DEPARTMENT OF FINE ARTS
Facilities
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DEPARTMENT OF FINE ARTS Facilities |
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THE PETER D.
HYMAN FINE ARTS CENTER Campus Map
The Peter D. Hyman Fine Arts Center was designed by the Boston architectural firm of Perry, Dean, Stahl and Rogers and constructed in 1980. The Fine Arts Center is named in honor of Peter D. Hyman, Sr., who was instrumental in the founding of the institution and who was the first chairman of the Francis Marion University Board of Trustees. |
The
ceramics program provides a broad range of
learning experience for students in the traditions of the art and craft
of pottery. The studio is equipped with both kick and electric wheels
and
small electric kilns. One of the largest high-fire reduction kilns in
the
southeast, with 125 cubic feet of firing space, is located on the Art
Center's
patio. This kiln allows for the firing of large-scale sculptural works
from three-dimensional design classes as well as pottery from ceramics
classes.
The photography studio and lab are fully handicapped accessible and outfitted with equipment to explore both black and white and color photography. Students use a variety of camera formats, learn classic studio lighting, and explore alternative photographic processes. Emphasis is placed on individual self-expression and knowledge of contemporary photographic issues as well as an understanding of the history of the medium.
The
painting studio is designed to offer a well ventilated space for
working in oils, acrylics or other media. An industrial-size exhaust
booth is provided for spray painting. Students explore painting styles
both traditional and modern; acquire thorough experience in color
mixing
and color theory; and learn to construct their own canvases.
The department's newest studio is the computer graphics lab. Equipped for instruction and production, artworks are both created and adapted for use in presentation, education, and website development. (For samples of student work, visit our Graphic Design Site)
The Fine Arts Center boasts two Art Galleries, with a third located in the Smith University Center. The Galleries Curator schedules the Art Gallery Series, exhibitions by students and distinguished regional artists with shows changing monthly throughout the academic year.
The John W. Baker Art and Music Wing of the Hyman Fine Arts Center, which includes faculty offices for the department, also houses practice rooms and studios for individual vocal and instrumental instruction. The south wing of the Fine Arts Center includes the 350 seat University Theatre and the Adele Kassab Recital Hall, an intimate 150 seat performance space with infinitely variable acoustics.
Other campus performance venues are Chapman Auditorium in the McNair Science Building, Lawrimore Lecture Hall in the Cauthen Educational Media Center, Thompson Auditorium in the Lee Nursing Building and Smith University Center Commons and Gymnasium. And of course, there are also the less formal "coffee house" settings which provide an outlet for local musical talent in both invitational and "open mic" formats.
Designed by the Boston architectural firm of Perry, Dean, Stahl and Rogers and constructed in 1980, the Peter D. Hyman Fine Arts Center is a Post-Modern building housing the faculty offices, classrooms, studios, shops and performances spaces for the Theatre, Music, Art and Art Education programs.
The Francis Marion University Fine Arts Theatre is a versatile facility, capable of conversion from a traditional proscenium stage to a thrust stage in a matter of minutes. The stage house has a 26 line counterweight fly system as well as a very flexible lighting grid "net" and catwalk for front-of-house lighting.
SEATING
-
the total seating capacity for the theatre is 355. Fixed seating
capacity is 255 in the rear tier with access aisles and exits on both
sides of the theatre. The front tier, with a combined seating capacity
of 100, is on two pivoting air castor units. In the proscenium position
the front tier lowers into the floor creating a continuous rake from
the edge of the stage apron to the back of the theatre. Access to the
front tier is by aisles built into the seating units. In the thrust
position the front tier is elevated to stage floor level and turned 90
degrees to form
a three-sided thrust stage arrangement. The front and rear tiers are
separated
by a retainer wall and a 4'-0" aisle.
HOUSE LIGHTING - House lights are dimmer controlled from the light/sound booth control gallery and stage manager's station.
STAGE LIGHTING - Lighting is controlled by a ETC INSIGHT 2X memory console capable of 600 internal cues per show, 324 control channels, 2 pages of 108 submasters, proportional softpatch of up to 1536 dimmers, and dual fader wheels for x/y link. The console controls 2 ETC racks at 2.4K per dimmer for a total of 192 dimmers. This dimmer per circuit system currently utilizes 182 circuits distributed throughout front of house (grid and on-stage for theatrical lighting). The remaining 10 circuits/dimmers are utilized for house lighting and on-stage work lights.
LIGHTING/SOUND GALLERY - The Gallery (Control Booth) is located at the rear of the theatre. It houses the computer lighting control console, the sound playback equipment and the "Clear-Com" intercommunication system. The entire stage space is visible from the Gallery. "Clear-Com" communication is provided from the Gallery (stage manager) to backstage, dressing rooms, green room, scene shop, make-up studio, box office and light grid. In addition to the hard wired "Clear-Com," the system also utilizes 4 interfaced wireless headsets for show operation. Live performance pick-up to all stations is provided by an overhead stage microphone via the "Clear-Com" system.
SOUND SYSTEM - The sound
system located in the
Gallery includes an Allen and Heath 32 channel stereo mixing console
with computer interface (for digital recording and playback), monitor
speakers, and an equipment rack containing 4 Tascam CD players, 1
Tascam dual play cassette deck, amplifiers, equalizer and sound
card. House main speakers are located on the left and right
side
of the proscenium arch with a subwoofer located at the rear of the
theatre above the catwalk. Sound system speaker jacks are
permanently wired to the stage right and left proscenium walls, the
back wall of the theatre, and the catwalk encircling the top of the
theatre house. The system also utilizes 4 portable speakers
to
localize sound effects.
DRESSING ROOMS AND MAKE-UP STUDIO - There are two dressing rooms located off stage right equipped with mirrors, make-up lights, costume racks, toilets, sinks and showers. The make-up studio is a separate room with counter space, make-up mirrors with lights, and sinks.
PROSCENIUM STAGE - The permanent proscenium opening is 18'-0" high by 36'-0" wide. The apron is 10'-6" deep from plaster line to apron edge. The stage depth is 30'-0" from plaster line to the back wall.
LOADING FACILITIES - A loading dock (44" high) feeds into the scene shop through a 7'-0" high by 5'-10" wide access double door. The loading dock, scene shop and stage are all on the same floor level. Access doors from scene shop to stage are 10'-0" by 10'-0" roll-up chain hoist garage type doors.
SCENE SHOP - The scene shop is equipped with industrial quality equipment. Equipment includes the following: stationary power tools (table saw, band saw, radial arm saw, drill press, belt and disk sander); power hand tools (circular saw, saber saw, sanders, pneumatic fasteners, wired and cordless drills); and various hand tools. The shop also includes storage for hardware, soft goods, paint and equipment and limited storage for stock scenic units.
COSTUME
SHOP AND
STORAGE - The theatre has a shop for the design, production, and
maintenance of costumes as well as an environmentally controlled
facility for the purpose of costume storage. The costume shop
is
equipped with high quality sewing machines (1 cabinet industrial, 6
portable Bernina machines, 2 sergers) and various other equipment for
the construction of costumes. The theatre also utilizes an
auxiliary space (located adjacent to the theatre loading dock) for
instruction as well as additional storage and laundry.
COMPUTER DESIGN LAB - The
theatre currently
shares a computer design lab (Macintosh) with the Art Education program
in the Fine Arts Center. This lab is used for costume,
lighting
and scene design and includes a variety of 3D and CAD software.
PROPS STORAGE - The theatre has one room devoted to the purpose of storing hand props and set dressing.
THEATRE WAREHOUSE - A 1440 square foot (24 x 60) warehouse space is the primary area for stock scenery, larger props, and limited furniture storage. The basement (trap room) beneath the stage and the space beneath the main theatre seating bank are also used for limited furniture storage.
INSTRUCTION AND PRODUCTION - The theatre space serves as a laboratory for the study of Theatre Arts. The theatre facility is used as a classroom and is also made available to students for the purposes of their directing projects and/or acting project rehearsals. The theatre is equipped with video recording capabilities for the purpose of instruction. The theatre make-up studio is used for both productions and course instruction. The Theatre Arts program has at its disposal a design studio equipped with 18 drafting stations.
All equipment and spaces are used for both instructional and production purposes. The majority of the equipment is on the leading edge of current technology and is adequate to maintain a competitive level of instruction. Equipment is updated as often as technical advances demand and finances allow.
The entire facility is routinely inspected and patrolled by University Public Safety. Inspections are based on those standards set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. These same standards are also part of the instruction in related courses and to all employees using or maintaining the facilities.
