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The printshop was designed to be versatile, and is equipped to handle numerous printing processes including: intaglio, relief, lithography, silk-screening and basic typesetting. Built with health and safety as a top priority, the printmaking area is equipped with a sophisticated ventilation system and modern equipment, including three fume hoods, to ensure a safe work environment. For support and maintenance, the Visual Arts Department staffs a part-time technician who is complemented by an able team of student monitors.

The main shop features all of the basic equipment needed to execute a successful print, including: two intaglio presses, two lithography presses, a dedicated area for copper plate etching, an air brush station for ‘aquatinting’, a large collection of litho stones, a hand iron press and a large collection of lead type. A separate studio, also located on the main floor, is dedicated to screen-printing and features a dedicated wet room, and a mercury exposure system for exposing photo screens.In addition to the traditional methods of print, the studio also features a dedicated Mac computer and access to large format printers for students interested in working with digital output.

Sculpture Studio and Workshop rooms 130 & 130A

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The sculpture facility has a fully equipped, modern metal and wood shop. With a full time workshop technician and a staff of student helpers and volunteers, students may use a wide variety of power and hand woodworking tools, a small forge and three types of welding systems. Facilities are available for sheet metal work and there is a large plaster casting and sculpture room adjacent to the shop.

Photography rooms 137 & 139

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There are 3 different areas that make up the darkroom facility: the processing area, the finishing area and the darkroom proper. In the processing area are all the tools students and faculty need for developing 35mm and medium format B&W film, from lightproof closets, to negative drying cabinets. Inside the darkroom, are 23 photographic enlargers, and two large developing stations that can accommodate any photographic developing size up to and including mural-size printing. The final area is the finishing area, which contains light tables and heat presses for dry mounting photographic work.

Digital photography is also supported in the department through the media lab. We currently have a 44" wide format Epson ink jet printer to produce various hard copies of digital files.

Painting Studio room 230 & Drawing Studio room 206

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Media Lab rooms 134 & 135 & Sound Lab room 147

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The main lab in the John Labatt Visual Arts building features Macintosh computers equipped with multi media software including: Final Cut Pro, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Director, DVD Studio Pro, Toast and a variety of other programs. Peripheral support includes: CD and DVD burning capability, flat bed and slide scanning. All of the lab computers are video and audio production compliant.

Full-time technical staff provide students and faculty with technical support. A stand alone sound lab equipped with external microphones, mixer, tape deck, Keyboard, CD player, and CD burner also provide students with an opportunity to record and mix audio.

Students also have access to a shared computer facility in the adjacent North Campus Building. The lab includes state of the art Macintosh computers with full video and audio functionality. Six adjoining pods offer graduate students and faculty more expansive research facilities for development of in-depth multi media and web projects.

The Richard & Beryl Ivey Visual Resources Library (located on the second floor of the John Labatt Visual Arts Centre) houses the Department of Visual Arts’ digital image, video, periodical, and slide collections. These resources, and the Library’s copying facilities, are available to faculty, staff, and graduate students.

The VISION Database

The VISION database is an online collection of over 50,000 digital images that was developed to support teaching and research in the Department of Visual Arts. Please see the Visual Resources Librarian to set up an account. To access the VISION database, click here.

The Film Collection

The Department’s film collection includes over 300 titles, including art documentaries, artists’ films, and documentation of the Department of Visual Arts’ Speaker Series. For a complete listing of film titles, click here. To request that a film be ordered, please submit a request via email, and attach the following word document form.

Films are also available for classroom use through Western Libraries and Faculty of Arts and Humanities’ Film Resources Centre, located in UC 1 (click here to search the online Film Resources Database).

Periodicals

The Department subscribes to publications such as Canadian Art, Fuse, C magazine, and Muse.

The Slide Collection

The Slide Collection consists of 150,000 slides covering a wide range of periods, styles and cultures, as well as early documentation of the Visual Arts Department.

For announcements about recent acquisitions and visual resources news,
follow us on Twitter @WesternVAlib