Main Campus
Noted architect Paul Rudolph created a dramatic design for UMass Dartmouth's 710 acre main campus. Many of our studios, classrooms, and administrative offices are located at the CVPA main campus building—with an emphasis on studios, media labs, and performance space for music students. The campus is just minutes from the Atlantic Ocean, about 30 minutes from Cape Cod or Providence, Rhode Island, and 60 minutes from Boston.
Star Store Campus
Once a department store, CVPA's Star Store campus in nearby downtown New Bedford is a modern urban arts complex with studios, galleries, and state-of-the-art equipment. Many of the spacious, well-lit studios offer stunning views of the New Bedford Historical National Park and the Atlantic Ocean. The Star Store is a vital component of New Bedford's emergence as a thriving arts community of museums, galleries, performance venues, and events. It's a 15-minute drive from the main campus; our Loop shuttle provides free transportation between the 2 campuses throughout the academic year.
Galleries
CVPA features three impressive exhibition spaces that advance the education of our students and celebrate the importance of art in the community. The University Art Gallery at the Star Store features exhibitions of local, national, and international renown. Also located at the Star Store, Gallery 244 is a student-run gallery that features the evolving work of our own students. At the CVPA Campus Gallery, the emphasis is on works celebrating the creativity of members of the CVPA community.
IDEAStudio
Prototype a design, access high-end software, and collaborate with students and faculty from across campus at the IDEAStudio. The studio is a digital/multimedia space: computers with CAD programs, 3D scanner, 3D printer, laser engraver, and full-length green screen for motion capture animation. A shared venture between CVPA and the College of Engineering, the studio is sponsored by alumni Chip Hildreth '85 and Susan Hall '85.
Innovation Learning Collaborative
The Innovation Learning Collaborative (ILC), is located at the Star Store campus. The center offers access to 3D printers, MakerBots, laser engravers, and a CNC router for digital fabrication, supported by a fully equipped wood shop. The facility is open to all current CVPA students.
Visual Resource Center
Looking for an image or media resource for your next project, lecture, or publication? The Visual Resource Center (VRC) maintains the largest image and media repository on campus. VRC offers students and faculty an array of instructional and research services related to the arts, design, and music.
Ceramics
Ceramics students have 12,000 square feet of studio space as well as throwing and handbuilding classrooms. Juniors, seniors, and graduate students have individual studio space. Facilities include clay room, glaze room, plaster room, gas and electric kilns, a wood kiln, pottery wheels, and more.
Digital Media Labs
Lab spaces for digital media feature industry-standard software for 2D imaging, 3D modeling, graphic design and web design. We offer labs for imaging, 2D and 3D animation, virtual reality simulation, and interactive interface design with stereoscopic head-mounted display, haptic feedback vest, and force-feedback 3D controllers.
Drawing & Painting
On the main campus, our Painting/2D Media Lab occupies one enormous studio. All types of media are taught and encouraged. In addition, there are 3 spacious studio classrooms dedicated to drawing. At the Star Store campus, the painting and drawing program occupies half of the top floor, with comprehensive studios for painting and drawing in any media and process. Seniors are assigned private studio spaces, and graduate students have individual workspaces.
Graphic Design & Illustration
Facilities include labs equipped with up-to-date workstations, scanners, printers, and software for 3D modeling, animation, web design, image processing, typography—as well as facilities for photo processing and letterpress. Graduate students are also assigned individual workspaces.
Jewelry/Metals
Students in the Jewelry/Metals program are provided with individual tool kits, benches, and storage. The main work room is stocked with bandsaws, milling machines, and other equipment. The program also provides a casting room, grinding room, annealing room, welding room, acid room, finishing room, lapidary room, ample studio space, and more.
Music
Performance spaces for music students include our 800-seat auditorium and 200-seat recital hall. Facilities include computer-aided workstations, electronic composition studios, recording and sound production technology, electronic clavinova and concert grand (Steinway, Boston) pianos, traditional and non-western percussion instruments, individual practice rooms.
Photography
Facilities include enlarger stations, film loading stations, 4x5 cameras for the studio photography, darkroom, lighting studio, and special processes room.
Sculpture
The Sculpture program provides comprehensive studios at the Star Store campus for fabrication and art-making in nearly any material and process. Spaces are flexible, to accommodate student interests and aspirations for their sculpture. Primary work spaces include the wood shop, metal fabrication studio, mold making and wet work studios, and a lost wax casting foundry. Seniors are assigned private studio spaces, and graduate students have individual work spaces.
Textiles & Fiber Arts
Facilities for textiles and fiber arts include surface design print room, dye lab with mixing station and drying room, dark room, spray room, batik room, papermaking studio, weaving studio, and textile media lab. Graduate students have their own studios and installation spaces.
