Facilities & Resources

Currently, there are three buildings on the BYU campus that the Visual Arts Department calls home—the Harris Fine Arts Center (HFAC), the Jesse Knight Building (JKB), and the B-66 Building. The academic programs in the Department are divided among these locations according to which building best accommodates the needs of each program's students. The Animation, Illustration, 2-D/3-D Studio Arts (Drawing/Paint/Printmaking/Sculpture/Ceramics), Graphic Design and Photography programs occupy the HFAC along with the Department's administrative offices. Illustration, Graphic Design, Animation BFA students also enjoy studio space allocated for them in the HFAC. The Art Education and Art History & Curatorial Studies programs are housed in the JKB, which features classrooms specifically designed for the teaching of these two majors. The JKB also contains studios for BFA and MFA students specializing in 2-D Studio. The Ceramics and Sculpture programs are located in the B-66 Building, which also accommodates BFA and MFA students focusing on 3D Studio.

[ THE ART RESOURCE CENTER ]

Visual Arts students and faculty, and those from Art Education in particular, visit the Art Resource Center (ARC),(3124 JKB), to search for educational materials, prepare curricula, and conduct research. The ARC features collections of art and art education journals and other publications, including materials developed by the National Art Education Association, the Getty Education Institute for the Arts and other professional groups, as well as commercial art curricula used in schools across the country. The collection includes thousands of postcard art reproductions produced by museums and galleries around the world, video and audio tapes, CD-ROM discs, art and education books, and copies of MA theses and curriculum projects. Students and faculty also have access to a small computer lab used to teach a computer applications course.

[ THE ART HISTORY SLIDE LIBRARY ]

The Department of Visual Arts maintains an Art History Slide Library (3113 JKB) that consists of approximately 100,000 slides. In addition, the library's computer has most of the slide collection logged by subject, iconographic features, country, and artist. Art monographs and art history-related periodicals are housed in the Harold B. Lee Library.

[ THE MUSEUM OF ART ]

Located adjacent to the Harris Fine Arts Center, the Museum of Art at Brigham Young University features an excellent permanent collection with an extensive base of American art. A sculpture garden provides an outdoor gallery between the two buildings. Since its dedication in October 1993, the three-and-a-half-story, state-of-the-art museum regularly presents world-class and regional exhibitions. Students regularly spend time in the MOA to view and study original works of art, participate in the museum education programs, and perform assignments for classes such as illustration, art history, and art criticism.

[ COMPUTER LABS ]

The Department operates three general-purpose computer labs with twenty computers each. These are designated solely for the use of Visual Arts students. The Department uses Apple computers to fully assist students in their programs of study.

To further aid students in developing their skills and to prepare them for future careers, the Visual Arts Department uses the most current technology and equipment. Apart from the general-purpose labs, the Department provides a number of other state-of-the-art resources for student and faculty use. The HFAC houses a large print and scan lab open to all VA students to help them complete their own artwork and assignments. This lab features seven computers and five large-format Epson printers ranging in size from 17 to 44 inches. The Department uses equally high-quality Epson flatbed scanners, and provides an upscale Imacon film scanner for use on specialty projects. The Department also owns several computers with Cintiq monitors, which allow students to draw directly on their screens.

[ GRAPHIC DESIGN RESOURCE ROOM ]

The Department's facilities also include a small resource room which is primarily set up to serve Graphic Design students. The room, which features design and design-related books, functions as a library for the Department, although it is specifically tailored for Graphic Design students. Inside, current publications, demonstrating what is being done in the industry now, sit on shelves alongside books up to two hundred and fifty years old. The wide range of books is meant to provide Design students with an extensive source of information, guidance and inspiration for their own projects. The library is currently located in C502 HFAC.