and the Cage Monitors

Photo credit: Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial 2012 by Shin K

Studio Foundation

Equipment checked out from the Cage on Friday, April 12th will not have to be returned until Tuesday, April 16th at 10:00 a.m. You may ask for a small time extension, however, all gear checked out over the weekend will have to be returned no later that 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

You are encouraged to make a reservation by visiting the SF Cage or calling the SF Cage Hotline at 617.879.7021 in order to assure the gear you need for your TIME or Visual Language assignment is available for use during the long weekend.

If you need access to computer workstations over the weekend, the 3rd floor Tower Computer Arts computer labs will be open, contact them at 617.879.7300 for details. Tech Central will be also be closed on Monday.

Photo credit: Patriot’s Day, Old State House by Peter H. Dreyer;  Peter H. Dreyer slide collection, Collection #9800.007, City of Boston Archives, Boston.

Studio Foundation Visual Language/TIME Labs, Cage, Printing Lounge, and Form Study Lab will be closed over Spring Break beginning at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, March 8th and will not reopen until Monday, March 18th at 8:00 a.m.

Equipment checked out from the Cage on Friday, March 8th will not have to be returned until Monday, March 18th at 10:00 a.m. You may ask for a small time extension, however, all gear checked out over Spring Break must be returned on Monday following the break.

You are encouraged to make a reservation by visiting the SF Cage or calling the SF Cage Hotline at 617.879.7021 in order to assure the gear you need to check out from the cage is available for use during Spring Break.

If you need access to computer workstations during Spring Break, the 3rd floor Tower Computer Arts computer labs will be open limited hours over the break (contact them at 617.879.7300 for details). The Computer Arts Center third floor Tower labs will be closed Saturday and Sunday March 9 and 10. The labs will be open Monday, March 11th through Saturday, March 16th 9am to 5pm (with limited support). Regular hours will resume on Sunday, March 17th, 9am – 10pm.  Tech Central will be open during the break 9am-5pm Monday through Friday.

If you have an urgent technical support issue that can’t wait until Monday, March 18, call David Tames, Media Arts Studio Manager. He will be in the office on Monday, March 11 and available by appointment. To make an appointment call 617.879.7298. Additional technical support hours with a student consultant may be scheduled for Tuesday or Wednesday during the break if an appointment is made in advance by calling David Tamés.

Photo credit: “Tierra prometida” by Studio for Interrelated Media (S.I.M.), Alternative Spring Break, March 23, 2009

The SF Cage and printing area will be open until 10:00 p.m. on Monday, December 10th and until 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, December 11th. If you need access to the SF Cage during the final days of the semester, or in January before the start of classes, call David Tames, Media Arts Studio Manager, at 617.879.7298 to make an appointment.

Visit the Tower Lab Fall 2012 Hours of Operation page for their hours of operation during review week if you need access to a computer, scanner, or printer after the SF Cage closes.

We wish you a happy, restful, and safe winter holiday.

The SF Cage and printing area will reopens at 8:00 a.m. on January 23, 2013, the first day of classes for the Spring 2013 semester.

Photo credit: reflections (A) by Camil Tulcan (Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 License)

The course is open to all Colleges of the Fenway, ProArts, undergraduate, graduate and continuing education students.

For more information or to apply for the course, click here!

For more information: click here.

This information is available as a two page document (Download PDF).

Studio Foundation web site

We maintain a web site (which you are now reading) providing news and information related to the department. Resources include lab hours, cage policy, handouts, manuals, safety gu idelines, and more. Make sure to check this site for regular news and updates.

Studio Managers

There are two Studio Managers supporting the department: Kyle Brock is responsible for Form Study, Drawing, and the Form Study Lab, you may reach him at 617.879.7530 (office) or via email to kyle.brock@massart.edu; David Tames is responsible for the Cage, Visual Language, TIME, and the Visual Language Labs, you may reach him at 617.879.7298 (office), 617.216.1096 (mobile) or via email to david.tames@massart.edu.

The Cage

You may check out a variety of equipment from South 306, a.k.a. The Cage. Inventory includes digital cameras, video camcorders, tripods, lighting kits, audio recorders, DVDs, books, two sewing machines, tool boxes, rulers, drawing boards, slide projector, overhead projector, etc.

Please read carefully the cage checkout policy. When you borrow equipment from the Cage you implicitly agree to abide by these policies. Standard check-outs are due back the next day at 10:00 a.m. Exceptions to the rule are described in the policy. To check things out from The Cage, you must be registered in a Studio Foundation course. This is determined by our online checkout system. If your name does not appear in the system, it may take up to 24 hours to update our records. So don’t leave it to the last minute to borrow gear for the first time!

Cage monitors

The folks who work in the cage handle equipment check-in and check-out and are also available to answer basic questions about the use of the Visual Language labs, working with Photoshop, video editing with Premiere (during Spring semester), printing, and the gear available from the cage. For advanced questions, don’t hesitate to contact one of the Studio Managers or visit Digital Media Zone (described below).

Open lab hours

Open Visual Language lab hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday 6:45 to 10:00 p.m. and Wednesdays 8:15 to 10:00 p.m. in South 305 and/or 304. The latest schedule information is on the Studio Foundation web site at Resources > SF Cage > Lab Hours. Additional lab resources include the Computer Arts Center on the 3rd floor of Tower. More information on these labs can be found at inside.massart.edu and navigating to: Technology > Computer Labs and Campus Resources.

Printing stations and additional iMacs

In addition to open lab times, workstations for printing, scanning, or working with Photoshop are located in and around the Cage area. These workstations are available whenever the cage is open and printing takes priority over other uses. If you need to print to the Canon ink-jet printers, you’ll have to use one of the workstations in the Cage.

Digital Media Workshops

Embedded in the Visual Language and TIME courses are a series of Digital Media Workshops. These sessions cover digital media skills including digital photography, working with Photoshop, scanning, printing to both the color lasers and ink-jet photo printers, videography, and video editing with Adobe Premiere. The workshops offer you an opportunity to develop the digital media skills required to complete digital media assignments in Visual Language and TIME as well as your ongoing work. These workshops may be taught by your Visual Language or TIME teacher, or a technology instructor (this varies between class sections). Resources related to the Visual Language Digital Media Workshops can be found on the Visual Language resources page and those related to the TIME Digital Media Workshops can be found on the TIME resources page.

Digital Media Zone

Digital Media Zone are special open lab hours that start off with a structured demo during the first 45 minutes or so and are then followed with open lab time an instructor in the house who will answer your questions and show you basic digital media techniques. This semester Digital Media Zones will be held 6:45 to 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday evenings in South 305. This is the best time to come in and work on your assignments or catch up if you missed a Digital Media Workshop. If you are in the one TIME section this semester, additional support will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

• Thursday, 9/13: Basic workflow, camera
• Tuesday, 9/18: Basic workflow, camera
• Thursday 9/20: Photoshop, color laser printing
• Tuesday, 9/25: Photoshop, color laser printing
• Thursday 9/27: Photoshop compositing, scanning, photo quality printing with the Canon ink-jets
• Tuesday 10/2: Photoshop compositing, scanning, photo quality printing with the Canon ink-jets

For the complete schedule with the latest updates, please visit the Digital Media Zone page.

Technology requirements

Both the Visual Language and TIME classes have technology requirements. These will be discussed in more detail in each class, however, the essential requirements include:

1. Basic computer skills (Visual Language & TIME)

You are expected to have proficiency in basic computer skills before attending the Visual Language class. Using the digital cameras, working in Photoshop (Visual Language), printing, and editing with Premiere (TIME) will all be covered in class and/or Digital Media Zone.

2. USB flash drive (Visual Language & TIME)

You are required to purchase at least one 4GB or larger USB flash drive (and better yet two, because you’ll want to backup your work). You must bring the drive to class every day. Your digital media projects will be stored on your drive. Flash drives are available from the MassArt Bookstore and stores around campus (e.g. Walgreens in Brigham Circle and CVS in the Logwood Medical Area). Please be careful as drives are small and easy to lose! There is a lost and found fish bowl in the Cage for drives that have lost their owner.

3. Hard drive w/ FireWire 800 interface (TIME only)

While USB flash drives are handy for storing images and word processing documents, they do not offer the capacity and data transfer speed required for video editing. If you are taking TIME this semester, we recommend you obtain an external bus-powered hard drive with a FireWire 800 interface that’s formatted for use on a Macintosh (Mac OS Extended Journaled). More details are available on the TIME Technology Requirements page.

One-on-one sessions

If you need more help with digital media techniques, or would like an in-depth demonstration of a specific piece of gear, you may schedule a one-on-one session with David Tamés (visit the cage or call 617.879.7298 to make an appointment).

Lynda.com tutorials and other online resources

MassArt students have access to the entire collection of online software tutorials at Lynda.com. For information on access to these tutorials and other online resources, visit inside.massart.edu > Technology > Online Resources

Tech Central

Tech Central is a separate facility that provides general computing support and equipment check out with a separare inventory and a different set of policies. They are located in room 303 on the 3rd floor of Tower. To learn more, go to inside.massart.edu > Technology > Tech Central.

Discounts on Adobe Creative Suite

Student pricing is available on several Adobe Creative Suite bundles. For purchasing information go to inside.massart.edu > Technology > Purchasing Deals and then click under the Adobe Software heading.

David Tames, Media Arts Studio Manager
Fall, 2012

Do I have to purchase any course materials before the first day of class?

No, unless noted on the course description. The instructor typically hands out or announces a material list on the first day of class.

If I need to change my course schedule before the first semester begins, how should I go about it?

You should directly contact the Registrar’s Office 617-879-7272 or Academic Advising Office 617-879-7281 or 617-879-7282 for assistance, since faculty members and advisors are not always in campus before the semester begins.

Can I add or drop a course?

Yes. But when adding a course, you should first contact the instructor to make sure the class is not full. Also, showing up on the first day of class increases your chances of getting in. You may obtain an Add/Drop form from the Registrar’s office.

Do I have to attend the first day of class?

Yes. It is critical to attend all first day of classes; when many of the course materials, concepts and goals are introduced. Faculty may also drop your name from the class roster to make seat available to another student on the waiting list if you are not present.

If I have questions about academics who should I talk to?

You should contact your faculty advisor first. If you need additional advising you may contact the Studio Foundation Academic Advisor, Prof. Marc Holland (marc.holland@massart.edu)

How can I find out the name of my faculty advisor?

You will meet your faculty advisor during Orientation. Also, the names of all freshman and their advisors will be posted outside the Studio Foundation’s Main Office on the third floor of the South Building.

I am commuter student. Is there a designated space where I can do my work?

Yes, there is a studio space located in the Artists’ Residence Building (campus map). You must contact Kyle Brock, Studio Manager, at 617-879-7530 or email kyle.brock@massart.edu, to register for a space.

I am commuter student. Is there a place where I can securely leave my art materials and my work?

Yes, you can request a locker. Contact Kyle Brock, Studio Manager at 617-879-7530 or email kyle.brock@massart.edu to place your request.

Do I need to purchase my own computer now?

No. But you will need a flash drive with a minimum capacity of 4GB or an external drive to store your digital work. The Studio Foundation Department and the College provide access to computers during Visual Language class and open lab hours both in Studio Foundation and in the Computer Arts Center in order for you to complete your work. The Godine Library has computers for researching and writing papers.

I need extra help using the Macintosh (or Photoshop, or Adobe Premiere), where can I get some additional help?

First thing you should do is speak with your instructor. Another option is Digital Media Zone (special open lab hours with an expert consultant on duty). One on one sessions can be scheduled (in advance) with David Tamés, Media Arts Studio Manager at 617-879-7298 or email david.tames@massart.edu. In addition, the Computer Arts Center runs a variety of workshops throughout the semester.

Note: These are quick answers, for specific questions contact your instructor or faculty adviser and for general information use the search box on the right or take a look through the various sections of this web site along the top menu section.

Abul Hamid Ali
Marco Cross
Zachary Chomyszak
Olivia Cody
Emily Klobucher
Samuel Konty
Alexa Mattes
Stephanie Motyka
Anna Pausch
Sara Parvaresh
Annalisa D. Quagliata
Anna Stabler
Keith Zorn

Garden Lab would like to invite you to an evening of conversation on the convergence between art, design, science and nature. This conversation will explore how these intersections play a critical role in both pedagogical methods and transdisciplinary art and design practices.

Please join Garden Lab’s artists-in residence: Andi Sutton, Caitlin Berrigan and Zenovia Toloudi with Jane Marsching, as a respondent on Thursday, April 26^th; reception to follow with participating artists and contributors.

About: Garden Lab is an experimental project for the spring semester 2012. The objective for this interdisciplinary project is to create a garden space and platform for the college and the community-at-large to engage in a conversation about art and design, food, community, and the environment and to facilitate a collaborative learning milieu for research and creativity through workshops, visiting artist projects, events and lectures. The project examines these topics and concerns in experimental and investigative ways, while proposing creative and sustainable solutions and possibilities.

Participating artists and contributors: Zoe Culberston, Laura Ziman, David Tames and Audrey Kali, Ben Silva. Reversible project: Rachel Braun, Amy Concannon, Juliet Demasi, Yurikou Diza, Minsung Kim, Tara Kovalik, Stephanie McFadden, Katerina Michelakis, Noelle Nanto, Samuel Peckham, Denia Silva, Jaimie Varasconi, William Weygint and Edward Monovich. Nature Now project: Amelia G Perkins, Anthony Fusco, Austin Carrier, Bradford C Paiva, Christopher Cruz, Danielle R Williams, Eleanor R Norton, Emelie Bergh, Eric Magnussen, Hanna Brown, Iris Laurent, Krystal Perez, Michael David, Michael Gower, Nanette Pengelley, Oyumaa Chuluunkhuu, Sarah Puente, Stephanie Bogle, Christina Cokozsvary and Jane Marsching. Invasive, Endangered, Extinct project: Carly Ann Blais, Demetri Ehren Flaherty, Hailey Hall Thurrott, John Valeriani, Krista M Perry, Manning Liu, Nicole L Oppedisano, Nikkie V Corzo, Paige Marielle Lednar, Paulina Rodriguez, Rachel Cass Oswald, Rachel Sadie Saunders, Riana Page Rodgers, Schuyler Jean Erickson, Sebastian Francis-Burnell, Sophie Elizabeth London, Tucker Keegan Leary, and Wathit Scott Keosung and Evelyn Rydz. Foraging Olmsted with Artward Bound Group: Chane, Shyimel, Cora, Kassandra, Rachard, Paola, Cyndie, Mureille, Jameel, Yffka, Ja’Hari, Elijah, Angellize, Ryan, Ciara, Andy, Isaiah, Antoine, led by Carolyn Lewenberg in collaboration with Jonathan Santos.

Many Thanks to: Paul Dobbs, Rachel Resnik, Yamilah Kenny, Christian Restrepo, Gamalia Pharms, Kyle Brock, David Tames, Jamieson Wicks, Cecilia Mendez, Howie Larosee, Edward Monovich, Andree Zaleska, Dyan Mcclimon-miller and Jane Marsching.

This project is supported in part by Sustainable MassArt: Art and Design at the Intersection of the Environment, Social Justice, and Health, the Studio Foundation Sustainability Committee, Artists in Context and Center for the Art and Community Partnerships. Garden Lab is organized by Evelyn Rydz and Jonathan Santos.

To view past workshop images click here 

Photos by DominicTschoepe

Thanks,

Amelia G Perkins, Anthony Fusco, Austin Carrier, Bradford C Paiva, Christopher Cruz, Danielle R Williams, Eleanor R Norton, Emelie Bergh, Eric Magnussen, Hanna Brown, Iris Laurent, Krystal Perez, Michael David, Michael Gower, Nanette Pengelley, Oyumaa Chuluunkhuu, Sarah Puente, Stephanie  Bogle, Christina Kolozsvary, & Jane D. Marsching

Project Clean and Green is a collaborative reimagining of the central courtyard of Massachusetts College of Art and Design by an interdisciplinary team of largely first year students in response to the concerns of toxins in our environment and of the needs of sustainability, community, and creativity on our campus.

Soil samples taken in the courtyard reveal lead levels far in excess of safe limits for humans.  We propose cleaning the soil through phytoremediation, or the use of plants as phytoaccumulators to draw lead out of the soil and up into their leaves.  Our tests in the Garden Lab at the Brant Gallery this semester used mustard greens, but we propose using sunflowers grown in defined spaces over the course of many seasons to take out the lead.

At the same time, we propose designing and installing mobile garden beds, which can be filled with seasonal food and flower plantings.  These raised beds on wheels can be moved out of the way for big events (like the iron pour, outdoor sculptures, etc.). Part of this plan involves engaging students in the redesign through competitions for the design of benches, butt cans and other elements.  A series of events will be held throughout the year that include music, art, and activism with the aim of gathering people together in a beautiful, restful, healthy, and fun space.

We invite responses to our proposal, which is hanging on the third floor of the South Building from April 17 – May 1.