Welcome to Studio Foundation! This post describes some of the resources available to you in the Studio Foundation department in support of your digital media assignments in Visual Language and TIME. Please read through this document carefully and if you have any questions, visit the Cage Monitor on duty in the Studio Foundation Cage (South 306). Have a great semester!
This information is also available as a two page document in PDF format: Download PDF
Official Studio Foundation Web Site
We maintain a web site at sf.massart.edu providing news and information related to the department. There you’ll find lab hours, cage policy, handouts, manuals, safety guidelines, and more.
Studio Managers
There are two Studio Managers supporting the department:
Reid MacPherson is responsible for Form Study, Drawing, the Plaster Room and the Form Study Lab. You may reach him at (617) 879-7381 (office) or email to: rmmacpherson@massart.edu
Gene Preble is responsible for the SF Cage, Visual Language, TIME, and the SF Computer Labs. You may reach him at (617) 879-7298 (office) or email to: elpreble@massart.edu.
The SF Cage
You may check out a variety of equipment from the SF Cage in room South 306. Inventory includes digital cameras, video camcorders, tripods, lighting kits, audio recorders, toolboxes, rulers, drawing boards, video projectors, overhead projectors, adapters, etc.
Please read carefully the cage policy on the SF web site. When you borrow equipment from the cage you implicitly agree to abide by the cage policy. Standard checkouts are due back the next day by 1:30 pm. Exceptions to the rule are described in the policy. Go to Resources > SF Cage on the web site and you’ll see a page with links to the Equipment Policy, Cage Schedule, FAQ, and more.
To check things out from The SF Cage, you must be registered in a Studio Foundation course and have submitted a signed Use Agreement on file in the SF Cage. 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. Don’t leave it to the last minute to borrow gear for the first time!
Cage Monitors
The Cage Monitors handle equipment check-ins and check-outs; they are also available to answer questions about the use of the Visual Language/TIME labs, working with Photoshop, audio and video editing with Premiere, 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
Lab hours are Monday through Thursday 8am – 10pm and Friday 8am – 7pm in South 306 (the SF Cage). The latest schedule information is on the Studio Foundation web site at Resources > SF Cage > Open 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 and Premiere are located in and around the SF Cage. These workstations are available whenever the SF Cage is open; printing takes priority over other uses during the fall semester. If you need to print to the large format Canon ink-jet printers, you’ll have to use one of the workstations inside the SF Cage, S306.
Tech Help Studio
Tech Help Studios are special open lab hours that are staffed with a digital media specialist—they can answer your questions and show you basic digital media techniques. This semester, Tech Help Studios will be held Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6:45pm to 9:45pm, in South 306. The schedule will be posted in the SF Cage. This is the best time to come in and work on your assignments or catch up if you missed your class’s Digital Media Workshop.
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 Gene Preble, the Media Arts Studio Manager, by visiting the SF Cage or calling (617) 879-7298 to make an appointment.
Technology Requirements
Both the Visual Language and TIME classes have technology requirements. These will be discussed further in each class, however, the essentials are:
1. Basic Computer Skills (Visual Language & TIME) You are expected to have proficiency in basic computer skills before attending the Visual Language class. Using digital cameras, working in Photoshop (Visual Language), printing, and editing with Premiere (TIME) will all be covered in class and/or the Digital Media Zone.
2. USB Flash Drive (Visual Language & TIME) You may be required to purchase at least one 16GB or larger USB flash drive, the larger the capacity, the better. You must bring the drive to class every day, as all projects must be stored on your own media. Flash drives are available from the MassArt Bookstore, as well as general stores around campus (e.g. Walgreens in Brigham Circle, CVS in the Longwood Medical Area). Please be careful, drives are small and easy to lose and damage! There is a lost and found in the SF Cage for drives that have been found in our labs.
3. Hard Drive (TIME only) USB flash drives, in most cases, do not offer the capacity and data transfer speed required for video editing. If you are taking TIME this semester, you may need to obtain an external bus powered hard drive or a larger USB flash drive with no less than 120 GB of space. If you are planning on entering a digital major you should invest in an external bus powered hard drive. USB 3 with a USB-C adapter or Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) connector interfaces are best but USB 2 with a USB-C adapter will work in our labs. 5400, 7200, and 10,000 RPM as well as SSD will all work. Your drive must be formatted for use on a Macintosh (i.e., HFS+). If you need help formatting a new drive please ask for assistance in the SF Cage. A drive with multiple interfaces is a good idea if you plan on doing a lot of video work, as you will have many ways to interface with various computers and connectors.
Please feel free to stop by the SF Cage with any questions you might have regarding Technology Requirements.
Cloud Storage
While you are a student at MassArt you will be provided with storage on the Google Drive as well as project storage in AdobeCC’s cloud documents. You will access these using your MassArt NetID when you login to either of those accounts.
Additional Resources
Tech Central
Tech Central, located on the 3rd floor of Tower, is a separate facility that provides general computing support and equipment check out with a different inventory and set of policies. This is the place to go for help with NetID or PaperCut problems. Go to www.massart.edu and navigate to: Menu > Student Life > Student Services > Technology > Tech Central for more information.
Educational Discounts
Student pricing is available on several hardware and software products. For purchasing information go to www.massart.edu and navigate to: Menu > Student Life > Student Services > Technology > Technology Resources > Purchasing Deals.
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