Ceramic Room

Adequacies of Facilities:

• In respect to technology, it is essential that the online class program is always well maintained and running, so that students have a 24/7 accessibility to information, material content and progress through the online grade book and instructor feedback folders.  In order for students to achieve the prescribed outcomes, it is again essential that the technology be more than adequate, which it has been.
• Color printer and scanner available for student use in the Student Technology Center
• The 3-Dimensional classroom facilities are very well equipped with modern machines and tools which support student learning and instruction.
  • 25 excellent potters wheels so each student can have access at the same time.
  • 3 top of the line clay mixing machines which students and faculty use to prepare clay.
  • 3 professional gas fired kilns used for firing student assignments to high fire stoneware temperatures.
  • 5 professional computerized electric kilns which are used for firing student assignments to low fire earthenware temperatures, sculptural glass and bisque firing procedures.
  • 800,000 BTU forced air gas burner system and outdoor portable kiln for firing student work in the Raku process.
  • The program has built 4 outdoor wood fire kilns to give students exposure to traditional economical high fire stoneware processes.
  • The program has built 1 outdoor innovative portable fiber wood fire kiln to give students exposure to modern economical high fire stoneware processes.
  • The 3-Dimensional studio is fully equipped with all tools, furnishings and supplies to aid students in performing their project assignments.

Needs:

• Regular maintenance on the color printer in the Student Technology Center.  This is an expensive printer that needs to be maintained to insure image quality. 
• There is a shortage of both classroom and storage space for the courses that are taught on the second floor.  The classroom space is awkwardly set up around the pre-existing metal beams resulting in less useable space.  For example, in A2202, only 20 of the 25 students can sit in the main area of the room and adequately see the front of the room and the white board.  Traditional drawing exercises such as drawing from a model or still-life arrangement are extremely difficult to do since there is not space in the room to move the desks around and still have space for the students or the model.
  Our metal studio is makeshift but works. We have a multiple use classroom that is too small to allow for the convenient placement of stationary tools. This causes considerable time to be lost by instructor and students alike. Space also limits the size of tools and the scale of work that can be created.
• Metal/Jewelry Equipment: equipment degrades quickly in the hands of beginning students and needs to be renewed or replaced frequently.
• Storage space is also limited. The building/ facilities is in need of more space on the second floor additional shelving and storage space. The building could use an awning over back end to protect pit fire and raku area. With the mission of the department to keep growing our digital area needs more class room space with adequate soft ware programs.
• The art department office needs a copy machine.  
• Exhaust booth.  Currently students have to go outside when they use spray fixative and spray paint. 
  As we increase course offerings in the digital arts area these are some of our anticipated needs: additional licenses for various 2D and 3D digital imaging software, digital studio space with high end computers, scanners, and printers.
• Equipment improvement: The 3-dimensional classrooms could be better equipped with computer, digital and projection equipment to support instruction.