Building & Facilities

Completed in 2001, the Visual Arts Building is a state-of-the-art, 3-level facility of 32,000 square feet that provides studio space, computer labs, and classrooms for art education and art history. The building also contains the Visual Arts administration office, faculty suites, an open Macintosh Computer Lab (VA Rm. 224), and the Visual Arts Resource Center (VA Rm. 223).

This multi-story building is organized into three distinct elements: a large high-bay studio component, a classroom and computer lab component, and a dynamic multi-story atrium space. The studio component contains areas for welding, sculpture, woodworking, ceramics, painting, drawing, printmaking, papermaking and photography. The classroom area provides for computer graphics studios, art education labs and meeting rooms. The atrium area provides for the display of artwork, student locker spaces, and student gathering areas. Sloping hallways with handrails allow for ADA access.

The use of industrial materials sets the mood of the building, along with exposed structures and concrete floors, exposed mechanical systems and ramped hallways. This unique building won a first place award from the Georgia Chapter of the American Concrete Institute. College Planning & Management magazine has recognized it for “Outstanding Architecture and Design in Education.”

Spacious outdoor patio areas provide popular gathering places for students to talk or study together. Drawing and painting classes sometimes meet on the patio areas when the weather permits. The area behind the building is a park-like setting of native plants and rock walls with walkways providing multiple access points to the downstairs studios.

 

 

 

The atrium and patio of the Visual Arts Building

The sencond floor hall with lockers for students