Facilities
Studios and labs for both Visual Communication Design and the Pictorial and Spatial Arts are accessible for majors during daytime and evening hours, seven days a week, during the academic year and summer sessions.
The Art Armory
The Art Armory is home to the school's main office, gallery, and classrooms for Foundations and Drawing. One of Blacksburg's historic buildings and a former community gymnasium it is situated on Draper Road, a lively intersection of the town and campus. The Armory's spacious structure, high ceilings, and abundant natural light furnish a striking example of innovative architectural conversion. The Armory Art Gallery is operated as an educational and outreach service of the University. Its exhibition calendar includes work by students, faculty, and artists of regional and national importance. The XYZ gallery, located at 221 N. Main St., is home to the Student Art Association, which operates an independent program of exhibitions by students and local artists. A prominent feature of the Armory is its 1700 sq. foot Mezzanine.
(ADLC) Art & Design Learning Center
(Painting, Ceramics, and Sculpture)
The Art & Design Learning Center (ADLC) also known as "The Old Print Shop" houses the classroom space for Ceramics, Painting and Sculpture.
The Ceramics studio is equipped with potter’s wheels, slab rollers and hand building areas. The studio is divided into two areas, one for red clays and the second for light clays and porcelain. A glazing area and electric kilns are provided for decorating and firing.
The Painting studios are supplied with painting easels, a large variety of still life objects and model set-ups. The studio is separated into two distinct teaching areas. One studio for introductory painting classes, and the other is for upper level painting classes.
The Sculpture studio offers a workspace that allows students to create three-dimensional forms in a variety of media. A clay modeling area as well as wax, mold making, and wood working areas are available on a rotating basis. For more advanced students, a metalworking and casting facility is located off campus at the Prices’ Fork Research Station.
3D Animation Lab and Cyber Studio
The new Digital Arts and Animation Lab (DAAS) is centrally located in Blacksburg’s downtown area. This facility provides students with the high-end tools used throughout industry in the production of digital film, web, and animation content. The lab contains 16 Mac Pro workstations with large 23-inch monitors and loaded with professional industry applications, like Final Cut Pro and Maya. The facility also has a rack of 5 Mac Xserves for use as a render cluster and a state-of-the-art ABS Rapid Prototyper, used for outputting virtual models into Three-Dimensional forms for research and educational purposes.
The Cyber Studio
The Cyber Studio is a new Creative and Visual Research environment for both faculty and student usage. This Cyber Lab is collaboratively utilized by the (CCTAD) The Collaboration for the Creative Technologies in the Arts and Design Faculty and (DARC) the Digital Arts Research Collaborative for New Media and Creative Technologies Projects.
Henderson Hall
The New Henderson Hall Facility located Downtown Blacksburg will house the following SOVA, School of the Visual Arts Programs.
(VCD) Visual Communication Design BFA Program
Art History's BA Program
The SOVA / VCD Visual Design Studio (VDS4)
In this new facility these SOVA programs will also share this state of the art environment with the School of the Performing Arts & Cinema.
The second floor of Henderson Hall facilitates a new collaborative teaching and student environment for the Visual Communication Design Program. This space incorporates a unique and innovated community learning teaching environments and space for students to display work for critiques, photographing portfolio items.
The Art History's Program is located on the 3rd floor East Wing of Henderson Hall will house the SOVA Art History Faculty, the Slide Collection, 3D Scanning Equipment, a Seminar Room and a Teaching Classroom with high-end presentation projection.
On the first level of Henderson Hall are VDS4, The Visual Design Studio 4 and a gallery space for exhibitions for students and community engagement, a university Center that provides Visual Communication Design students with professional and entrepreneurial experience rarely available to undergraduates. Senior student interns work in a team environment under the creative direction of Visual Communication Design faculty to produce professional products for VDS4's clients both internal and external to the university. Education and outreach are prime objectives of VDS4. VDS4 is a national and regional award-winning center at Virginia Tech.
Also located in Henderson Hall will be Visual Communication Design Faculty, Art History Faculty and our Academic Advising Office.