New Studio Arts Mac Lab: Rosanne Retz Interview

           The new Mac Digital Studio in the Studio Arts Building is an exciting addition to the Art Department’s set of resources that calls for a series of articles and interviews, especially pertaining to the classes taking place in the studio. The first article described the technical specifics of the lab, such as what programs are included on the computers and what courses it will be most useful for. This is the second article in the series, and will give a general overview of how this lab can be used, and how this addition has expanded the opportunities and capabilities of the Art Department.

           In order to learn the details of the new Mac lab, I spoke with Professor and Undergraduate Program Director for Studio Art Rosanne Retz, who oversaw the design of the studio and teaches Digital Media: Printmaking, Digital Media: Still Image, and Digital Media: Time Based. Retz told me what the lab has been used for so far: “We have a digital imaging still class, a digital imaging time-based class, and a digital imaging silk screen class, that meet in there regularly."

           Retz also discussed an additional function of the lab. "We also had a guest lecturer last week, John Nugent, who is a BFA alum from 1984 and the CEO of Sandbox FX which is a post-production special effects company that does feature length Hollywood films. He is currently working on a film for the Disney Studio. He does the special effects on these films. It was very interesting for our students to have him here. We met in the lab and we used the facility to show the clips from many of the projects that he’s working on.” 

        I also inquired as to the hours of availability. Aside from regular class times, there are plans to have open studio hours during which there will be a supervisor to watch the lab so students can come in and work on their own.  This has not been fully organized yet, but it will be by next semester. As of now, since Retz’s studio is next door to the lab, any time that she is there to supervise, students can access the lab.

              I asked what made the Art Department choose Apple computers rather than PCs. Retz explained, “Artists use Macintosh computers. Across the industry whether you’re in graphic design, information design or special effects, or you’re an artist who manipulates photographic images, most everyone uses a Mac. I have been working with Macs since they first came out, and they are just more user friendly for people who manipulate images. If you look at all the big university centers that have fine art programs it’s all Mac-based. The time-based course that we teach uses Final Cut Studio. Final Cut is an Apple product; it only runs on Mac computers. And that’s the program that Hollywood is using to edit some feature length films. So we want our students to be working on the same platform and with the same programs as [the film] industry: pro level programs.” So Apple became the obvious choice.

              In regards to the benefit this lab would be to the College’s student body, and why we need this lab in addition to the Library Mac lab, Retz discussed the necessity and convenience of the location. “Well it’s a nice situation, it’s a well lit room, it’s comfortable, there’s plenty of space on either side of the station-- it’s a resource that students use on a regular basis. This building is wireless, but wireless is too slow for the web design work we are involved in. It keeps dropping you, and if you turn away from the computer, you come back and you have to log in again. So to come down where you have a fast connection, that’s important. We just got Ethernet last week.

          “If you’re editing video, you need a place where you can sit and work for an extended period of time. The library, it’s a wonderful resource but there’s a lot happening, and it’s really hard to focus because there’s people moving back and forth, there’s conversations happening on all sides. And this is where the students are; they can go up and get their external hard drive, they have studios upstairs and this is where they’re based. So convenience is important. We’re grateful that we do have a resource for the times when this lab is not open-- Sundays, really late nights. But convenience is important. We used to teach the time based class down in Lederle which is about as far as you can get from this building. And students were hesitant to sign up for it because of the time it took and the inconvenience. So having something here where they work is really ideal. We love it.”  So, it is really a matter of the Studio Arts Building being self-sufficient, having its own resources instead of using those of other departments. This lab has been an important and welcomed addition to the Studio Arts program.

Sierra Simmons

4/22/09

srsimmon@student.umass.edu

New Mac Lab in Studio Arts Building

           On February 18th, 2009 the College of Humanities and Fine Arts IT team installed a new Apple computer lab in the Studio Arts Building. This lab has been planned for several years. Its purpose is to provide the Department of Art with tools for imaging, sound, and multimedia projects. The lab consists of seventeen iMacs with twenty-four inch displays and Core 2 Duo processors. The software on each iMac includes FinalCut Studio 2, for video editing, and Adobe Creative Suite 4, which includes Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

           In order to remain a competitive university it is crucial that UMass implements advancing technology. Within the Department of Art, modern technology aids in the creation of innovative, high quality art in the form of pictures, videos, animation, and architectural design. Students’ opportunities should be unlimited, and having such resources as the new lab and the print center right in the Studio Arts Building greatly increases accessibility to these opportunities.  For example, a class of 16 can now learn video editing techniques simultaneously, each student working on her or his own state of the art computer. Many of the finished projects can be brought into existence in the Digital Print Center.

          The lab will be used for regularly scheduled classes, but there will also be times for students and faculty in the Department of Art or other departments in the College to use it on their own. This lab will support such Studio Art courses as: Digital Imaging and Silk Screen Printmaking, where students design prints in Photoshop and then use non-toxic paints and transparencies and transfer the design to its destination; Animation, in which students learn to create 2-dimensional, stop frame, and digital media time based animation; Time Based Digital Media, for production of digital videos and research into topics like color manipulation, time, motion control, and sound using FinalCut Pro, Quicktime, Soundtrack Pro, and DVD Studio Pro 4; and Information Design, which teaches students the theory and practice of information design, including data communication through charts and maps, and teaching through interactive media.

          The new Mac lab is also set up to meet the physical requirements to become an Apple certified training center. This would potentially allow for iLife certified trainers to teach classes for various Apple certifications. In addition to this new lab, UMass has a number of previously installed Mac labs currently on campus in Department of Art space in the Fine Arts Center, the LGRC, and the W.E.B. Du Bois Library.

Sierra Simmons

4/6/09