Fine Art facilities
Excellent student studios
The Fine Art Building has some of the best studios in the country. They range from the open-plan studios for project work, to purpose-built painting, sculpture, printmaking and digital media studios.
All students are allocated their own studio space. We also house designated specialist facilities such as:
- workshops
- gallery spaces
- bookable project spaces
- seminar rooms
- a large lecture theatre
All students have the use of the award-winning Robinson Library and very-well equipped computer clusters around the University.
Students can also take advantage of the drawing studio, in which life-room and other drawing projects take place.
Elsewhere in the Fine Art Building, there is a student-run cafe, which supports the catalogue and other associated student initiatives for the Degree show in June each year.
We also have a fine art materials shop in the building which stocks a wide range of art materials; anything that isn't in stock immediately, and more specialist supplies, can be ordered on request.
Specialist workshops and other facilities
Fine Art at Newcastle houses excellent specialist workshops for working in:
as well as a small black and white photographic darkroom. These workshops are for Fine Art students and staff only.
We have excellent facilities and workshops to support a wide range of sculptural and/or installation activities. This includes 3D printers, laser and plasma cutters and a large outdoor construction yard suitable for large-scale and/or dirty work.
We also have bookable exhibition/experimental spaces.
Our workshops have full-time technicians who are on hand to provide expert support.
New students undergo workshop induction sessions that cover health and safety, use of materials and equipment training.
Woodwork
Equipment includes:
- bandsaw
- lathe
- panel saw
- cross-cut saw
- various sanding and planing machines
- wood bending equipment
- mitre cutter
- pillar drill
- work-benches and a variety of traditional hand and power woodworking tools
For any more information about these facilities, and for a full list of all the available equipment, please contact Joseph Sallis.
Metalwork
Our metal workshop is well equipped with an extensive range of some of the latest cutting and fabricating machinery.
The workshop can support the full range of student and staff projects and complement a flexible working approach.
Training and technical guidance are all provided, with a full-time technician providing support.
Main range of equipment
Cutting/machining:
- CNC plasma cutter
- Horizontal and vertical bandsaws
- Digital power guillotine
- Engineering lathe and milling machine
- Pillar drill
Fabricating:
- Hot metal casting foundry for aluminium and bronze
- Gas forge
- MIG/TIG/MMA/oxy fuel/spot welding
- Mechanical rollers, folders and bending machines
We also have an extensive range of power tools, hand tools, with materials stocked at wholesale prices for student projects.
Contact:
Metalwork technician Steve Rowarth also oversees our ceramics facilities. Please feel free to contact him for further information.
Digital
The digital suite is based around both PC and Mac workstations running industry-standard software, including:
- Premiere
- Final Cut
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Macromedia Studio
- various open-source creative tools
We have several dedicated video editing suites, along with an extensive collection of:
- digital cameras (still and video)
- microphones and sound equipment
- lights and digital projectors
- access to green-screen facilities, as well as specialist sound studios
all of which can be booked for student studio projects.
Contact:
For more information and for a full equipment list, please contact Mick Hedley
Printmaking
We encourage students at all stages to use printmaking within their practice. We run regular induction courses in the various processes and techniques available.
We support a wide range of processes, including:
- etching and engraving
- relief (woodcut, lino cut, collograph)
- monoprinting
- stone and aluminium plate lithography
- photography and photopolymer
- digital and screenprinting
Darkroom
Our darkroom is available with facilities for black and white developing and printing.
Image manipulation
Along with our large format digital printers, our printmaking facilities are close to the Digital Media Suite.
This is equipped with the latest digital image manipulation packages (Adobe Photoshop etc) and film editing software.
Ceramics
We have 4 electric kilns in varying sizes that are also capable of firing glass and other materials. The kilns are used mainly for sculptural work in ceramics
We also stock up to four tons of different types of clay, sold at wholesale prices, to allow for a full range of clay work.
Range of equipment:
- Four electric kilns, varying in size with dedicated extraction
- Slab Roller
- Pug mill
- Electric Wheel
- Extruder
- Water wall spray booth
- Overhead gantry for moving large scale objects into position
Contact
Metalwork technician Steve Rowarth also oversees our ceramics facilities. Please feel free to contact him for further information.
Exhibition spaces
The Fine Art department is in the same building as the Hatton Gallery.
We have a variety of formal and less formal exhibition spaces in the Fine Art building. Several of these can be booked for short exhibitions or if you simply want to ‘try something out’.
During both the BA and MFA degree shows, all the exhibition spaces, including the Hatton Gallery are used to exhibit the students’ work.
Long Gallery
Linking the old and new sections of the Fine Art building is a purpose-built gallery space.
The Long Gallery is used for exhibitions, and also occasionally presents work from other institutions.
Past exhibitions have included exchange exhibitions with:
- the Academy in Bratislava
- art schools from Germany
- student work from Glasgow and Aberdeen
- collaborations between Fine Art and Architecture students
Other spaces around the Fine Art Building are also available for students to show their work.
'TIC' and Project Space
In addition, the TIC Space and the Project Space are both bookable by students. They are spaces that can be readily blacked-out, making them suitable for video projection.
We also have access to a ‘green screen’ room, as well as to professional-standard film and sound recording studios.
Hatton Gallery
We share the building with the Hatton Gallery. One of the largest and best quality exhibition spaces in North East England, it provides an excellent learning facility and archive space.
The Hatton's permanent collection consists of works of art from five centuries. It includes the Elterwater Merzbarn construction by Kurt Schwitters.
The Hatton Gallery also exhibits both the BA and the Master of Fine Art Degree shows.
