Facilities in the Department of Art & Art History

The Rowe Arts building houses three primary exhibition spaces: the Rowe Lower & Upper Galleries and the Side Gallery. Each year exhibitions feature the work of regional, national and international visiting artists, as well as work by students and faculty from the Department of Art & Art History.

The Rowe 3D Studio offers students and faculty of the Department of Art & Art History indoor and outdoor facilities for woodworking, metalworking, stone carving, and metal casting. It is the mission of the 3D Studio to foster an environment that supports a multi-disciplinary investigation of traditional object-making techniques, and experimentation with materials and methods. The 3D Studio provides access to a wide range of tools and equipment, space to explore ideas, knowledgeable staff and an inclusive environment that encourages dialogue and collaboration across disciplines.

Students and faculty from all disciplines in the department are welcome to use the Rowe 3D Studio. A studio safety orientation is required for all users, where general studio policies are discussed,and instruction is given for much of the available equipment in our woodshop. Further instruction is provided for equipment and tools not covered during orientation as requested. Safety orientations are offered several times through the first month of the Fall and Spring semesters. Studio hours change each semester, current hours are posted on the studio doors. Be sure to review the safety manual before entering the space.

3D Studio Capabilities: Woodworking. Metal forming and welding, Bronze and Aluminum casting, Stone carving, Concrete working, Mold-making and cold casting,and Clay modeling.

 Our ceramics studio contains a comprehensive range of equipment and resources for students to explore the entire spectrum of analog and digital approaches to working with clay. Our main and advanced studios are a combined 2500 square feet that supports wheel, handbuilding, intermediate and advanced ceramics courses, as well as a plaster-working area. These spaces include large and small slab rollers, 3 stainless extruders, 20 Brent wheels and 20 large worktables. Our studios also include a glaze mixing and clay mixer stations, which are fully stocked with raw materials. Our labs are designed to meet UNC Charlotte Environmental Health and Safety standards regarding ventilation to provide a safe teaching environment for students to work.

Technology and Equipment: Delta WASP 3D Clay Printer, 4 Color Digital Decal Printer, Slip Casting Tank, 3 Geil Downdraft Gas Kilns. 5 Front and top Loading Electric Kilns, 4 Test Kilns, Wet Tile Saw, Spray Booth, Lift Table, Soda Kiln, Raku Kiln, 3 Clay Peter Puggers, Stainless Blue Bird Clay Mixer.

RoFL is a multi-disciplinary studio located in room 124 of the Rowe Arts Building. At RoFL, students and faculty of the College of Arts + Architecture can translate digital ideas to physical objects. The lab offers 3D printing, laser processing, CNC machining, and 3D scanning capabilities. This resource keeps UNC Charlotte students and faculty up-to-date with current practices in contemporary art while exploring the role that new technologies can have when paired with traditional methods.

RoFL hours vary by semester, current hours are posted on the lab doors. Safety training is required prior to use of the lab and are offered multiple times through the first month of each semester. Sign-up sheets are posted outside the lab. Be sure to review the safety manual before entering the space

Lab Capabilities: FFF 3D printing (8 machines of varying sizes and capabilities); SLA 3D printing (2 Form1+ machines); Clay 3D printing (1 delta style printer); Laser Processing ( 1 60watt CO² laser); CNC Machining (mill and router); CNC Embroidery (1 Brother embroidery/sewing machine); 3D Scanning (handheld and fixed scanning with color). Equipment reservations may be made through Teamup.com.

The Lighting Studio features two 15′ x 15′ shooting bays, configurable into a single 15′ x 30′ space. Additional areas include a mezzanine, a props room, a 4×5 view camera storage cage, a “Bat Cave” and a wet room used for wet-plate collodion preparation or as a makeshift dressing room.

This studio accommodates setups ranging from small tabletops to full seamless sweeps. A growing inventory of continuous and non-continuous lighting systems supports both in-studio and occasional location work. Students may also use their personal equipment.

Select medium and large-format camera systems, both digital and analog, are available, along with a wide range of lighting accessories. A rotating collection of props, fabrics, and seamless paper is provided, though students are encouraged to supplement these resources with their own unique materials.

Studio reservations are limited to students who have completed the studio lighting program, including training in studio etiquette.

The Print Media Lab is a fully professional fine art print facility with relief, intaglio, lithography, screen printing and digital print capabilities. The Print Media Lab is housed in two classroom studios and includes a print-specific darkroom/washout facility. The Print Media Lab features three large etching presses, two t-shirt presses, two screen printing vacuum tables, 8 tabletop screen printing stations, a large hotplate, paper soaking station and two fume hoods. The Print Media Lab darkroom features two large exposure units, washout booth and power washer facility. Print Media shares a specialty digital print lab, that includes large-format inkjet printing and vinyl cutter/plotter, with the Photography area. The Print Media lab is stocked with a variety of tools and equipment for student use including a number of silkscreens with a variety of mesh counts for screen printing on a variety of substrates including paper, wood, plastic and fabric.

Rowe Painting Studios feature large, open community and individual workspaces for students to experiment with a wide variety of approaches to painting. Studios offer basic furniture such as easels, chairs and tables and are located near the Print Media Lab, Digital Print Lab and Photography studios. The large studio is stocked with supplemental paint mediums, solvents, waxes, gels, pastes and other professional-grade art supplies for student use. Individual studio workspaces are offered to upper-level painting students.

Housed in another building on campus, Macy, our graphic design computer lab is equipped with brand new computers to help students learn skills in Adobe Creative Suite and much more.