Visual Arts Facilities and Resources

Take a virtual tour of the Feigenbaum Center for Visual Arts.

This newly renovated spacious building has studios for drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, 2D and 3D design, as well as a digital arts lab, photography studio, dark rooms, and a digital photography lab. The Visual Arts building also houses the Crowell and West galleries, a professional and student exhibition space. Students also enjoy individual studios for advanced work, a student lounge, co-lab, metalworking studio, outdoor sculpture space and a woodworking shop. The Union College Visual Arts Department very uniquely supplies all materials needed for studio courses, from drawing pencils and plaster to photo paper and cameras.

Digital Arts Studio

The Digital Arts Studio has been designed to accommodate courses in a variety of electronic art topics, including digital imaging, design, 3D graphics, 3D printing, animation, robotic art, programming, interactive art, video, and sound. The lab is comprised of the latest in computer graphics software and hardware including:

Hardware - Microsoft Surface Studio workstations, Wacom Cintiq 21 UXinteractive pen displays, Laser Cutter (12"x24" cutting surface), Laguna Smart Shop II CNC Router Table 4'x8', Verastudio BN-20 Printer/Cutter, Oculus Quest VR displays, 3D printers of all types, Epson Stylus 4880 Pro Printer- Medium Format (17" W), Epson Stylus 9800 Pro Printer- Large Format (44" W), Epson v500 and 4180 Photo Pro Scanners, Arduinos, and lots of electronics hardware.

Software - Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, Maxon Cinema 4D (current version), Redshift (C4D), Autodesk Maya, SolidWorks, Processing / Arduino, Poser 8, Dragon Stop Motion Pro, FontLab Studio 5, Coral Painter, VCarve (CNC)

Drawing Studio

With 1,600 square feet of workspace, the studio rivals some of the most prestigious academies in the country and abroad. The studio is equipped with a state-of-the-art Creston projection and speaker system, a Sentry Air System hood for sealing drawings with spray fixative, motorized shades over two large skylights, fully dimming overhead lights and central track lighting for full light control. Two walls of windows offer steady natural light. A collection of real human skeletons, human and animal skulls, and plaster casts and busts are housed in this room for student use.

Painting Wing

The three-room painting wing on the third floor features two connected painting studios and an art supply room. The main classroom has a state-of-the-art Creston projection and speaker system, track lighting, fully dimming overhead lights and abundant natural light. Advanced students have access to independent studios in the adjoining room with movable walls for extra privacy. Connected to the Painting Studio is an art supply room that houses all materials needed for painting, including paints, brushes, stretcher bars, canvas rolls and heavy papers. There is also a 4 x 8 foot table under the canvas and paper roll rack for building and stretching canvases.

Photography Wing

Photography students are always encouraged to look at the light first, before making any picture. Encompassing 6 rooms and 2,600 square feet on the second floor of the building, Photography at Union features facilities for both black and white gelatin silver printing, as well as high-end digital photography. We have 14 Omega enlargers in our darkroom, and 14 iMac workstations with Epson printers for digital. When a student enrolls in Photo 1 we have a fleet of Nikon FM2 film cameras to loan them for the term, and for advanced classes Nikon D7100’s. We also provide film, Ilford fiber paper, chemicals, and other supplies needed. The Film Loading Room includes spacious light-proof closets students use to safely put their film in tanks. Our 550 square foot shooting studio has a 13-foot ceiling, and several lighting setups for just about any application using hot lights, or electronic moonlight strobe, with tethered capture capability, including a tabletop setup for object photography, and a copy stand for 2D reproduction. The Advanced Darkroom is a semi-private darkroom for senior thesis and independent study students, and is equipped with a Leitz enlarger for 35mm, and a Bessler 45 for large format film.

Printmaking Studio

Union’s Printmaking classes occupy a light-filled corner studio overlooking Jackson’s Garden. Students can take classes in relief, etching, lithography, hybrid methods, or non-traditional techniques. Print classes have access to various machines on campus for experimental work. These include a Laser Cutter (12"x24" cutting surface), Laguna Smart Shop II CNC Router Table 4'x8', and 3D printers. Foundation skills are emphasized as a catalyst to conceptual or innovative work. Most classes are accessible for students of any academic discipline or skill level. The studio is equipped with three etching presses, one litho press, ferric chloride acid room, aquatint box, stone litho library, and a light exposure unit

Students are provided all supplies, including materials used in professional print shops.

Sculpture and 3D Design Studio

The 1,500-square-foot 3D Design Studio is used primarily for working in clay, plaster and stone. The 2,000-square-foot Sculpture Studio is used for more advanced techniques and projects. It is fully equipped for metal work, with four separate welding stations. Students requiring wood fabrication use this woodshop. Each of the studios is equipped with powerful built-in fume and dust extraction systems and numerous safety features.

Crowell and West Galleries

The Crowell and West gallery spaces, combined, comprise a 1,400-square-foot art gallery with 12-foot-high ceilings. The longest stretch of wall is 34-feet-long, making it possible to show large scale works. In a typical year, we showcase two professional artist exhibitions and two exhibitions of student work. Featured artists have included humanitarian photojournalist Nancy Borowick ’07; traditional Japanese woodblock printer Hokusai Katsushika; contemporary woodblock printmakers Takuji Hamanaka, Mike Lyon and Yasu Shibata; sculptors Patrick Healy and Jack Howard-Potter ’97; painters Stephen Pentak ’73, Claire Sherman and Didier William; and photographers Donna Fitzgerald and Mark McCarty. We host receptions, workshops and artist talks regularly throughout the academic year.

Seniors' Studios and Student Lounge

The third floor Student Lounge is reserved for Visual Arts majors and minors. It houses floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stocked with art volumes; a refrigerator, microwave and table; and a studio area that seniors adjust to their personal preferences each year. Each senior gets their own area with ample wall space, easel, drafting table and other necessary equipment. All rooms have skylights that provide natural light.

Wold Student Gallery

This space encompasses twenty four feet of prime wall space on the first floor of the busy Peter Irving Wold Center. Annual Visual Arts prize winners, as well as other exceptional student artists, have their art work hung by our professional gallery manager and exhibit their work in this space for weeks to months at a time.

MakerWeb

The Union College Maker Web is a unique group of 5 Makerspaces (fabrication and tinkering labs) spread across campus dedicated to supporting maker activities, experimentation and hands-on learning in all disciplines. These co-working spaces are at the intersection of departments and disciplines where the arts meet science and the humanities meet engineering. The Maker Web Labs boast a variety of digital fabrication tools including 3D Printers, 3D scanners, a laser cutter, and a CNC router and industrial machining equipment. Additionally, the Makerspaces also host many analog and electric hand tools, including light woodworking tools, soldering stations, Arduino kits, sewing machines, and basic tool kits.

Nott Memorial

This National Historic Landmark is home to the Mandeville Gallery, which exhibits nationally recognized contemporary artists. The Wikoff Student Gallery showcases student works as well as the campus-wide LGBTQ+ exhibit. The popular Lothridge Festival of Dance is held in the Nott each spring during Steinmetz Symposium.